The Baking Step You Can (Pretty Much Always) Skip (2024)

FAQs

What is the first step in baking and why is it important? ›

Weighing out ingredients is the first step to any successful bake. And I should stress the word weighing. You might be used to measuring ingredients...

That depends. Sifting flour is recommended for some desserts where the goal is light, delicate, and fluffy results (think angel food cakes, sponge cakes, and chiffon cakes). However, sifting flour isn't a must for desserts that are chewy or crisp, like cookies.

There are 6 main principles of baking: wet ingredients, dry ingredients, leavening agents, flavoring, heat, and different mixing methods. When combined correctly, they create a delicious and perfectly baked dish every time.

Traditionally, recipes ask you to sift ingredients as a way to aerate them and guarantee consistency between cup measurements, since cups of unsifted flour will vary widely in weight depending on how tightly the flour was packed in the bag.

#1 Read through the recipe

Make sure to quickly skim the recipe before you start baking to understand the general flow and key steps. You can even make notes on the recipe or highlight key points to help you along.

In the past, it was always necessary to sift in order to separate the flour from pieces of husk, seeds, and other debris, including bugs. Thankfully, today's commercial flours are refined well enough that sifting is not called for in everyday baking.

How important is it really to sift it or can you skip that time-consuming step? It really depends on the recipe. Sifting flour is usually a good idea, says Penny Stankiewicz, chef-instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education. “It lightens the flour and aerates it, making it easier to mix into any emulsion.

Cakes with very fine crumbs or that rely on eggs or egg whites for lift, such as sponge or angel food cakes, benefit from sifted flour. You eliminate the risk of clumps and ensure that the flour can be stirred into the batter quicker and easier without knocking all the air out of your beaten eggs.

Successful baking requires careful attention to several key factors: 1. Properly measuring ingredients and controlling temperatures during mixing and proofing. 2. Using proper techniques for mixing, molding, proofing, and baking to develop structure and flavor.

What are the 4 principles of baking? ›

When a recipe calls for sifting all-purpose flour, or sifting all-purpose flour along with the baking powder and soda, it's often unnecessary. If you're regularly using your baking supplies, there's a fairly slim chance that you'll be encountering clumps that won't be busted up in the mixing process.

All-purpose flour, 1 cup sifted.

Substitute with 1 cup unsifted all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons; or 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour. Equivalent1 pound = 4 cups sifted or 3 1/3 cups unsifted.

This helps to achieve a smoother batter and a more even bake. Sifting Dry Ingredients: Sift flour and leavening agents to create a lighter cake. Creaming Butter and Sugar: This step is crucial. Beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Baking sets the final structure to baked goods. It involves simultaneous heat and mass transfer phenomena. The heat travels from the surrounding air into the interior of the dough or batter while moisture and other liquid compounds travel/escape from the core towards the exterior or surrounding air due to evaporation.

Flour. There are no more Essential Ingredients for baking than Flour. Without it - and the gluten it creates - your baked goods won't get the right structure: it is the ingredient that binds everything together. To start baking, simply use All-Purpose Flour.

Smart baking preparation really comes down to attention to detail. Taking a little extra time to prep before you bake will help you to stay on top of things and let you get on with enjoying your time in the kitchen.