Emillycious’ Baking Tips for Beginners

Baking is a fun and interesting way to learn whether you can be a home cook or a professional. A lot of hidden gems lie within it, and you just need to unravel them throughout the process. Everyone has a starting point and failed at something at some point. It’s important to learn from your mistakes, overcome them, and ensure you’re not repeating them in the future. Even the best professional bakers nowadays were amateurs in the past. So, if you plan to get into baking, I have a few tips to make your baking experience easier. After all, is there anything more satisfying than this?

Pre-prep your ingredients

When baking, it’s imperative to have everything ready before you start. That way, you can focus more on the baking process rather than the preparation process. And you make less mess when you already have every measured ingredient on hand. So, pre-prepping is the key to a successful baking process.

Room temperature ingredients

Most baking recipes require room-temperature ingredients, so it’s always better to plan ahead. For example, if your recipe calls for room-temperature butter or eggs, it’s a good idea to take them out of the refrigerator beforehand. Room-temperature ingredients make a better batter texture, taking you one step closer to perfecting your baking skills.

Measure or weigh your ingredients

Now is the time to invest in a kitchen scale. Even though I already have the “eyeball” technique perfected for some recipes, I still use the kitchen scale. It’s the best and most crucial tool for baking, especially for beginners. There are available scales that measure in multiple units. This means you can measure your wet and dry ingredients using the same tool. Easy, right?

Pan greasing and parchment paper usage

Regardless of whether you’re using a non-stick pan or not, you should always grease it and use parchment paper. That way, you can assure yourself that the product won’t stick to the sides of the pan. You don’t want to put a lot of effort into a baked good that may result in disaster.

Give yourself time for baking

Nothing comes out good when it’s rushed. You should always plan your baking ahead of time, and don’t rush it if you want to fully enjoy the baked deliciousness. Always double-check the recipe, prepare the ingredients beforehand, preheat your oven, grease and add parchment paper to the pans. Now is not the time to chit-chat on the phone with your friends, watch TV, or do other chores. Focus on the baking, and you will be so proud of yourself.

Forget about hot ingredients

Hot ingredients are the enemy when it comes to baking. For example, if you add hot liquid to an egg, it will scramble into a dairy, and it can cause it to curdle. Also, it can change the structure of the active ingredients, and they’ll die. Always be aware that if the ingredient in a recipe needs to be warm, it needs to be warm, not hot. And if you get to a point where your ingredients get hot, you can always wait for it to cool a bit.

Invest in a good mixer

I never thought this was so important until I invested in a standing mixer. If your budget allows you, don’t even think about it; buy it. It will completely change your baking experience. Of course, a good hand mixer Is an alternative if you don’t want to spend a lot of money.

Do not overmix

If a recipe calls for light mixing, when adding the flour, stick to it. Do it only until everything comes together. If you overmix your batter, you will end up with a chewy and tough texture. For example, when making bread, we knead until the flour releases gluten, but we want the bread to be chewy. You don’t want that with baked goods like cake, fluffy cupcakes, and muffins. So, when a recipe calls it to not overmix, do not overmix.

Keep the oven door closed

If you want to peek at your goods during baking, please do not open the oven door. That way, you let the hot air out and instantly change the temperature inside. Leave until you think it’s ready, and if you need to check it with a toothpick, do it as quickly as possible. If you’re unsure about your oven temperature, invest in an oven thermometer.

Never give up

If you fail, don’t discourage yourself. Remember, even the most famous chefs have failed. I have failed multiple times with cakes. And when I say failed, I mean cake falling apart, egg scrambling, frosting leaking, etc. But I’ve learned from my mistakes, and that’s the best way to learn. Trust me, like everything in life, you should never give up on your future success.

I hope these tips were helpful and you have a good baking time. There is nothing better than creating something that will satisfy your belly.