By Caro Quickly & accurately cut rounds of parchment paper to fit round cake pans or baking dishes. 4 simple quick steps for better lining of cake pans. Why Do This? Accurate – more accurate than free-hand cutting or drawing a circle round the pan and then cutting. Uses Less Paper – only cut to […]
Category: BAKING THEORY
WHIPPING CREAM – Theory Lesson 8
Whipping cream might seem simple, but how do you know when it’s ready? Timing isn’t always useful if your mixer has different power or motor than the one used in the recipe. Similarly, if you decide to whisk by hand, this will take long, and require a lot of elbow powder. But don’t worry, it […]
How To Check When A Cake Is Done – Theory Lesson 7
This is a common question for beginner bakers – how can you tell if a cake is ready? Recipes will not give a specific baking time (or they should not), as everyones ovens run slightly idifferently. So most recipes will give a time range or specify when to start checking. But how can you do […]
IMPORTANCE OF SIEVING IN BAKING – Theory Lesson 6
IMPORTANCE OF SIEVING IN BAKING By Caro This next Theory Lesson is on the importance of sieving in all our bakes. Some people think it’s not needed anymore because flour bugs are not as prevalent as they once were. However, that is not the case if you don’t store your flour for example in airtight […]
OVER-MIXING CAKE BATTER – Theory Lesson 5
THINGS THAT CAN CAUSE A DENSE BAKE 1. Over-mixing the cake batter. Any air incorporated will be lost and you are deflating the bake. Only mix until everything is incorporated. Often you will hear or read ‘just till incorporated’. 2. Using an ‘All-In-One’ Method instead of ‘creaming’ the butter and sugar together. Creaming is very […]
QUICK GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS TO WORKING WITH YEAST DOUGH – Part 1
After I did a few posts on social media to determine what areas of baking most people either struggled with, or were very apprehensive to try, bread making and working with yeast based dough was high up on that list. With the popularity and availability of shows like The Great British Bake Off (or The […]
LINING BAKING TINS – Theory Lesson 4
LINING BAKING TINS – Theory Lesson 4 LINING COOKIE TRAYS/SHEETS One tip for when using on an oven tray/sheet for cookies etc. If it doesn’t have a lip/edge, grease it before placing the paper in position, as you don’t want the cookies or cookie dough to slide off. That has happened – for real!! STANDARD […]
SCIENCE OF BAKING – Understanding How Ingredients Work
I thought I would give some brief explanations of the science behind how the ingredients you regularly use in your baking act or interact together.
I have said it before and will quote myself again: “Baking is a science – chemistry of a precisely measured set of
Sweet Shortcrust (Pie) Pastry – Pastry 101
Learn not only how to make Sweet Shortcrust Pastry, but all you need to know for success pastry making.
THEORY LESSON 2
ALTERNATIVE EQUIPMENT – Household Substitutes A metal cooking spatula can be used in place of a BAKING PALETTE KNIFE as a lifting apparatus, moving your bakes to the cooling rack for example. You can also use it to flip over to bake the under side of your bake if need be, as it is often […]