It’s a new year so it’s the perfect time to learn a new skill or brush up on an old one. Plus, a new year means new Bake Off contestants to get to know – if you fancy giving the competition a go yourself, these tips might come in handy!
Here are some sure fire ways to make your bakes brilliant.
- Use room temperature ingredients
Ok, so the temperature of your ingredients is one of the key parts of baking. Things like eggs, butter, milk, cream anything like that should generally be at room temperature to ensure your batter is smooth. Cold ingredients don’t combine well leaving you with lumpy batter, so make sure to take butter and any other dairy items out of the fridge at least an hour before you start baking.
Another top tip – make sure to cut your butter into cubes – it helps warm it up faster. - Know the recipe before you start
Make sure you read the entire recipe and have an idea of what you are doing before you start baking. Assemble all the recipes and any equipment you need so you can make sure everything is ready and there’s no faffing about at crucial moments. - Learn your oven
This is the one thing between a great bake and a terrible one. No two ovens are the same, so something that bakes really well in one time frame in one oven, might not in another. Some run hot, some run cold, some heat up quickly, some don’t… Always pre heat your oven before you start to ensure an even bake and make sure to keep an eye out if you’re not familiar with the oven you’re using. - Keep your cupboards well stocked
When it comes to baking, you never know when the urge will take you, so keeping your cupboards well stocked will be an advantage. Plus, you won’t ever run out of something mid bake if you keep an eye on your stock levels. - Make sure to invest in the essentials
Look, you don’t need a top range mixer or anything too fancy when it comes to baking, you can make something delicious with a bog standard bowl and a wooden spoon after all, but having the right equipment really opens up your baking repitoir. Here are a few items you should always have on hand for becoming a great baker:
– Baking tins and sheets in different styles, eg muffin tins, round tins, loaf tins etc
– Scales
– Measuring cups/spoons
– Whisks
– Wooden spoon
– Mixing bowls
– sifter
– Cooling racks
– Spatulas - Measure all your ingredients correctly
It might sound obvious but measure everything out correctly – its hugely important! - When it comes to mixing, less is more
Overmixing is a huge reason why bakes can fail. Pastry can be overworked, bread dough to stodgy and cakes well… not airy enough. Overworking the mixture affects the texture and the volume so unless the recipe states it, only stir until the mixture is combined, this will make sure everything is light and fluffy and just right. Also, make sure to follow the instructions, if it says fold, fold it together rather than stirring using a spatula and if it says cream, use a whisk! - Don’t use old ingredients
Look, we’ve all been there, you’ve found a packet of baking soda or yeast at the back of the cupboard and thought, ahh that’ll do but while it will do, it won’t help with making a tasty treat. Make sure any ingredient you use as rising agents are in date and if they’ve been open for a while, replace them every six months or so. You can even keep yeast in the fridge to help it last longer.
If you use any of these tips, we’d love to see the results! Don’t forget you can tag us in pictures on Instagram, or find us on Twitter and Facebook.
