My Baking Tips

You can be sure there are 3 skewers in the center of this 3 layer cake.

Recently I was told of a young lady who had some degree of difficulty with a recipe of mine which made me feel very badly.  So, in thinking it over I decided to do a short post on my preferences and the baking habits I have learned over the years that serve me well!

There is a *Pie Bird peeking from this blackberry pie.

SHORTENING & OILS:
First is I always use the best, freshest, and purest ingredients I can.  Butter almost always, unless margarine works better in a specific recipe and it is specifically stated.  If a recipe calls for shortening I always use Crisco.  If I buy lard I go to a packing house to buy it, NOT what is sold at the grocery store.  When using oils I prefer extra virgin olive oil, grape seed oil, coconut oil, safflower oil, and peanut oil.

Apple Pie.

EGGS;
As a child Mother always sent me next door to buy fresh eggs from Mrs. Quick and I have since always sought out a local poultry farmer for fresh eggs that have a minimum of antibiotics and the chickens are able to go out of doors and have a natural diet along with commercial feed.  Freeze and label unused egg whites and unused yolks for later use.  Be sure to label how many you are freezing together in a package.

Rolls baked in a cast iron skillet.

FLOUR, YEAST, & FLAVORINGS;
I prefer King Arthur Flour by far but also use other flours specific to a particular recipe and if called for. Yeast can be tricky, it has been my experience that a lot of groceries have old weak or dead yeast.  Always proof the yeast if you can.  I have given up on groceries and only use fresh yeast and I purchase once a year a pound at a time from the King Arthur Flour Co.  Pure vanilla is all I buy.  I use real Ceylon Cinnamon etc.  Use the best ingredients you can afford and find. 

Bread needs to be completely cooled on a rack.

PREPARATION;
I try to always read the recipe through THE DAY BEFORE I PLAN TO MAKE IT.  Then I can set out the butter or cream cheese overnight to soften.  When a recipe calls for sift, stir, or add the dry ingredients it usually means the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder, (and sometimes cocoa).  If you have read the recipe thoroughly you will have noted if the sugar has been mixed with the shortening and eggs or has been included with the dry ingredients.

PENNY WISE;
Waxed paper is cheap.  I use it to sift flour and so forth into then slide it from there into the batter.  I also use it to place cookies onto to cool.

PREPARING PANS;
When it calls for a cake pan to be buttered I use empty butter wrappers I save in my freezer.  Just open them and the warmth of your hand melts the residue of the butter onto the pan as you rub it against the sides and bottom of the pan.  Next I use parchment paper in the bottoms of the pans.  For example, for a three layer cake, fold three thicknesses of parchment paper onto the counter and set one of the pans upon it.  Next take a pencil and trace around the bottom.  Cut the folded three layers to fit.  Place the tracing line into the pan line side down away from where the the batter will be poured.  After the paper has been positioned butter it well and dust with flour.  Repeat for all layers.

Oatmeal cookies.

When baking cookies I prefer sil-pat baking mats.  Parchment works fine too but once you purchase the mats and have made lots of cookies you have no further expense.  I have used mine for at least 10 years!

Many times you can line a pan with heavy duty foil and have great success in lifting out the finished product.  Just treat the foil the same way it calls for the pan to be treated.  This is great for brownies and some cream filled rolls.

Italian Biscotti.

BAKING;
Always, always look and see at what temperature you will be baking at and preheat the oven in advance.   Generally I bake with the rack adjusted so the top of what I am baking is at the center middle point of the oven unless otherwise stated in the recipe.

FROSTING TIPS;
When frosting layer cakes use bamboo skewers, usually I put 3,  right down through all of the layers in a small triangle in the middle of the cake.  Trim them with a good pair of scissors then frost.  This will keep the cake layers stable and from sliding.  

Black Walnut Cake.

IF YOU ARE UNSURE OF ABBREVIATIONS OR MEASUREMENTS ALWAYS CHECK IN THE EQUIVALENTS SECTION OF A GOOD COOK BOOK OR HERE IN THE FIRST COLUMN OF THE PAGES I GIVE ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT I KNOW ABOUT.

Good Baking!



My Verse for Today:  Col. 3:13 the MES    Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense.  Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you.