Home | Tips & Tools | General Baking Tips
 General
Baking Tips
Whether you're a novice, an experienced baker or a professional, there are a few basic tips to help you achieve results that bring smiles and raves.
You'll be surprised at how quickly these tips become routine. Reading through these suggestions, you may even discover you're already accustomed to using many of them. If so, rate yourself "experienced!"
Getting Started
Use quality ingredients. Whether it’s eggs, butter, or C&H Pure Cane Sugar, always use the freshest, finest, highest-quality ingredients.
Top
Measuring and Mixing
Measure accurately. Be certain that your measurements are accurate and consistent. Use metal or plastic measuring cups for dry ingredients, and glass or clear plastic for liquids. Use calibrated measuring spoons – not table utensils – to measure dry ingredients.
Fluff up flour before you spoon it into a dry measuring cup, then level it with a butter knife. Also fluff powdered sugar before you spoon into a measuring cup.
Pack brown sugar firmly into your measuring cup. As the cup fills, press the sugar down firmly with a spoon or your fingers, and then level off with a butter knife or with the top of a flat spatula. The brown sugar should just hold its shape when turned out of the cup.
Mix dry ingredients thoroughly in one bowl before you combine them with liquids.
Handle pie crust and other pastry dough gently after you add liquid, and use only a dusting of flour on the rolling pin or counter. Too much handling and/or flour results in a tough pie crust. Letting the dough rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes makes it easier to handle. Use as few firm strokes as possible when rolling.
Top
Baking
Use the pan size suggested in recipe for best results.
Preheat your oven. Take care not to preheat it longer than needed – it only wastes energy and adds to your bill. Make sure ovens and shelves are level.
Allow for air circulation when you place your pans in the oven and place them in the middle of the center oven rack.
Bake at the correct temperature. Use an oven thermometer to double check for the correct calibration.
Do not open the oven door until the minimum baking time is reached. Use the oven light instead. Be sure to set a timer.
To test to see if it’s done, use a cake tester or wooden pick inserted in the center of the dessert. Be careful not to insert it into any moist ingredient like jam or jelly. If the tester comes out clean, your dessert is ready.
Top
Shipping Baked Goods
We all enjoy sharing our creations with friends and family, especially when they’re far away. To make sure the baked goods you send arrive fresh and safe, follow these packaging and shipping tips:
Choose baked goods that are moist, firm and hard—not brittle. These travel well and should arrive whole, not in crumbs. Durable foods that ship well include pound cakes, unfrosted cakes, breads, (not yeast breads), muffins, flavored nuts, candies (such as fudge), and cookies (drop cookies, like chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin, or bar cookies, such as brownies).
Use two containers: one for your baked goods and one as the shipping container.
Wrap cookies individually or place back-to-back and wrap loosely as a pair in plastic wrap or zip-lock plastic bags. To keep cookies from breaking, put a layer of crumpled wax paper on the bottom of the food tin or box, then the cookies, then another layer of crumpled wax paper on top.
Pound cakes, loaf breads, brownies and fudge ship better when they are left in their disposable aluminum pans. Cover the food with wax paper or seal in plastic wrap, place the pan in a plastic bag and pack in a cushioned food box.
Pack cakes snugly into tins. For candies, be sure they are in individual bonbon cups or papers, layered and separated with wax paper. Make sure there is no headroom in the food box. Fill unused space with crumpled wax paper.
Once all individual items are tightly sealed in a food container, select a sturdy cardboard box for shipping. Avoid using a previously mailed box. Boxes weaken during transit, and may not withstand a second trip. The box should be large enough to allow plenty of cushioning material to be packed on all sides of the food box.
Place a cushion of crumpled newspaper, paper towels, bubble-wrap, or Styrofoam pellets on the bottom of the shipping box, then add the containers of food. Place heavier items at the bottom. Be sure there is ample space between each item, with packing material surrounding each container on all sides. Finish packing with paper. Shake the box down and add more crumpled paper to be sure there is no headspace left unpacked. This will assure the contents will not shift while in transit. Securely close the box and label it “perishable.”
Top
|
General Baking Tips
Getting Started
Measuring and Mixing
Baking
Shipping Baked Goods
|
