Baking Hints & Tips

[kirra]

Baking Hints & Tips

Baking Pans

When baking in a glass pan, reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees F.

Breads and pies bake best and will have the best crust when baked in a dark colored pan that absorbs heat well. Cookies, biscuits and cakes do better in a shiny pan that reflects the heat for a more delicate browning of the crust.

When a recipe calls for a "greased" pan, be sure to grease the pan with solid shortening or an oil unless otherwise specified.

Line baking pans such as cookie sheets, loaf pans and layer cake pans, with wax or parchment paper to prevent sticking and simplify cleanup.

High Altitude

General Tips for Adapting Sea Level Pastry Recipes to Altitudes Above 3,000 feet:

* Reduce the sugar in your recipe 1 to 3 tablespoons per each cup of sugar used.

* Increase the liquid by 1 to 4 tablespoons.

* Reduce each teaspoon of baking powder by 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon.

* Increase oven temperature by about 25 degrees F.

Oven Temperature & Baking Times

Cooking and baking times specified in most recipes are merely guidelines. Since oven temperatures can vary from oven to oven, it's best to check your dish a few minutes before recommended. For instance, if a recipe instructs you to bake a batch of cookies 10 to 15 minutes check it 7 or 8 minutes into baking. But don't belabor it and keep the door open for a long period of time or you'll lose a great deal of heat.

Pastry Bags

A plastic sandwich bag makes a good pastry bag. Spoon frosting into the bag, then snip off one corner of the bag to create the size opening needed. Poke a tiny hole in one corner for an extra thin writing tip.

For the ideal disposable pastry bag, use heavy-duty, quart-size self-sealing plastic bags fitted with a cake decorating coupler and tip. The filling can't work its way out of these bags because they're sealed tight.

Sifting

When a recipe calls for sifting, it works just as well to put all dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and stir with a whisk.