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Forum -> Recipe Collection -> Cakes, Cookies, and Muffins
Any Baking aficionados, can you help me out with some tips p
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Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 2:36 pm
Please..?

I like to bake, and have a few questions.
If anyone has lots of experience would rrally appreciate if you could respond.

●Can baking powder go out of date?
Iv noticed that lately some of my bakes dont rise as well.

●I know that cookies spread less when chilled, but I often make biscotti and sometimes rises beautifully and sometimes spreads a lot, rather then rise.

No difference in temperature..
What is the reason?

Sometimes I notice mixture is more dry or more sticky, Is it better for biscotti mixture to be more wet or dry?

●Also In general, if a mixture is more wet and sticky, what does that say about how the finished product will be?
Is it better to always add a bit less flour?

●What about the difference between self raising flour and plain?
I always use plain (with baking powder) unless recipe says otherwise but I wonder if using self raising flour would give baked goods better results?

Thanks so much.
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Debbig




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 2:50 pm
●Can baking powder go out of date?
Iv noticed that lately some of my bakes dont rise as well.

Yes get a fresh one every few months

●I know that cookies spread less when chilled, but I often make biscotti and sometimes rises beautifully and sometimes spreads a lot, rather then rise.


No difference in temperature..
What is the reason?

Are you preheating your oven?

Sometimes I notice mixture is more dry or more sticky, Is it better for biscotti mixture to be more wet or dry?
I think drier is better

●Also In general, if a mixture is more wet and sticky, what does that say about how the finished product will be?
Is it better to always add a bit less flour?

That depends on where you live & where the recipe was developed. Testing & writing down results helps.
In a more humid environment versus a higher elevation environment you will get different results for the same recipe. Even just a different oven changes things. BetweenCarPools recently published an article about that.

●What about the difference between self raising flour and plain?
I always use plain (with baking powder) unless recipe says otherwise but I wonder if using self raising flour would give baked goods.

I think that with self rising flour the baking power is mixed in better so you will get slightly different results.
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 2:59 pm
If possible weigh flour instead of measuring it as result will be more accurate. If you are measuring, don’t pack it down.

Don’t use salted butter for baking. Always use unsalted.

You shiod be getting consistent results if you use the same recipe and accurately follow recipe.

Do not use self rising flour unless specified because recipes are essentially chemical formulas. Self rising is used a lot for Southern recipes like biscuits.

Cream butter and sugar very thoroughly as this actually helps baked goods rise properly by creating air pockets that solidify during baking process.

Chill the dough after you have scooped.

Use a cookie scoop for best results so cookies are the same size. It is also easier and neater.

Use specified ingredients. Cake flour will produce a different result than AP flour.

Use great recipes 🤫 There are some cookbook authors who are very reliable and their recipes are full of tips to ensure the best result. For example, Dorris Greenspan has great cookie recipes. King Arthur has two baking cookbooks and their results are generally excellent.
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zoom




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 3:00 pm
Thanks so much!!
Appreciate it.

What exactly does preheating oven do?
I never know with biscotti, I need to record when I bake.
Usually comes out well, but sometimes comes out very well and keeps shape and I never know what its from.

.will buy more baking powder.

Do ppl use self raising flour together with b.powder , how do I decide when to use what?
Or only when recipe says?

Was recently watching someone bake cupcakes and she did both self raising flour and baking powder (of own accord)and had a very good rise.
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 3:02 pm
You need to preheat the oven because the proper rise and crumb is achieved by the item being placed in a specific temperature instead of being slowly warmed which is what happens if you put it in a cold oven and it cooks at the lower temperature for a period of time.

Use ingredients as specified. Do not sub self rising for regular. A good recipe has been tested and unkess you really know what you are doing and are experimenting, you need to use the ingredients specified.
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zoom




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 3:03 pm
Amarante wrote:
If possible weigh flour instead of measuring it as result will be more accurate. If you are measuring, don’t pack it down.

Thanks, only use cup measuremnts.
I dont want to weigh too.


Don’t use salted butter for baking. Always use unsalted.

I rarely use butter or marge.
Im in UK, didnt know theres salted and not here


You shiod be getting consistent results if you use the same recipe and accurately follow recipe.

Just with the rise and texture.
I dont think other people can tell, except me.

Do not use self rising flour unless specified because recipes are essentially chemical formulas. Self rising is used a lot for Southern recipes like biscuits.

Cream butter and sugar very thoroughly as this actually helps baked goods rise properly by creating air pockets that solidify during baking process.

Chill the dough after you have scooped.

Use a cookie scoop for best results so cookies are the same size. It is also easier and neater.

Use specified ingredients. Cake flour will produce a different result than AP flour.
.whats AP flour?

Use great recipes 🤫 There are some cookbook authors who are very reliable and their recipes are full of tips to ensure the best result. For example, Dorris Greenspan has great cookie recipes. King Arthur has two baking cookbooks and their results are generally excellent.


Thanks a lot.
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 3:07 pm
You don’t weigh and measure. You weigh instead of measuring. This gives the best results for flour.

AP flour is all purpose flour as opposed to cake flour or bread flour. These flours have different gluten content and will produce different results. Cake flour has low gluten and will produce the desirable soft texture and crumb that many really good cakes have. Bread flour is high in gluten and results in a chewier texture which is desirable in bread. AP flour is in the middle and is the default when not specified.

Alton Brown did a show in the different results for chocolate chip cookies using the different types of flour and they are quite striking.
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zoom




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 3:10 pm
Amarante wrote:
You don’t weigh and measure. You weigh instead of measuring. This gives the best results for flour.

AP flour is all purpose flour as opposed to cake flour or bread flour. These flours have different gluten content and will produce different results. Cake flour has low gluten and will produce the desirable soft texture and crumb that many really good cakes have. Bread flour is high in gluten and results in a chewier texture which is desirable in bread. AP flour is in the middle and is the default when not specified.

Alton Brown did a show in the different results for chocolate chip cookies using the different types of flour and they are quite striking.


Thanks.
All my recipes are in cups so would rather stick with cups.

Less mess for me.

Preheating oven, will that cause more uniform bakes?
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 3:12 pm
zoom wrote:
Thanks.
All my recipes are in cups so would rather stick with cups.

Less mess for me.

Preheating oven, will that cause more uniform bakes?


Preheating oven is critical.

If your recipe is in cups, then use cups. Many recipes now use weights because it is considered to be a more accurate measurement for baked goods.
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cholentfan1




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 3:25 pm
If you add a bit of baking powder to water and it bubbles, that means it's still active. I personally use self raising flour at the moment. It gets better results with my cakes. I'm not a professional. I do what's easiest for me, even if it's not the 'right' thing. I use cups, not weigh my ingredients.
Def preheat the oven, I notice a different with my cakes if I'm too impatient.
If you're using a lot of american cookbooks (which most of the Jewish ones are) they don't usually have self raising, so they only use plain with an added raising agent like baking powder.
I personally find a slight wetter dough seems to yield a better result at the end, although it's easier to work with a dough that is drier.
But at the end of the day, I've never found baking to be a precise science (at least the way I do it), and I don't always have the same result. But it's usually fine.
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Raisin




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 3:28 pm
zoom wrote:
Thanks.
All my recipes are in cups so would rather stick with cups.

Less mess for me.

Preheating oven, will that cause more uniform bakes?


Its less messy to measure. Put the mixing bowls on the scales, and pour in flour.
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zoom




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 3:41 pm
Quote:
I personally use self raising flour at the moment. It gets better results with my cakes

So, if a recipe says just flour you use self raising, Plus the baking powder?

How long does regular oven need to preheat?
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 3:51 pm
zoom wrote:
Quote:
I personally use self raising flour at the moment. It gets better results with my cakes

So, if a recipe says just flour you use self raising, Plus the baking powder?

How long does regular oven need to preheat?


It depends on the oven. Modern ovens will sound an alert.

But if you don’t have that, use an oven thermometer. An oven thermometer is actually good anyway because some ovens aren’t calibrated correctly so they might not be providing with an accurate measurement. And periodically checking yiur oven is good to make sure it is still accurate.

If someone is not getting reliable results, follow the recipe 😂😂🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Why ask for advice and then decide to improvise. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️😂😂🤫
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zoom




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 3:53 pm
I always follow the recipe.
I never improvise.

How long would it usually take?
Are we talking 10/15 mins or 20/25?
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 4:00 pm
zoom wrote:
I always follow the recipe.
I never improvise.

How long would it usually take?
Are we talking 10/15 mins or 20/25?


That is going to depend on your oven - some ovens heat more efficiently and quickly. Size of the oven will impact this as a smaller oven will take a shorter period of time all things being equal.

If your oven doesn't have an alert, get an oven thermometer - they are inexpensive - maybe $5 the last time I checked and they hang on the rack in your oven.
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cholentfan1




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 4:37 pm
zoom wrote:
Quote:
I personally use self raising flour at the moment. It gets better results with my cakes

So, if a recipe says just flour you use self raising, Plus the baking powder?

How long does regular oven need to preheat?


I usually skip the baking powder. Unless I really want it to rise, then I add a tiny bit.
My oven beeps to tell me when it reaches the right temperature. It's usually around 7/8 minutes, depending on how how I make it. I try and switch it on when I'm most of the way through mixing, so by the time the cake is in the tin, it should be about right.
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zoom




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 4:37 pm
Amarante wrote:
That is going to depend on your oven - some ovens heat more efficiently and quickly. Size of the oven will impact this as a smaller oven will take a shorter period of time all things being equal.

If your oven doesn't have an alert, get an oven thermometer - they are inexpensive - maybe $5 the last time I checked and they hang on the rack in your oven.


Thanks.
Just ordered one.
Will see how it works.
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zoom




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 4:38 pm
cholentfan1 wrote:
I usually skip the baking powder. Unless I really want it to rise, then I add a tiny bit.
My oven beeps to tell me when it reaches the right temperature. It's usually around 7/8 minutes, depending on how how I make it. I try and switch it on when I'm most of the way through mixing, so by the time the cake is in the tin, it should be about right.


Wow thats quick!

I thought would be longer .

My oven is older model so in guestimating mayb 15...
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ddmom




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 4:43 pm
I rarely buy self rising flour. I find it has a too salty taste. Anyone else?
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 20 2022, 4:43 pm
Rose Levy Berenbaum wrote a definitive book on cakes with exhaustive instructions and recently released a similar style book on all manner of cookies.

Here is her recipe for Mandelbrot which are essentially Jewish biscotti. It is a very good recipe and will provide consistent results if followed - notice that every ingredient has both a "measurement" or a weight. The weight will provide the best results for you can also use the measurements




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