10 Expert Tips for Baking Like a Professional “Xin” Pastry Chef

1. Time is everything

Time is not just about recording how long you beat eggs or bake a cake, it’s also about how you combine ingredients together. Most people want to combine all the ingredients right away to save time, but that’s a mistake. If a recipe requires you to add ingredients in a certain order, you should respect that in order to achieve the desired result.

2. Pay attention to the temperature of butter

One of the reasons why your batch of cake fails could be due to the improper temperature of the butter. If you’re baking cupcakes or cookies, room temperature butter is required. If the butter is too soft, the cake may not rise as expected. However, for crusty cakes like bread, you should use cold butter to make the crust crispier.

3. Make good use of the freezer or freezer compartment

It’s a waste if you don’t make good use of your freezer or freezer compartment. According to experts, one of the important baking tips is to prepare more dough at once and then put it in the freezer. The next time you want to bake, you just need to take out the pre-frozen dough. This will save you time while still maintaining the quality and flavor of the cake.

4. Not all types of flour are the same

You may not be able to distinguish different types of flour with the naked eye. There are many types of flour in the market, so you need to know the nutritional composition of each type to buy the right one. For example, if you’re making cookies, you’ll need flour with a high protein content to make them crispy, so choose all-purpose flour. However, for sweet cakes like sponge cakes, you should choose cake flour, which has less protein. This will make your cake softer and fluffier!

5. Use less kneading time

For cakes that require kneading before shaping and baking, pay attention to the kneading time. The kneading time should not be too long, and the room temperature should be kept cool to prevent the dough from becoming flabby. Use your fingers instead of the palm of your hand to knead, as the temperature of the palm is always higher than that of the fingers. Before kneading, preheat the oven so that you can put the cake in right after shaping.

6. Some tools will greatly assist in the baking process

These tools are really necessary if you want to save time and effort. For example, a silicone mat for arranging cookies on the baking sheet. This tool will make it easier to remove the cookies and prevent the bottom from burning.

7. Oven temperature changes over time

Usually, the temperature of each oven is different. It’s your task to check and determine the correct temperature for your oven. You should buy an oven thermometer to ensure the most accurate measurement.

8. Weight is the most accurate form of measurement

Using measuring cups is not as accurate as putting the ingredients on a scale to weigh them!

9. When lacking ingredients, they can be replaced with other ingredients

Although it’s emphasized to follow the given recipe, experts also share that you can make slight changes to achieve a standard recipe. This can be considered one of the most important baking tips. For example, if you don’t have cake flour, you can replace it with a combination of all-purpose flour, baking powder, and cornstarch. If you don’t have butter or run out of it, you can replace it with olive oil.

10. Don’t forget to experiment

Standard baking recipes are great suggestions, but you can also take some risks and experiment with the original recipe little by little to adjust to your taste and your family’s preferences. Doing this will make baking truly enjoyable!

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