Why is it that Mom's cakes and pies were always so perfect and you can't even seem to make a batch of cookies from a just-add-water mix? What's the secret? Is there some magic potion you don't know about?
No. Not at all. Baking is not something that comes naturally to everyone, but it's certainly something anyone can learn. While there is no magic secret to it, there are a few common mistakes that can really mess up even the simplest recipe.
Avoid these common mistakes and you'll find that you can bake pastries and baked goods just as good (or maybe even better) than Mom used to make.
1 - Not Using Fresh Ingredients
This is probably the most common mistake that people make. They'll buy a huge bag of flour and use it for a year, or dig an old jar of yeast out of the cupboard and then wonder why nothing will rise and why everything is heavy and chewy instead of light and fluffy. Dry ingredients do get old and stale and they simply do not perform well. Flour, baking soda, baking powder and yeast in particular, need to be fresh for any type of baked goods to turn out well.
2 - Not Following the Recipe to the Letter
If the recipe says two cups, it really means two cups - not two heaping cups or two big handfuls! Measure your dry goods in proper measuring cups and spoons and your liquid in liquid measures. Don't pack your flour down into the cup, simply scoop it into the cup and level it off with the back of a knife. Leaving out ingredients is a big no-no too. There are certain key components to any pastry or baked goods and they all need to be there in order for them to turn out. While you may decide to skip the walnuts in the brownie recipe because you hate nuts, you definitely can't skip the eggs because you're all out of them! Brownies without eggs will become flat chocolate bricks!
3 - Substituting Ingredients
There are SOME items that can be substituted in some cases, but be sure to look up a reliable source of substitutions and test them out before making that all-important cake that needs to be ready in an hour! In most cases, unless you've substituted something before with no ill effects, you should use exactly what the recipe calls for - which leads into the next point...
4 - Failing to Read the Whole Recipe Before You Get Started
I always check all of the ingredients and get them all out before I start, then read through the instructions too. I've been caught in the past halfway through making a cake, only to realize I have no eggs and the stores are closed. Not a good situation! Always go through the recipe first.
5 - Handling the Dough too Much
Most baked goods are pretty delicate. You'll notice that many recipes say "blend just until dry ingredients are moistened" or something along those lines. You want to mix things gently and don't overdo it. In the case of pie crust, in addition to keeping everything very cold, try no handle the dough as little as possible. If you overdo it, it will end up chewy.
6 - Not Understanding Your Oven
Every oven is slightly different. Some heat un-evenly, some are a little hotter or colder than others. Get used to how your oven works and adjust baking times and temperatures accordingly. Personally, my oven is a lot hotter at the back, so I turn my pan around halfway through the baking.
7 - Pay Attention to Temperature!
Not just oven temperature, but temperature of the ingredients too. With pie crust, everything must be cold. Put the bowl, utensils, and ingredients in the fridge first and use ice water. With cookies, on the other hand - your butter needs to be room temperature. That means leave it out on the counter to get warm, don't heat it up in the microwave or you'll end up with crispy, pancake-like things that don't even resemble cookies! Follow the instructions closely when it comes to temperatures.
Baking is really not as hard as you may think. By avoiding these common mistakes and with a little practice, you'll be whipping up cakes, pies, cookies and even soufflés in no time!
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