A Baker’s Tips for the Perfect Bake.

 

The Recipe for Trouble Free Baking.



The question “what’s your secret?” or “How do you do it? You bake such delicious things; I just have to know!” somehow seems to accompany the dishes I lift out of the oven… the delicious aroma that fills my kitchen always means people want to know... As if it were just one thing (my secret!) and if knowing it and using it, would give them the same result.

The truth is, as any good baker will tell you, for the best baking it's just being good at what you do, and for that there are a few simple rules.

So, here’s my “secret” recipe for trouble free baking.


Start with a reliable recipe.

No matter what that best friend who “bakes without recipes” says, correct measures and clear directions are important for successful baking.

Here’s the reason why.

For any mouthwatering dish to be just right in the end, it needs a perfect road map to get there. And following the measurements and directions to the letter is all part of it.

So, find a recipe you can trust and work with it until you’re perfect at it. After you've done this, you can tweak it to suit your taste.


Add quality ingredients and fresh produce.

Nothing can beat the flavor that quality ingredients and fresh produce bring to a favorite dish.

They may cost a little bit more, but you know you’re getting value in flavor and shelf-life. Ingredients that stay on the shelf longer loose flavor over time and are usually sold at cheaper prices. However, get you produce, spices and herbs as soon as they come into the market or grow them yourself and pick what you need for the day, and you can’t substitute the mouthwatering flavor they bring to the table.


Stir in skill and a large helping of love for your creation.

You may say “most of us don’t have the time to go to culinary school, I just want to bake for myself and family” and that’s true but being skilled isn’t only a diploma. It can be following the directions until you’ve perfected your recipe. Or it can be grandma’s old recipes; (the ones with the million steps to follow); they can teach you good baking skills. So don’t be in a hurry to throw away grans' old cookbook. It’s where you’ll learn all the little things that we don’t have time to talk about in this article. (We will however at another time)

When you learn different skills your love for the time you spend baking will grow and that doesn’t have to be hours, just minutes is often all it takes. You’ll find satisfaction in the taste of something great.


Combine with plenty of time.

You can never rush a masterpiece.

When prepping for a dish the thing that is most time consuming is measuring and gathering (preparing) the ingredients and it’s tempting to skip what can seem unnecessary. For example: In my experience sieving the flour once instead of twice (required) meant heavy dough's and uneven rising (and starting the recipe all over again). So, take the time to prepare properly before you start the method; it could be the difference between a good bake and a disastrous one.


Practice, practice, practice.

Practice always makes perfect whatever you do, and it’s a big part of enjoying something really delicious. What makes a good baker is all of the above-mentioned steps done over and over and over again. 

Always practice a new recipe a few times before you have others taste it.

So, my secret is...

There’s no extraordinary secret, no big reveal. The difference between a really delicious recipe and a disastrous throw away is the willingness to go the extra mile and follow your recipe. And your recipe begins with the line that reads “ingredients: serves 4” and works through every line, in step, after that.

Now, for that BFF who says she bakes “without recipes”; here’s a real secret… she really means she has her recipe (that she’s worked on over and over) in her head and written down and she’s not happy about handing it over to you.


Happy Baking Everyone!!!!


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