baking tips 1 - muffins & loaves
some observational baking tips:
* most recipes using 3 cups of white flour make 2 dozen muffins or 2 loaves of bread; most recipes using 1½ cups of white flour make 1 dozen muffins or 1 loaf of bread.
* the more liquid the recipe for making bread, such as banana bread, the better muffins will be instead of a loaf pan, as muffins cook faster because they are in smaller portions compared to one loaf of bread
* i tend to be lazy and approximate my flour, it's better to level out the cup with a knife; however, i am always exact when it comes to baking powder & baking soda, as they are chemical agents and you don't want to mess with them.
* never forget baking is a chemical process as much as a creative process, so, be creative as much as you like, but if you mess up the chemistry, you'll be eating sawdust...
* mix the liquid ingredients together 1st, such as the eggs, oil, water, and add the sugar to that; if you're not too lazy, sift your dry ingredients (if you are lazy, just measure them out in a separate bowl): flour, baking soda, baking powder together - before you mix them with the wet ingredients. if you don't want to use 2 bowls, then mix the liquid ingredients first (including the sugar), before you add the dry ingredients, such as the flour, etc.
* mini-loaves make nice presents for holidays or housewarming, etc., although they will cook almost as long as a regular loaf, but you'll get 2 little loaves instead of 1 big one.
* most recipes using 3 cups of white flour make 2 dozen muffins or 2 loaves of bread; most recipes using 1½ cups of white flour make 1 dozen muffins or 1 loaf of bread.
* the more liquid the recipe for making bread, such as banana bread, the better muffins will be instead of a loaf pan, as muffins cook faster because they are in smaller portions compared to one loaf of bread
* i tend to be lazy and approximate my flour, it's better to level out the cup with a knife; however, i am always exact when it comes to baking powder & baking soda, as they are chemical agents and you don't want to mess with them.
* never forget baking is a chemical process as much as a creative process, so, be creative as much as you like, but if you mess up the chemistry, you'll be eating sawdust...
* mix the liquid ingredients together 1st, such as the eggs, oil, water, and add the sugar to that; if you're not too lazy, sift your dry ingredients (if you are lazy, just measure them out in a separate bowl): flour, baking soda, baking powder together - before you mix them with the wet ingredients. if you don't want to use 2 bowls, then mix the liquid ingredients first (including the sugar), before you add the dry ingredients, such as the flour, etc.
* mini-loaves make nice presents for holidays or housewarming, etc., although they will cook almost as long as a regular loaf, but you'll get 2 little loaves instead of 1 big one.