How to be a Better Baker

Sometimes I get so caught up in what I am doing that I forget some of my readers may not be "natural" bakers or maybe are just looking for some tips on how to be better at baking.  It's nothing to be ashamed about.  Trust me, I go to bookstores all the time and sit in the cookbook section trying to find books about how to make better cakes or cookies.  I decided instead of giving you another recipe of mine to make, I would give you some tips on how you can make your desserts better.

1.  Always use the best ingredients.
You are probably thinking, well that's a given.  But, using pure vanilla extract over imitation vanilla is going to make your cookies taste a whole lot better.  These ingredients don't necessarily have to be more expensive they just need to be good!  Next time you are buying ingredients and you have a choice over good quality chocolate over really cheap chocolate, pick the good quality stuff.  You will find that your dessert will taste better and that it's really not that much more expensive.

2. When making cakes, remember to alternate.
I bet most of you have read a recipe and read where it says to "alternate the flour mixture with the liquid, starting and ending with the flour".  It really does make for a better cake!  When you dump everything in and then mix the end result is a dry, dense cake.  Alternating will make your cake light and moist which is exactly what we want.  So next time you read that in a recipe, don't skip it!

3. Use room temperature ingredients.
Always make sure your butter, eggs, milk, or any dairy products that you will be using in your recipe are at room temperature.  It has been proven that ingredients at room temperature incorporate better than cold ones do.  When your ingredients are nicely incorporated, it creates a nice, light batter and will then result in a nice dessert!

4. Do not overmix.
I know now that I am saying this you will become highly aware of your mixing and sometimes might not even mix your batter enough.  That's exactly what happened to me when I found out this tip.  Just be aware that after adding flour to your batter of the amount of mixing going on.  If too much mixing occurs the gluten will start to develop and make the cookie (or cake or pie dough) tough.  A good note to know when mixing is you have mixed just enough when the dough is developed and there is no more flour visible.

5. A great substitute.
Did you know that if you take any kind of milk in your refrigerator and add some white vinegar to it, that it is a great substitute for buttermilk?  I actually do this all the time instead of buying buttermilk.  I just don't use buttermilk in my house enough to buy a carton of it.  This substitute works great in all cakes that call for buttermilk!



These are just a few tips that I thought might be helpful.  If you have any other questions or an idea for a blog post just contact me!