Yahoo Lifestyle Nine tips for better baking that the experts swear by
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Don't rush it
Start by setting out all your ingredients and then leave it for half an hour. That way you'll get your eggs and butter at room temperature, which means smoother baked goods with more volume. Win-win!
Don't over mix
Some recipes call for a good amount of blending, however cakes, muffins and breads are better if they are not over mixed. It's best to combine your dry ingredients in a bowl, make a well in the middle and add your wet ingredients, mixing until everything is combined.
Avoid a sticky situation
Spray your measuring cup with baking spray before measuring out sticky ingredients like honey or syrups. That way you won't leave any of it behind in the cup.
Skip sifting
Unheard of, right?! Well, not these days. Packaged flour is pre-sifted so there's really no need - you can save yourself the time. But if you don't trust us, you can tap it through a mesh sieve instead of the old hand sifter.
Chill out
If you're baking cookies, chill your dough for 20 minutes in the freezer to make it easier to work with.
Don't skimp on the good stuff
That's right... we're talking butter. The baker's gift from the Gods. Stay away from margarine if you can and definitely none of that low-fat stuff. This is baking, after all, we're not practicing paleo.
RECIPE: White chocolate, walnut and oat biscuits
Get your hands dirty
Making biscuits is an art. And art means getting your hands dirty. The secret to perfect biscuits is mixing the butter into your dry ingredients by hand, coating it and then rubbing between your fingertips.
No more bubbles
To prevent your cakes from getting air pockets and from rising too high in the centre, try this trick - pour your batter into your tin, tap it a couple of times on the benchtop and then give it a bit of a spin. You should see a few air pockets rise to the top of your batter.
Pie perfection
Stop those pie crusts from cooking faster than your filling by covering loosely with foil. This will help the centre of the pie cook without burning the edges.
RECIPE: Fast Ed's mandarin cake
Rainy day baking recipes
