I love baking. It is easily one of my favorite hobbies. Especially in the summertime, when I’ve got nothing but time, I like baking sweets and cakes for family and friends. I try to make the most I can from scratch, which is why I try to always be stocked on the basic ingredients in my house: eggs, milk, butter, vanilla, milk and, most importantly, flour.
Baking, though, can be challenging, especially when you’re first starting out. So here are some tips and tricks I’ve learned in all my years of baking.
1. Softened butter
The temperature of your butter greatly affects the texture of your dessert, especially in cookies. So when a recipe calls for softened butter, that means that it’s neither cold not melted. The main way to soften butter is to leave it on your kitchen counter for a couple of hours. When I plan ahead, I’ll leave the butter out the night before. However, sometimes you don’t plan on baking cookies; you just decide to.
You don’t want to throw your butter stick in the microwave because it’ll melt the outside of the butter stick while the center is still pretty solid. Instead, fill a large bowl or mason jar with boiling water, cover it with a dish towel, and let it sit for a minute. This will pre-heat your jar, and then, dump the water out. Place the butter sticks inside and cover them with the dish towel. After a couple of minutes, your butter will be ready to use.
2. Mise en Place
If you’ve never heard this term before, it is French for “putting in place.” This basically means that you pre-portion your ingredients, and you get everything set up before you start baking. Sometimes, I’ll go all the way and fill multiple bowls with my exact measurements of each ingredient. However, I find it just as easy and helpful to have everything out on the counter.
Things are often misplaced in the kitchen and pantry, and you don’t want to waste time between preparations by checking every single shelf for your baking powder. This step is also helpful in ensuring that you have everything you need. There’s nothing worse than creaming your butter and sugar and then finding out that you’re out of eggs or chocolate chips.
3. Parchment Paper
Using parchment paper has made my life so much easier. I used to only brush oil or butter on my molds and baking sheets, and that worked fine. But using parchment paper reduces the cleaning I have to do at the end, and is much more effective than oiling my surfaces. For muffins, I oil the molds and then make cups out of parchment paper so that they’re easier to take out and share.
4. Ice Cream Scoops
Ice cream scoops are the best to portion out your dough or mixture. For muffins, it helps ensure every mold has the same amount of mixture. Whereas for cookies, it helps make sure they’re all the same size.
Sometimes, I’ll scoop the dough directly onto the baking sheet, like for chocolate chip cookies. Other times, I’ll use the scoop to portion the dough, and then I’ll roll them into smooth balls with my hands.
5. Reference Pictures and Videos
The first time you try a recipe, the main struggle is making sure you’re doing everything the way you’re supposed to. I know I do. So, for a first-time recipe, I’ll look up video tutorials or save the pictures of the recipe blog. The latter are a good guide—they help you make sure you’re mixture is looking the way it’s supposed to. Videos are even more helpful because you just have to mimic the instructor on the video.
Baking is its own love language, and just like learning any new language, it takes practice before you’re fluent. Happy baking!