Baking 101

Some of you may be beginners at baking or want to learn more about baking tips and
terminology. I’ve put together this growing list of common baking tidbits.
Baking is like a science and measurements need be exact in order to achieve successful
results.

Cream

Beat together butter and sugar until smooth.

Dice

To cut something into small pieces. The size of the pieces is
up to the chef, but be sure to keep the size consistent so the
ingredient cooks evenly.

Flour

When measuring flour, use a spoon to loosely pile the flour into
the measuring cup and then level it off with a butter knife. If
you dunk the measuring cup right into the flour container you
will end up with more flour than a recipe is actually calling
for and that could lead to dried out goodies.

Mince

To cut something into really small pieces.

Spoon Measurements

Fill the spoon with the dry ingredient (for example, baking soda,
cinnamon, or dry yeast) and level it using a knife. (My husband
points out that you should level with a knife the way you would
cut with it, not with the back of the knife. All knives are
straight the way you would cut with them and only some have a
straight back.) You should assume using a “leveled” measurement
because most recipes don’t typically call it out. Even the smallest
amount of an extra ingredient can vary the taste of a recipe or
mess up things like how fluffy something comes out. On the flip
side, when a recipe calls for a “heaping” teaspoon or tablespoon,
then pile the dry ingredient higher than the top of the spoon
without worry.