Fine Baking | Quick Tips

How to reduce cooking time?
Read the recipe before starting. Place all the ingredients on your work-table. Multi-task! Start with the items that need to sit for sometime e.g. roasting and cooling the nut. Then use the time to work on minor ingredients e.g. chopping herbs for garnish.

How to buy flour?
When buying flour, ensure that it is fresh and lump-free. Watch out for any stale smell or moisture on the bag. With regular use, you will develop a sense for texture of the flour. It should be smooth and soft. Whether white or whole wheat flour, very free-flowing flour is coarse and does not give best baking results.
Store the Flour in a dry, airtight container at a cool temperature for no more than six-months.

How to check excess salt in water?
Sometimes, the tongue is accustomed to a certain level of salt in water. In such a case perform a simple test to check the salt level. Place a few drops of water on a clean steel surface and let dry naturally. If you observe white stains on the surface, the water has high salt content. Always use a water-filter to eliminate contamination at the basic level. Water-softening units are also available for domestic use.

How to make Castor Sugar?
You can make castor sugar by reducing the size of crystals by crushing granulated sugar in a grinder. Remember to add 2 tsp of cornstarch to every cup of granulated sugar to prevent caking. Sift the crushed sugar to get a uniform consistency.

Why is it important to use fresh eggs?
Fresh eggs ensure more stability and are appropriate for use in products that do not depend on eggs for volume. Old eggs facilitate easier air-incorporation and produce more volume for better whipping properties. For best results, bring the egg white to room temperature before use.
A fresh egg will sink in cold and salty water, while an old egg will float.

How to obtain pretzel like salt crystals?
When using salt to garnish salt-sticks, sprinkle coarse salt granules just before baking. This will give you white salt crystals like on pretzels. If the salt is in powdered form, it will dissolve on the surface of the sticks and even though the salt flavor will be present there will be no garnish.

How to get the best from nuts?
Bake whole nuts at 350-375°F for 15-25 minutes, turning them occasionally. Cool the nuts completely before using them whole or chopped. To chop the nuts conveniently into equal size, pulsing relatively small quantities in very short bursts works the best. Stop pulsing one batch when most of the nuts are the right size, pour the nuts into a separate bowl and pick out the nuts that are still too large and add them to the next batch. Nuts keep their flavor for a year if stored in airtight jars or bags at cool temperatures.

How to obtain a chewy crust?
Using steam during baking makes the crust of bread & rolls chewy and adds a light shine. At domestic level, steam is generated by keeping a pan of boiling water in the oven when baking bread or roll.

How to obtain a rustic appearance?
Generally, products baked without a pan, on a tray or stone, have a natural rustic look. Subjecting them to steam during baking adds to the crust characters. Docking or scoring the dough ball in a creative way adds to the artisan look. Further, dust some flour on the dough-ball before baking, to add to the appearance.

How to store bread?
Store bread in an airtight container at room temperature to maintain a soft crumb. Store short-life bread & rolls with a chewy crust in paper or perforated bags, to maintain the crunch in the crust. Do not store bread in a refrigerator! To extend the shelf life, products can be frozen longer than six months, but should be consumed immediately once out of the freezer.

How to get a rich dark brown color in chocolate cake or cookie?
Add baking soda in the flour when preparing batter for chocolate cake or cookie. Baking soda raises the pH of cocoa and helps the cake reach that rich chocolaty color.

How to get the best results while baking?
For good baking results, ensure that the temperature inside the oven is the same as indicated on the display knob. A very helpful tool in knowing your oven is the oven thermometer. To ensure the correct temperature the oven has to be turned on several minutes prior to baking. Higher the desired temperature, longer the pre-heat time. Also, to obtain an even bake, remember to turn the pan backside front, half way through baking or as instructed in the recipe.

How to keep cut fresh fruits longer?
When fresh fruits are cut, the Iron in them is exposed to the oxygen present in air, which leads to oxidation and fruits like Apple rust and develop a reddish-brown color on the surface. To keep cut fruits fresh longer, leave the fruits in cold water with lemon juice. Lemon juice is an acid that prevents oxidation from occurring and keeps the fresh taste of cut fruits longer.

How to buy an Oven?
Each oven works differently; the make of the oven, its construction, size, etc, the source of energy, are only a few factors that effect the time it takes to reach the desired temperature. When buying an oven, consider the range of temperature offered. To get the most from your oven, it should be able to hit 260°C/500°F. Check the options to control upper and lower heating individually. Consider the volume of the oven. Ensure that the racks are large enough to accommodate the pans and trays you are going to use for baking. Ovens can be heated using gas or electricity. Remember that voltage fluctuation will affect the results of electrically operated ovens. Choose the most practical option for you.

How to make cookies, tart shells and puff pastry tender and flaky?
As a rule of thumb, to keep the texture tender and flaky, mix only to combine the ingredients and keep the dough at a low temperature. To maintain low temperature, work on a cool surface and chill the mixing bowl and dough hook before use.

How to make the pizza base light and crunchy?
The secret to keeping pizza base light and airy is to apply minimum pressure when forming the base. After the dough has fermented (2 hours), punch down the dough, cover and let sit for another 30 minutes. Gently deflate the dough and divide into the desired number of pizzas. Without applying excess pressure smooth the dough pieces into round balls. Cover with plastic or moist towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Lightly dust flour on the work surface and place a dough ball. Apply even pressure with your fingers at the center of the ball and work outwards to spread the ball to a disc shape. Once the disc becomes 2-3 times the diameter of the ball, hold the edge of the disc on the knuckles of both your hands. Gently stretch and shift about 45° angle to spread the dough into the desired base size. Spreading the dough by hand, allows the air pockets to remain inside the dough, which make the pizza light and crunchy. It takes a bit of practice to master this technique, so hang in there!