7 baking tips to improve your skills

Have you ever wanted to recreate a pastry from your favorite coffee shop? Or recreate your favorite bakery treats right from the comfort of your own home? Then you’ve likely considered baking your favorite dessert options right in your very own kitchen. Baking is a tricky science that requires lots of patience, practice and skill. The following are seven baking tips that will help you improve your home bakery skills! 

Tip #1: Grease Your Tin with Oil and Flour

Whenever you’re baking, you should grease your pan or tin with oil along with some flour. You can also grease the tin with butter. This will help the finished dessert be easily removed from that end. Otherwise, it will likely stick and your treat will be ruined. 

Tip #2: Don't Use Electric Mixers for Cake (Until You're Ready)

It’s tempting to use an electric mixer for making cake because it will save you elbow grease and time. However, it’s very easy to over mix the cake, which will ruin the outcome. Until you’re skilled enough, use whisks or spatulas to mix your cake until it’s the perfect mixed texture. 

Tip #3: Always, Always Follow the Recipe

Many people like the idea of putting their own spin on a dessert recipe. However, you should always follow the recipe until you are skilled enough in baking to understand how to make changes. Do not substitute something for something else unless the recipe says it’s acceptable. Don’t add something that’s not in the recipe until you know how the basic recipe works first.

Tip #4: Chill Your Cookie Dough for Better Cookies

Have you ever wondered how your favorite coffee shop or bakery comes out with cookies in adorable shapes or with the perfect cookie flavor? Here’s a secret from professional bakers: chill your cookie dough before you bake it! Chilling the dough has several benefits. For cut-out cookies, it will help your cookies keep their shape and reduce the spread that occurs during baking. For all cookies regardless of shape, chilling enhances the flavor. 

Tip #5: Let Cakes Rest Before Removing From the Oven

As soon as the timer goes off, you’re supposed to take the cake out, right? Wrong! You should turn off the oven but let your cake rest for a few minutes before you remove it. This reduces the chances of your cake deflating when it goes from the hot oven to the cooler kitchen. 

Tip #6: Don't Use Olive Oil for Baking

Whenever you use an oil for a dessert recipe, make sure you use one with a neutral flavor, like canola. Oils like olive oil have a distinct flavor and will alter the taste of the recipe.

Tip #7: Sieve Powders and Flour Before Using

One critical element of any bakery style recipe is to sieve powders before you use them: cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and flour can create lumps in your dough. Sieving removes lumps and creates a much smoother mix.

Even by following all of these tips, baking the perfect dessert can still be difficult. Don’t fret though, as Pocono Dessert Co. is here for all your dessert needs! We offer daily treats like donuts, brownies, tiramisu, and many more options at our coffee shop and bakery in Swiftwater, PA!

Come visit us today!

2185 Route 611, Swiftwater, PA 18370