Beyond the Recipe Card - Baking Preparation

I recently made a Lemon-Blueberry Loaf to celebrate the start of spring, since those flavors have always reminded me of springtime. As I was baking I realized, there are a lot of things that I do that go beyond what the recipe card I am following says. This inspired me to share with you the things I do when I am baking that go "Beyond the Recipe Card."

Setting Out the Ingredients

The first thing I do when I begin my baking process is to set out all of the ingredients on the counter. Whenever I recently did this I realized I had forgotten to buy milk and had to take a quick trip to the grocery store. Thankfully I realized this before I had begun the baking process where the milk had to be added into the batter in batches.

Setting Out the Measuring Cups

After I set out the ingredients, I set out all of the measuring cups I am going to need next to their relative ingredients so that I don't have to panic looking for the 1/2 teaspoon in the middle of baking.

Re-read the Whole Recipe Card

Next, right before I begin putting ingredients together, I re-read the whole recipe card to make sure I have all of the ingredients and have an idea of what the baking process will look like. This is the most important step because it makes the whole process a "piece of cake," if you have an idea of what you're doing before you begin.

Do Some Dishes

After you place your cake in the oven and set the timer, it can be tempting to sit on the couch to wait. However, i've found that this is the best time to do dishes. Not only do you get those dirty dishes from mixing your ingredients out of the way, but it makes the time go by faster as you anxiously await your cake's completion.

I hope these tips help you prepare for the next time you do some baking as I have learned a lot of these things the hard way! Remember, baking always goes beyond the recipe card.