5 Common Baking Mistakes And Expert Tips on How to Fix Them

Baking is one of the trending hobbies nowadays on social media platforms, which may be partially due to the quarantine period we went through during the peak of the epidemic, which prompted us to experiment with new activities and foods. Since baking requires accuracy at all times, there is always a possibility that you will do something wrong, regardless of how long you've been doing it or how recently you started.

Let's explore some of the most common baking mistakes you might be making and what you can do to correct them.

1. Forgetting to Use a Scale

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One might question the necessity of employing a scale when baking if the majority of the recipes they follow are written in imperial units and they reside in the United States. However, if you want to get the measurements correct every time, utilizing a scale is of the utmost significance, especially when working with particularly picky recipes. Unlike cooking, baking is an exact science, which means it requires accurate measurements. Overfilling or underfilling a measuring cup can make a huge difference on your goodies.

While it's not always necessary, using a scale will improve your baking consistency. In addition, using a scale is the most precise method for ensuring that you add the appropriate quantity of each component to the mixing bowl.

2. Forgetting to Preheat Your Oven

A critical error that can result in undercooked baked products is failing to preheat the oven. When it comes to certain recipes, a variation of even a minute or two can make all the difference in the world. Thus, if your oven is not already hot when you place the baked goods inside, the cooking time will be longer than it should be.

It is difficult to even speculate on when they will be ready because the oven will be preheating at a slow rate. Consequently, before you do anything else with the recipe, you must ensure the oven is properly preheated.

3. Using the Wrong Type or Amount of Yeast

The technique used is critical for producing bread that rises properly; therefore, precisely adhere to the instructions provided in the recipe. On the other hand, you can run into a snag here and there, such as when your neighborhood grocery shop only carries a single variety of yeast in stock.

The good news is that this is one bread-making issue that can be easily resolved. To achieve active dry yeast from instant yeast, multiply the quantity of yeast by 1.33, as recommended by Myhrvold. When you require quick yeast but only have active dry yeast, multiply the amount by 0.75.

4. Not Letting Cakes Cool Before Frosting

Although the urge to garnish the cake immediately after removing it from the oven is strong, you must refrain from doing so. When frosting is placed on a warm cake, it will unavoidably melt, and it has the potential to even extract crumbs from the cake, which is very fragile and soft.

Additionally, if you want to move things along more quickly, after allowing the cake layers to cool for around half an hour on wire racks, place them in the refrigerator to finish cooling fully. To spread the effort more evenly, you can even bake the cake layers a few days in advance.

5. Not Knowing When Baked Goods Are Ready

Some people say they can tell when baked goods are done by touching them, but it can be challenging since the standards for determining whether or not a baked item is done varies depending on the baked goods being tested. Research and becoming familiar with what you should know before baking should be in your best interest.