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Baking is often considered an art form for obvious reasons. You need to be quite precise with the measurement of the ingredients, cooking time, and sometimes, the equipment you use. A slight change in these factors and end up in such a result that you wouldn’t like to be in.
Sometimes, even after putting in all the hard work, it turns out that the baking goods are ruined. You may not always know the reasons. The smallest mistakes can lead you to get a disappointing result, turning your delicious treat into a disaster. Don’t panic because this article is here to help you. Whether you’re a novice baker or a pro, there are some common pitfalls you must be aware of that can sabotage your baked goods.
Here’s a list of some common mistakes that you unknowingly make that can ruin your baking goods. Take a look:
- Neglecting To Preheat The Oven
This is one of the most basic yet overlooked steps that when not taken proper care of can ruin your baking. Preheating the oven makes sure that your baked goods start cooking at the right temperature from the very beginning, leading to even baking and proper rise. If you ever skip this step, the baked good will either get unevenly baked or will be undercooked, leaving you with a doughy centre or burnt edges. Thus, to avoid this, it is necessary to always preheat your oven to a specific temperature that is required for a specific recipe and allow it to reach the desired heat before placing your goodies inside.
- Overmixing The Batter
You may find it satisfying to see all the lumps disappearing from the batter, however, overmixing can lead to tough and dense baked goods. Overmixing can lead to the formation of excess gluten, resulting in a chewy or rubbery texture, especially in cakes, muffins, and quick breads. To prevent such circumstances, mix your batter until all the ingredients are well combined and no streaks of flour remain. It is fine if you have a few lumps that usually disappear during baking.
- Incorrectly Measuring Ingredients
You must take care of the measurements as wrong measurements can disrupt the balance of ingredients, resulting in low-quality results. If you eyeball measurements or use liquid measuring cups for dry ingredients, it can lead to inaccurate quantities, thus, affecting the texture and flavour of the baked goods. Buy a set of dry measuring cups for ingredients like sugar, flour, cocoa powder, etc, and use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients like butter and chocolate.
- Opening The Oven Door Too Often
Although you may often peek in to see your baking masterpiece resist opening the oven door too frequently. Frequent opening of the door can cause the heat to go out, creating fluctuations in temperature that end up interfering with the baking process. This can result in uneven baking, collapsed cakes, or deflated soufflés. You can rely on the oven light and the window, if available, to monitor your baked goods without disrupting the baking environment.
- Skipping Sifting
Although you might find sifting to be an unnecessary step, however, it plays a crucial role in aerating dry ingredients and removing lumps, thus ensuring a smooth and light texture in your baked goods. If you neglect to sift flour, cocoa powder, or powdered sugar, it can lead to clumpy batters and uneven distribution of leavening agents, leading to uneven rising and a dense crumb. Even if it takes a few minutes, make sure to sift your dry ingredients before incorporating them in your recipes.
- Over Or Underbaking
Although it is a bit tricky to know when your baked goods are done, it is essential for achieving the perfect texture and flavour. If overbaked, it can result in dry, tough, or burnt treats and if underbaked, it can leave you with raw or gooey centres. To avoid this, depending upon your visual cues like golden brown edges, a springy texture, or a toothpick inserted into the centre and coming out clean.
