Nothing beats the aroma of freshly baked pastries and homemade cakes, but attempts to prepare homemade baked goods often fail and can lead to embarrassing situations, especially when hosting family and friends for iftar during Ramadan.
From burnt tops to dry, tough pies, baking isn't just about cooking skills. Baking requires a scientific approach, coupled with skill, innovation, and determination to ensure the best and most delicious results.
In this report, we review the most common mistakes when preparing homemade cakes and baked goods, and the most important tips to follow to achieve the desired results.
temperature during cooking
An oven with uneven heat distribution leads to unsuccessful baked goods, so if you find that your cakes or pastries have burnt edges while the middle is not cooked enough, know that the oven is either unevenly heated or needs to be preheated.
In recipes for baked goods prepared over a high flame, such as qatayef dough, zalabia, balah al-sham, and sweets prepared in abundant oil, it is easy to check the degree of doneness by observing the baked goods turning golden before removing them from the flame.
Opening the oven prematurely
It's always tempting to keep checking on baked goods as they cook, but it's best to take a quick look at the oven window because opening the door wastes hot air and changes the internal oven temperature, which can cause the center of a cake to sink, or pies and other baked goods to remain undercooked.
Therefore, it's essential to wait until the baking time is complete. If you're preparing cakes, check for doneness using a fork or wooden skewer. If they appear cooked on top but are still runny in the center, cover the top of the cake with aluminum foil and then re-insert the cake to thoroughly bake the center.
Not measuring ingredients
Experienced bakers often measure each ingredient by weight or using measuring cups. In fact, most ingredient measurements must be precise to ensure proper chemical reactions. Accurate ingredient measurements will also ensure consistent, consistent results every time.
Using components with varying temperatures
When a recipe calls for melted butter or room-temperature eggs, it's important to follow these exact measurements according to the recipe's ideals. You can't substitute room-temperature butter for melted butter, and vice versa. It may be tempting to microwave your ingredients or simply use cold butter, but skipping steps will only harm the final product.
Yeast quality problem
Have you waited a few hours only to find that your dough hasn't doubled in size? If your dough hasn't risen, you may have used damaged or expired yeast, or it may have been killed by excessive heat when you heated the water, milk, or other liquid you were using before adding a little sugar (if applicable) and the yeast.
The solution to this problem is to check the expiration date on the yeast before use, and to activate the yeast thoroughly before mixing the ingredients.
Top general tips for successful baking
Read the recipe before you start: This may seem like an obvious note, but it can save you a lot of mistakes.
Some steps are time or temperature sensitive, such as caramelizing sugar, whipping egg whites, and others, so reading the recipe steps will help you avoid wasting ingredients.
Sift the flour and dry ingredients: This step ensures that air is incorporated into the ingredients and makes them easier to mix when preparing cakes or pastry dough.
Mix ingredients carefully: The way you add and mix ingredients determines the success or failure of a recipe.
When a recipe specifies specific steps, it's important to adhere to them carefully. For example, if a step includes "beating ingredients well," this means stirring quickly and thoroughly to ensure air is incorporated into the mixture. "Mixing" means gently mixing ingredients together until well combined to prevent clumping.
Modify with care: When preparing baked goods, it's difficult to substitute ingredients because each plays a role in ensuring the final result. Therefore, if you don't have an ingredient, be sure to use a substitute that will play the same role.
Perseverance: Like any life skill, baking requires practice and consistency, even if you fail at some attempts. With experience, you'll learn from your mistakes and ensure better results next time.
Read also : How to support your child to become the best version of himself?
0 Comments