Home Baking: Tips for the New Home Baker, Part 2

So now you want to bake, and you are ready to go. But what if you mess up? And why is the mom next door's cake look better than yours? And what if you get lost, and Grandma is at bingo? Keep reading, and take a deep breath, you have it under control.

It's Your Kitchen, Continued

Know your recipe.

Before the oven is ever turned on, you need to know the ins and outs of what you will be preparing. Read and reread your recipe several times, and have all ingredients ready and organized. There is nothing worse than forgetting something in the fridge when you are stirring caramel on the stove! Keep your recipe out on the counter, and refer to it often to ensure good results.

Homemade baked goods are not always 100% from scratch.

While the diehards out there are throwing cookbooks at their screen, there is something that needs to be shared with everyone, but particularly moms. When you attend a function with beautifully prepared cakes and pies, you assume these moms (or churchgoers, or whoever) prepared them from scratch, unless they came from a bakery. And you get embarrassed, or jealous, of the help you got from Duncan Hines. Well, don't. In a busy world, sometimes the help of a box is needed to get the job done. Or maybe your homemade frosting is better than your homemade devil's food cake. Just because you took help, don't despair! You may find you will improve over time, and not need a box, or you might use it for a time saver. It doesn't matter. Take pride in your accomplishments, and you will find they will keep coming.

Baking is a science, it really is.

While you can eyeball your salad dressing measurements, guessing at baking amounts is a recipe for disaster. While flavorings can be changed, or substitutions can be made at times (a recipe will usually provide that info, if applicable), in general, the measurements for ingredients must be followed to ensure a quality product. Too much flour in a bread dough, for example, will result in a tough, dry loaf, while too little baking powder in a muffin recipe will result in a barely risen muffin. Be sure to have measuring spoons and cups as needed to ensure a proper end product.