Baking Tips And Tricks - Part 2 (ABOUT INGREDIENTS)

Hey Guys🤗

If you are going to take the time to bake a cake or some cookies, you should have some information about the ingredients you use and their qualities.

So, here I am with the 2nd part of "Baking Tips And Tricks". And I will be telling all about the ingredients we normally use during baking.

So let's start

BUTTER

Softened butter is often used in most of the cakes and muffins, while cold butter is used for making pie crusts, shortcrust pastries etc

Good quality butter will be soft and have an amazing texture as well

MILK

Milk is the most important liquid used for baking. From cakes to muffins, milk softens up the flour and has the ability to turn any mix of ingredients to a tasty dessert

FLOUR

The most common flour is all-purpose flour which is just plain white flour or maida. This is the type most people use as it is easy to find and easy to work with.

Cake flour has a smoother texture and a lighter colour. it is mostly used for sponge cakes

Self-rising flour is all-purpose flour that has been mixed with baking powder, the proportions are 1 tsp of baking powder per each cup of flour

BAKING POWDER

Baking powder is basically baking soda mixed with an acidic component, usually cream of tartar and cornstarch.

It can't be stored for more than 6 months without losing its properties.

Aluminium free baking powder is best for baking as it doesn't have a bitter after taste.

BAKING SODA

Baking soda is usually included in recipes that have an acidic element.

It can be stored for years without losing any of its properties.

Heat is not needed for baking soda to react so if you are using it as a leavening agent make sure to bake it right away otherwise the soda's power will wear off and your cake or cupcakes won't rise.

YEAST

Yeast is a natural leavening agent which acts by fermenting in the batter/dough, thus raising it's volume and incorporating air.

SUGAR

Sugar is very important in baking. Because:-

It adds sweetness to the baked goodies.

It adds texture to desserts.

It turns the crust into a golden brown colour.

It helps retain moisture.

It also helps the growth of yeast in some recipes.

 

Powdered sugar or confectioners' sugar is a fine, ground sugar used for baking any cakes or muffins as it melts faster and helps ingredients to bind together.

CHOCOLATE

Chocolate that has a cocoa content higher than 70% is a proof of quality and it can be used in pretty much any recipe that calls for chocolate. Chocolate chips can easily be replaced with chopped chocolate.

COCOA POWDER

Natural cocoa powder has a lighter colour and a higher acidity so it reacts better with baking soda. On the other hand, Dutch cocoa powder has a darker colour and a much more intense taste.

VANILLA

One of the most used flavours in baking is vanilla. A natural extract of vanilla is far better than the industrial kind. As an alternative to this, you can also use vanilla pods, their seeds are the source of the amazing vanilla flavour we all know.

NUTS

Nuts have a healthy fat content and can easily be incorporated in many recipes. The only downside is the fact that they change their taste and texture after a few weeks, especially if not kept in a dry and chilled place.

SALT

Salt is one of the most important ingredients in a recipe as it intensifies the flavour of the other ingredients and manages to bring them together into an amazing dessert.

Salt also strengthens the gluten structure and interacts with yeast, therefore the quantity of salt in a recipe is not to be looked at as something lacking importance

That's all for today!!

Hope you guys found it informative

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