Baking 101

 In COOKING, experimentation  is good - a pinch of this or that, or a new ingredient, can lead to wonderful dishes.

But BAKING is different.

So I've put together a few notes for those just starting out - when I was learning, I wish someone had told me a few things...

Butter and sugar, eggs, flour and liquids, interact in weird chemical ways.
Some recipes depend on beating in lots of air, others rely on various rising agents. Too much sugar is sticky and sickly, too little will give you a dry, crumbly cake.

So when you're baking, stick to the recipe. Follow the method, check the oven temperature, use the right sized tin. All the recipes I give here have been made dozens of times, and adjusted here and there until I'm sure of success.

• Every kitchen should have at least one set of measuring cups and spoons - and make sure they are Australian measures - American measures are different.
• When measuring flour, spoon it into the measuring cup, take a knife, tap the cup sharply, then level the top. Flour and associated dry ingredients should be sifted - if you don't have a proper sifter, use a large strainer. Or as a last resort, stir the flour vigorously with a whisk, or even a fork.
• You can replace half the white flour in a recipe with wholemeal flour - any more than that will require extra liquid, and may throw the recipe out of balance.
• You really need some sort of scales - electronic ones are good, but expensive; I managed for many years with el cheapo mechanical scales.
• An electric mixer is great, but hand beaters will do the job - even a good old-fashioned wooden spoon works, if you have time, energy, and good arm muscles. My mother used to cream butter and sugar with a fork - over the years the tines of her baking fork wore down on one side - a bit alarming when you think about it, where did all that metal go?
• The microwave is a boon - it's much easier to cream butter and sugar if you warm the sugar a little bit first.
• Buy the best ingredients you can afford - cheap flour is often poor quality. Doesn't matter with sugar, it's all the same anyway. Use real butter, of a reputable brand, never margarine (shudder). Use real vanilla extract, not imitation, and cochineal, not some chemical colouring. I rarely use artificial colourings or flavours, even for icing.
• Buy icing mixture, which has some cornflour added, and is less likely to go lumpy.
• Store all your baking supplies in airtight containers - opened packets absorb moisture and the contents go stale more quickly. Look for big jars at the Op shop.
• Collect cake tins in various sizes - square, round, loaf and slice pans. They don't have to be non-stick; again, Op shops are a good source. If you buy muffin tins, look for the 6-cup ones, easier to rotate in the oven for even browning.
• Buy the freshest eggs you can find - check the use-by dates, and keep them in the fridge. Stale eggs don't have the same rising abilities as fresh ones. And always break an egg into a cup before you add it to your mixture - saves nasty surprises!
• Home baked cakes and biscuits (in fact any food you prepare yourself) are much better for you than commercial products - no artificial colours or flavours, no preservatives, no hydrogenated fats.