I have been baking since I was old enough to hold a wooden spoon. It was a way for me to bond with my mother and grandfather, two of the more emotionally unavailable people in my life. Through the act of making breads, muffins, and cookies I was taught a life skill that has become a passion of mine. Yesterday, I woke up and decided to share this passion with my 3 year old in the form of making chocolate chip banana muffins. Unfortunately, they came out sunk in the middle! I knew exactly what we did wrong, but that has come from decades of experience baking. Today I am going to share 7 of the common mistakes that we all make while baking.
Overmixing the Batter
While it may feel like an artform, baking is a precise science. From the second you start mixing ingredients, you're changing the chemical composition of the individual ingredients to make something else entirely. Flour is a binding agent and it works because of protein inside it called gluten. The more you mix flour with liquid, the more gluten is activated and the denser and chewier your final product will be. Mix too much and you may have your food sink in the middle, which is what happened to my son and I. Avoid the temptation of just turning your mixer on high to get things done faster. Take your time, mix only as much as needed.
Not Measuring Ingredients Correctly
When baking, you have to remember this is not cooking. Adding a dash of something can change the finished product in an unforseen way. Taking baking soda and baking powder. Accidentally put too much soda in your cookies and you've got flat cookies. Too much powder? They rise up like some angry colonials who don't want to pay taxes on their tea. The unintended consequences? If you put too much soda in and it spreads, cook time drops drastically as the increased surface area decrease time to heat up and reach the maillard reaction. The opposite is true with baking powder.
Not Preheating the Oven
Temperature plays a critical role in cooking and baking. Without going too deep into the science behind it, heating your food should be logarithmic in nature. You should heat it quickly at first and as it approaches the ideal internal temperature it slows down the cooking process. In baking, this is Maillard reaction which occurs between 284-330F and is carmalizing the sugars inside of your baked goods. If you put your baked goods in a cold oven, you're skewing the heating curve and changing the speed at which you'll be baking as well as how uniform the baking is. All of this to say: always preheat the oven.
Opening the Oven Door Too Often
This goes along with preheating your oven. Opening the oven door quickly drops the temperature of the inside of the oven as the heat escapes. The longer the door is open the faster the drop and the longer it takes to get back to temperature. Resist the temptation of opening the oven door to check your baked goods until the very end of baking.
Using Old Baking Powder or Baking Soda
We have alluded to the fact already that baking is a science and with all science experiments you have to ensure you're working with the best materials possible to get a consistent result. The sad truth with everything in the universe is that eventually it changes with time and our baking sodas and powders are not immune. The chemical composition of these mixes age and lose their ability to actually react in the desired chemical reactions necessary for baking. Make sure you only buy what you'll need for about 6 months and discard after the date on the boxes.
Overcrowding the Pan
You have been baking for hours and just want this insufferable Christmas cookie nightmare to end. You have enough for one and a quarter sheet of cookies left and you squish them all on one tray so you don't have to waste time or product. You end up doing both. Why? You need space between your baked goods for hot air to circulate and cook your products. By putting too much on one sheet, you're suffocating your baked treats and causing them to cook unevenly, take longer, or just come out plain wrong. Waste the product or take a little more time, don't overcrowd your baking sheets.
Overbaking or Underbaking
Overbaking can cause the baked goods to be dry and hard, while underbaking can result in a gooey or raw center. Follow the baking time and temperature specified in the recipe and check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the baked goods. If it comes out clean, they're done.
FAQ
Q: Can I still bake if I make some of these mistakes?
A: Yes, of course! Making these mistakes doesn't mean you can't still create something tasty. However, by avoiding these mistakes, your baked goods will turn out even better. Think of these 7 tips as suggestions to make your life easier and not commandments that must be adhered to or else you’re a total failure. We all make mistakes! I overmixed my muffin batter and I have been doing this for 30 years.
Q: What can I do if I've already made one of these mistakes?
A: If you've already made one of these mistakes, don't worry - there are often ways to salvage your baked goods. For example, if you've overmixed the batter, you can try adding a bit more liquid to make it smoother. In most of these cases, however, the end product still tastes great, it just isn’t the desired result that you wanted. Don’t give up because you made a mistake, learn from it and grow
Q: How do I know if my baked goods are done?
A: The best way to know if your baked goods are done is to use a toothpick or cake tester. Insert it into the center of the baked good, and if it comes out clean, it's done. If there's batter or crumbs on the toothpick, it needs more time in the oven.
By following these tips and avoiding these common baking mistakes, you can create delicious, perfectly baked treats every time. Don't get discouraged if you've made these mistakes in the past - baking is a skill that takes time and practice to master. With a little patience and attention to detail, you can become a confident, successful baker in no time!