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Baking is a form of cooking that involves the use of an oven to bake a cake, bread, cookies, biscuits etc using basic ingredients like flour, sugar, butter, edd and a raising agent. Natural yeast, baking powder are some of the raising agents that can be used. [1]
Home Baking[edit]
As a home baker, its important to bring to light simple and easy tips that would help us understand why we add certain ingredients into our recipes, why do certain recipe's not work out the way we expect and how to bring about simple variations into classical recipe's.[2]
Tips on Buttercream[edit]
Lets talk about various tips related to buttercream icing: The most basic recipe of buttercream icing is: Softened butter and Powdered Icing sugar in the ratio of 1:2. On blending the above two ingredients, a dollop of heavy cream or a few teaspoons of milk can add to the creamy texture and rich flavor of the buttercream icing. This basic mixture can be further enhanced with different flavors to increase the variety of options available. Adding a few drops of vanilla essence turns it into Vanilla Buttercream; grating a little lemon rind and adding a few squeezes of lemon juice gives Lemon Buttercream; a few spoons of chocolate powder would result in chocolate buttercream. [3]
Tips on Chocolate Cupcakes[edit]
Chocolate cupcakes are a derivative of a normal vanilla cupcake. The only add ons are chocolate powder, milk cream and chocolate pieces. Ususally, when chocolate powder is added to the cake batter it makes the cupcake a little dry in texture. Thus, milk cream is added to the batter to soften the cake. Adding excess of baking powder is not a good idea. It causes the cup cakes to taste bitter and soapy. It also surprisingly causes the cake batter to sink in the middle and not rise. This is because, when excess baking powder is added, excess carbon di oxide gas is liberated, which causes the cake batter to rise excessively, but without any structure. Thus, it eventually sinks in the middle.[4]
Tips on Baking Bread[edit]
Breads are the most common item that is baked around the world on an everyday basis. Breads are a mixture of flour and water that is kneaded into a dough, seasoned with salt or dry herbs. Natural or dry yeast is used as a leaving agent or a raising agent.
While baking bread, it very essential to use self raising flour as it doesnt make the dough very dense. The 1st step involved in baking is: A well is made in the center of the dough, the yeast is added along with sugar and warm water. Wait until bubbles are formed. The formation of bubbles confirms the activation of the yeast. While further kneading the dough, its important to work through the dough for a good amount of time, as it releases gulten that makes the dough light and flexible. [5]
Its important to remember that the salt must be added at the very end, as salt kills the yeast if added at the beginning. Before baking the bread, the dough is kept for prooving. The simplest place u can keep the dough for prooving can be under the stove or inside a heated oven. It speeds up the rising of the dough. Over working the dough can also prevent it from being light and airy. It makes the dough extremely crumbly. [6]
