3 Ways to Make Baking Simple at Home

Baking can seem highly daunting for someone just stepping into the hobby. I will teach you how to make your baking experience more simple, streamlined, and consistent with these three tips. These three tips will also help you make wonderfully tasty treats every time you bake instead of a charred black mess at the bottom of your oven.

Prepare Ahead of Time

A majority of baking anything starts before you ever put something in the oven or decorate. They're many different aspects involved in preparing adequately for the task ahead. You must make sure you have started pre-heating your oven way before you ever place anything inside of it. You must also look over the recipe and be sure that you have all of the necessary ingredients to bake whatever treat you choose successfully. You may need to run to the grocery store to purchase that extra egg or another bag of flour. You also want to be sure that there are enough clean bowls, spoons, mixing tools, etc., clean and ready for use. There is nothing worse than running out of bowls or utensils in the middle of a critical step. You may even go as far as preparing all of your ingredients by measuring them out and placing them in separate bowls or containers. To do that, you must make sure you know what you need and how much you need. The easiest way to accomplish that is to look over your recipe.

Follow the Recipe

Some bakers are so skilled that they do not need a recipe to create a fantastic treat. I am going to guess that if you've made it this far, then you are not one of those people. Following a recipe is one of the essential steps in making baking easy. That crumpled piece of paper your relative scribbled on, or that article online has a step-by-step process of everything you will need and what you need to do in order to create the desired product. Without it, you are essentially lost in a forest without a map or guide. In some cases, you may think, "Well, this seems easy enough" or "I could add a little of this or that to make it how I like it." While baking is a creative art, sometimes improvising is not the best course of action. Adding a little more sugar, salt, or liquid can break the chemical structure that creates that tasty treat you are familiar with. Of course, there are some exceptions, and many recipes will have a spot that says "add in whatever you like" or "(optional)" next to an ingredient.

Clean as You Go

So you are at the end of the recipe, your goodie is baking in the oven, and you have some time to kill. What should you do? Clean up, of course! While it is entirely normal to want to wait and do the dishes later, you will find that the finishing steps of your recipe become a little more complicated. Maybe you have very little counter space, and you need to put the pan somewhere once you take it from the oven. Perhaps you need to spread out pieces of cake or cookies to cool. You may even require the same dishes you just dirtied up to make a topping or decorative component if you treat. By cleaning up, you ensure that you will have the space and tools necessary to complete your tasty treats without all the irritation of messy surroundings.