| BAKING TIPS When baking, measurements are very important. In fact, if you're making bread and can find these types of measurements, it's far more accurate to weigh the ingredients than to measure them by the cup. A cup of flour can vary widely in weight depending on how packed the flour is in the cup. The second thing is to use high quality equipment. Good, heavy pans are not necessarily more expensive. Also, a good rolling pin that you can use comfortably will help. There are rubber band sets you can buy cheaply that you put over your rolling pin to control the thickness of dough. They usually come in 1/2", 1/4" and 1/8" sets. These are very helpful and will eliminate thick parts and thin parts in the dough Follow the directions for baking and cooling times carefully. Get an oven thermometer to determine if your oven really heats up to 180 when set at 180. It's surprising how many don't. Then you can make whatever adjustments you need to when baking. For example, if your oven only heats up to 150, then you know to set the temperature at 200 when the recipe calls for 180. This can make a big difference. Cooling time in or on the pan is also important, because the food continues to cook for a short amount of time after it's removed from the oven. Too long or too short, and your food is underbaked, overbaked, or stuck in the pan! For new recipes, follow the instructions exactly. If you discover the times given aren't quite right for how you want the food to turn out, you can make small adjustments the next time. Make sure you write the adjustments and their results on the recipe so it'll be there for next time. |