Baking is an enjoyable experience with delicious rewards. Nothing beats the incredible taste of fresh bread, gooey brownies, or a tasty pie, especially when you can share it with someone you love. However, you may have more flops than successes as a beginner baker. Enhance your culinary talent with our tips and tricks to become a better baker!
Follow Recipes to a T
Sometimes, straying from the recipe feels tempting. However, as you learn to bake, you should stick to the directions for each dish. If you want to bake soft cookies and the recipe calls for softened butter, stick to this, as soft butter creates cakey cookies.
Also, avoid substituting ingredients unless a recipe explains what to use and how. While some substitutions call for the same measurement as the original ingredient, others don’t. You can use baking substitutions or modify recipes once you become more confident in your craft.
Buy the Essential Gear
Investing in some baking gear is another way you can become a better baker. Ideally, you should own:
- Measuring cups and spoons
- A rubber spatula
- A pastry brush
- A candy thermometer
- Quality baking pans and molds
- An electric mixer
As you shop for each item, strive to buy quality options as they achieve better results and last longer. Additionally, ensure you clean items when you finish using them and store each baking tool safely.
Purchase Quality Ingredients
Sometimes, you have all the tools but need to use different ingredients to ensure dishes turn out well. For instance, a key difference between natural and Dutched cocoa is that the former has a stronger cocoa flavor. With natural cocoa, desserts like brownies have that rich, chocolatey taste that many of us love!
Additionally, use fresh ingredients whenever you can. You could shop for fruit, eggs, and dairy products at your local farmers market to make better-tasting desserts. You could also make vanilla, almond, or strawberry extract for added flavoring.
Practice Always Helps
As with any skill, the more you practice baking, the better you become. Try to bake something new every week, whether it’s a recipe you’ve never tried or a new variation of an old favorite. Don’t be discouraged if your first attempts aren’t perfect; keep practicing until you get it right.
Moreover, remember to learn from your mistakes, as it’s a natural part of growth. If a recipe doesn’t turn out, analyze what went wrong to avoid making the same error next time. And, of course, have fun baking every confectionary creation!