Baking 101: Basics

There is a lot to keep track of when starting out in baking, and so many different recipes and techniques to try. I only began baking a few years ago, but I've found myself coming back to a few guiding principles:

• Weighing your ingredients is the single most important thing you can do to get consistent results between bakes. Using volume measures can give you different amounts of the ingredients each time you measure, especially for ingredients like flour, which has a tendency to be added in excess as measuring cups often compress it. As a baking instructor I had once said "The only acceptable use for a measuring cup in baking is to help shape graham cracker crust." So get yourself a cheap kitchen scale and watch your baking improve. Most of my recipes will be presented in weight measures. However, some ingredients are added in very small amounts (e.g. salt) that can be hard to measure with a scale, so in those cases, I'll include their volume measures. Cooking on the other hand is a much different story!

• Make sure your oven is reaching the right temperature with an oven thermometer. Different ovens may be calibrated differently, so it is important to get a feel for what temperatures your oven actually hits by using an oven thermometer. They can also fluctuate by more than 50˚F at a given temperature and have often not reached temperature yet when they indicate that they are pre-heated.

• Baking times are a guideline. They can vary with your oven, the thickness of the baked good, and can be longer or shorter than what a recipe says. You should always check your bake before the indicated time in a recipe to make sure it isn't already done. Signals like browning and the toothpick test are ultimately more important than the given bake time.

• Techniques can matter just as much as the ingredients themselves. Basic techniques like creaming butter or laminating dough are incredibly important for getting the best results, so if I disappear for a while, I am probably off in technique land!

• Different brands of ingredients can give varied results. For example, all purpose flours from different brands can have a range of protein content, so results can vary slightly.

• Preparation is key. Measuring out all your ingredients beforehand is critical. It ensures that you have everything before you start and helps you avoid missing critical moments. It is also important to read the recipe a few times before you start.

By mastering new techniques and developing the most basic form of recipes, I hope to gain an understanding of what makes recipes work, what science is behind them, and what freedoms I can take with them when adding flavors. While I am a total baking nerd, I'm not a professional baker or food scientist, so I am always open to ideas and suggestions. I hope that those starting out or just wanting to learn more about baking find learning together useful! And I also hope that this encourages you to experiment too!