The pastry chef named the 10 most common cooking mistakes and advised how to avoid them

“Baking and baking, unlike other cooking methods, are the truest science. Chemical processes, formulas for combining substances and ingredients work here, so there is no place for ocular measurements and experiments. Therefore, continuing the cycle of the pastry academies, we invite you to learn from our mistakes and, knowing some of the most important pastry tricks, to enjoy the most delicious cakes of every occasion ”, affirms the expert and pastry chef of Mataena Baking Academy Sonata Šalkauskaitė in a press release.

1. Incorrect ingredient temperature

Although at first glance it may seem that it does not matter what the temperature of the butter or eggs is before production, S. Šalkauskaitė assures that this is one of the biggest cooking errors, which probably causes most of the failures.

“The temperature of the ingredients is one of the essential criteria, because, for example, cold eggs will not be able to be beaten as well and will not attract as much air as eggs attracted by room temperature. And it’s the well-beaten eggs that are the secret to many fluffy, soft cookies. And if you bake a shortcrust or cookies, just use the coldest butter possible, otherwise your cake will just “puff up,” says an expert from the Malsena Baking Academy.

2. The dough keeps in molds for a long time without baking.

Have you made the dough, stirred it in a baking pan, and only then turned the oven on to warm? Or maybe you decided to have a cup of coffee? This wait is one of the reasons your cake failed.

“When leavening substances are added to the puff pastry, they are activated as soon as they are mixed with the wet ingredients. Therefore, as soon as the dough is ready, it must be baked immediately. Before starting the baking and cooking process, prepare the baking dish, preheat the oven and remove all the necessary ingredients from the refrigerator. This way you avoid additional delays and you don’t run the risk that your cake won’t rise, ”says S. Šalkauskaitė.

3. Unsweetened flour

According to the pastry chef, another common mistake is forgetting to sift the flour. This step ensures that there are no larger pieces of flour left in the dough. Also, during sieving, more air enters the flour, loosening and softening the dough, so this step is especially important when baking soft and fluffy cookies.

4. The production process is not followed

“If the recipe says to beat the eggs first, we will beat the eggs first. If it is ordered to soften the butter first, then that should be the case. Remember that baking is a chemical process and following the specified procedure ensures that the ingredients react properly with each other. and create the desired texture or consistency of the dough, ”adds the Baking Academy Ambassador.

According to S. Šalkauskaitė, when preparing the dough, it is recommended to use scales and weigh the products in grams. If the recipe says to measure in milliliters, use a beaker with the amounts indicated. Grams are not equal to milliliters, so it is important to weigh and measure accordingly and to follow the prescription instructions precisely.

5. The oven temperature is set incorrectly.

One of the most common baking mistakes is not following oven temperature instructions.

“If you bake at a higher temperature than the recipe calls for, the pie crust will turn brown and the inside will not bake. When the inside of the cookie is later heated and the temperature rises, the crust will explode. Or, on the contrary, products baked in a cold oven do not rise much ”, comments an expert from Malsena.

Often times the oven does not heat evenly, so the only way to make sure the temperature is correct is to measure the internal temperature of the oven separately. The pastry expert also adds that the most ideal place to bake a cake is in the middle of the oven, because there the air circulates evenly and distributes the heat evenly in the dough.

6. Too small / large baking pan is used

If the recipe tells you to use a larger shape than you have, don’t use the entire batter. If you add the dough to the top of the shape, the cookie has nowhere to rise, so it “climbs” over the top and then falls. It is best to fill the dough in the form of 2/3. If you see that the shape you have is larger, it is better to proportionally increase the amounts of all the ingredients and the baking time, otherwise your cake may also fail.

7. Oven doors are often made

No matter how eager you are to see how your cake will fare in the oven, don’t.

“Every time you open the oven door, you lower its temperature. It is best not to open the oven door for the first 15 to 20 minutes. This will ensure that the heat does not escape from the oven and the product rises. In addition, baking the cake batter creates air bubbles that heat the cake. A built-in oven door can cause these bubbles to collapse, ”says S. Šalkauskaitė.

8. An attempt is made to replace non-existent products with alternatives.

Alternatives to unavailable products should be chosen with caution. For example, sour cream should not be replaced by milk, because its water content varies, which changes the structure of the dough. I prefer to replace sour cream with yogurt, kefir. Also choose the flour used for baking carefully. Ordinary wheat flour absorbs less moisture than whole wheat flour, so you will need to check the amount of fluids used accordingly.

9. Mix the dough

If you mix it into the dough by adding it to the dough, more gluten will form, the product will be harder to rise, it won’t bake, and it won’t fall apart. To avoid mixing the dough, mix until all the ingredients form a uniform dough.

“There are different mixing methods that should not be confused. For example, sugar and butter should be rubbed into a smooth, creamy batter. The eggs should be beaten quickly and vigorously, but here the flour should only be carefully added to the batter. In some places, this process is called “folding” because it conserves air in the egg batter that lifts the cake. Do not use a wooden spoon or electric mixer in this process, as these tools will “push” the air out of the mixture. Use a silicone spatula and gently add the flour, ”says a spokeswoman for the bakery academy.

10. An attempt is made to remove hot products from the mold.

Hot cakes are still extremely brittle, which is why they often fall apart when you try to remove or cut them. The cakes need at least half an hour to cool and another half hour to cool completely. Even if the cake looks cool, the inside may be hot. Therefore, wait for the products to pass before removing them from the mold.