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B A K I N G B A S I C S

* Read recipe several times * Prepare all ingredients and necessary equipment before starting * Prepare pan (greasing/flouring) * Reread recipe again * Preheat oven to correct temperature * Measure ingredients carefully * Mix ingredients according to recipe specifications. * Place in oven for correct amount of time * Clean kitchen and put away ingredients as you finish with them B A K I N G B A S I C S

~ Cookies ~ Breads ~ Advanced Pastries

cookies

T i p s f o r B a k i n g C o o k i e s Use soft butter: helps to whip air into your cookie ingredients. Cream butter and sugar well: ensures smooth texture Check expiration date on your leavening agents : outdated leavening will stop your cookies from rising properly Sift all the dry ingredients Mix eggs one at a time, mixing well in between Add dry ingredients slowly: add dry ingredients approximately ¼ - ½ cup at a time mixing for a short time between each. This allows the flour time to absorb the moist ingredients allowing for even distribution and smooth dough. Mix in dry ingredients just until blended : mixing flour too long will give you a tough cookie. Use a cookie or ice cream scoop to make cookies the same size: this way the cookies will bake at the same rate Use parchment paper: Cookie bottoms turn out smooth and cookie will slide right off the sheet. Bake just until cookie edges are brown: just the edges and not the whole cookie!

Let cookies sit on cookie sheet: leaving them on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes makes them easier to scoop off the cookie sheet and gives them a bit of time to finish cooking. Start over on cool cookie sheet: starting the whole process over on a cool cookie sheet is important. Your dough will start the cooking process on a hot cookie sheet even though it is not in the oven. You don't want over brown/tough cookies. Scoop cookie dough before freezing: baked cookies do not freeze well. Freezing them changes their flavor and their texture despite your very best air tight container. Fresh cookies are always ideal, so freeze chocolate chip cookie dough balls and put those in your air tight container.

breads

tips for baking breadtips for baking bread Mix the dough well and leave it for 10 minutes before kneading: After kneading leave the dough until it has risen by a half. Then, after shaping, bake the loaf when it has risen by a half to two-thirds, not double. Place a tray of boiling water on your oven's bottom shelf just before baking: this helps the top of the dough to open and gives the crust a richer color. Add a tablespoon of vinegar or soya flour to the dough mix: this will help the crumb stay soft after baking Add half a small vitamin C tablet, (or a tablespoon of orange juice: will help loaves rise better, especially if they contain a portion of wholemeal flour. Replace some of the water in a recipe with yogurt: this will give more flavor to white bread – but don’t over do it! Kneading: fold the dough back on itself, rotate it a quarter turn, and repeat. 5 – 10 minutes is enough. If you don't knead the dough at all it will still turn out fine, but the crust might be a bit gummy. If you whack the dough about vigorously you will only get a slightly fluffier crust

Pastries

tips for baking pastriestips for baking pastries Cold ingredients produce the flakiest crust.. In warm weather, it helps to chill the flour ahead. Cut the butter or shortening in until your mixture resembles small peas or gravel. The more you incorporate it past that point, the less flaky your crust will be. If you are making a double crust pie: it helps to have a little extra dough for the bottom crust. Divide the dough in two, making one part slightly larger than the other. Pastry handles better when chilled than at room temperature to 40 minutes in the refrigerator before rolling is usually sufficient. You can chill pastry in the refrigerator for a while-- up to 2 or 3 days if it is wrapped well. If you do store it this long, let it sit at room temperature for 5 or 10 minutes before rolling to allow the dough to become more pliable. Roll your pastry on a sheet of lightly floured wax paper. Invert the pastry right over the pan, or filling, and peel the paper off. Patch tears: You can easily fix any patch tears in a pastry by pinching or pressing it back together. Don't stretch the pastry: be especially careful when putting pie crusts in a pan. Add to the look of your pastry: sparingly brush your top crust with cream just before baking, and sprinkle a large pinch or two of sugar over the top for an extra bit of sweetness.

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