Baking Basics

Bicarbonate of soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a chemical compound commonly known as baking soda. The latter name refers to its popular use as an ingredient in bread dough. Its chemical formula...

Birthdays are special occasions for young children. If you have little girls, you know how much princesses and fairy tales appeal. Why not combine the two? Make a Cinderella coach as a cake. It...

A baker's scale is not the same as a typical food scale. While adjustments can be made throughout the cooking process, the baking process is a science that depends on preciseness--therefore, the...

Bread is a baked item that is usually made with flour, milk, water, eggs and yeast. Occasionally, spices may be added. Freshly baked bread should be properly stored to prevent it from becoming...

You don't need a pizza oven to bake a delicious, crispy crust pizza. Instead you can use a pizza stone, which helps distribute heat and absorbs moisture. Pizza stones come in a variety of shapes...

So you've brought your new GE electric range home, installed it in your kitchen and used it to bake cookies once or twice. Now you have to take the kids to soccer practice this afternoon, but...

Olive oil has more uses and a greater production than almond oil, but the oils do share similarities in uses and benefits. Both oils provide a flavorful additive for cooks, are a good source of...

Layers of chocolate covered and filled with buttery frosting give German Chocolate Cake the flavors of a rich European dessert. But this cake is all-American, named in honor of the man who created...

Cooking sugar and water until it thickens is the way to make simple syrup and is the first step in preparing a variety of candies. Although the process is relatively simple, you need to pay...

Unflavored gelatin has plenty of uses in the kitchen. One of its main uses is for the binding in pies, jams and cream cheeses. It's also used to make the capsules for pharmaceutical pills, photo...

Flour is made from wheat, and different types of wheat yield different types of flour. Cake flour is derived from soft wheats and it is used in cakes because its characteristics allow it different...

Proper mortar and insulation are the keys to an effective wood-fired brick oven. Building strong layers of cement and bricks traps the heat inside the dome and directs it onto the cooking food. A...

Bread dough enhancer is an additive that improves the texture and taste of bread. It can also act as a preservative and lengthen the shelf life of baked bread. While it is not an essential...

Unless you are a serial-baker, a five-pound bag of flour is going to last you a while. But what is the best way to make sure that the last cup measured is as fresh as the first? Air tight storage...

When you're using jars to store food for a long time, such as when you're canning, it is important to sterilize the jars before adding any food. This is key in preventing food poisoning and...

The technique of quick freezing or 'flash freezing' food was invented by Clarence Birdseye in the early 1900s---a technique that revolutionized the frozen food industry. You can access this same...

Wheat flour is essential to many baked goods because it provides structure. All-purpose flour and self-rising flour can be substituted in many baking recipes with some minor adjustments.

Cake yeast, also known as compressed fresh yeast, isn't commonly seen in stores today. Most of what's sold in yeast packages is dry yeast, because it has a longer shelf life than fresh yeast....

Baking a cake is both a fun and rewarding experience. Whether you're a novice or you're a master, there are a few basic steps that you need to get out of the way in order to create the perfect...

Potato starch is a thickening agent used in many soups and gravies. Its versatility also allows it to be mixed with other flours for the purpose of baking.

Cakes split and crack on top when they rise in the center too rapidly after the edges of the cake are set. Some cooks refer to this problem as volcano-topped cakes, and several things can cause...

A combination thermometer and timer lets you keep an eye on a large piece of meat in the oven or on the stove without having to guess when it's done and without having to repeatedly open the oven...

Fan ovens, which are sold at department stores, look just like conventional ovens. But fan ovens are especially well suited for making bread because the constant convecting air cooks the dough at...

Low carbohydrate diets have been around for many years now, and can be quite effective for losing weight. One baking ingredient that is hard to do without is flour, but there are some easy ways...

All-purpose flour was produced specifically for casual cooks who make a wide range of recipes in small quantities and without specialized equipment. Baking flours specialized for pastries and...

The sweetest part of a birthday often can be the birthday cake. If you are surprising someone special with a homemade birthday cake, you are sure to make that person happy. The only obstacle could...

Fondant is one of the most versatile, creative mediums available to both professional and amateur cake bakers. It can be colored, flavored, rolled, cut and molded into virtually any design you can...

A baked sweet potato is a healthy side dish option for a homemade lunch, but transporting a freshly baked sweet potato can be difficult. Sweet potatoes will cool quickly if placed in a brown paper...

Whether you're cooking for one, two or an entire family, a juicy steak serves as the perfect, savory meal. Because one of the best ways to keep a steak fresh for an extended period of time is to...

Whether from a booth at a charity event or at the intermission of a child's musical recital, selling homemade baked goods is a tradition that goes back years. With the Internet age and the...

Accurately measuring your baking ingredients directly determines the outcome of the recipe. Improper ratios of wet and dry parts of the mixture can throw off the delicate chemical balance of the...

The key to keeping anything at a specific temperature, whether it be a casserole or even a home, is insulation. This keeps any heat or cold from escaping. Insulating a casserole can be done...

By learning how to convert bake times for a muffin pan, you can turn any cake recipe into bite-sized treats. Cooks use muffin pans, also known as muffin tins, to create both muffins and cupcakes....

Mailing a homemade cake can be the ultimate gift for a loved one. The fresh homemade taste, preservative-free cake, and yummy ingredients can all add to the appeal of mailing a frosted, ready-made...

Convection ovens have built-in fans that move hot air around the oven to evenly heat your cooking vessel full of water and potatoes. This evenly controlled heat will cook all the potatoes at the...

If you have a cake recipe or mix, you can learn how to bake in various cake pans by simply adjusting the cooking time. Whether you're making an elaborate cake shaped like a football or Easter egg...

Baking in a convection oven is similar to a regular oven, although the convection oven allows you to bake much faster and produce moister foods. When baking in a convection oven, you need to...

Pumpkin seeds make tasty snacks that are healthy for you as well. Pumpkin seeds can be prepared in a variety of ways, but toasted seems to be the best. To soften the seeds before you toast them,...

Egg whites are a protein-filled liquid that surround the egg yolk inside of the shell. The protein can act as a thickening agent in recipes. When egg whites are vigorously stirred or whipped, they...

Not all flours are created equal. All-purpose flour and cake flour differ in several ways and are used for different purposes, although it is possible to replace cake flour with all-purpose flour.

Pastry dough flour is milled from soft wheat and, as far as protein content and baking characteristics are concerned, sits midway between all-purpose flour and cake flour. Pastry dough flour is...

You may need to add half of 3/4 cup sugar to a recipe because you're cutting the recipe in half, or because you know a recipe calls for much more sugar than you prefer. Plastic and metal cups for...

Open a cookbook full of baking recipes, and you'll find you often need to use flour. Flour is the main ingredient in many baked goods including bread, cake, cookies and brownies. If you don't add...

Carob powder is made from the pod of the carob bean. The beans grow on the carob tree, which is part of the legume family and can live up to 100 years. The carob tree does not bear fruit for the...

Flour can be made from any type of milled grain, although baking flour is usually made from wheat. Baking flour serves a variety of purposes for making goodies such cakes, pastries and bread.

You can flavor pumpkin seeds in many ways, but first you have to get them out of the pumpkin. There's no short-cut for this--just scoop them out and remove as much of the pulp as you can. Rinse...

A cake flower is a decorative feature on a cake made of icing, fondant or gum paste and will resemble whichever flower you choose to create, such as a rose or daisy. Gum paste will make more...

Flour is usually made from wheat, but it can be made from any type of milled grain. Baking flour has a combination of physical characteristics that create the right texture in baked goods.

Baking and decorating beautiful cakes is easy if you know the secrets professional bakers use to help them turn out a perfect product every time. One of the best tools in any baker's arsenal is...

A collar for your baking pan allows cakes to rise above the level of the pan by increasing the depth of the pan. With a few strips of parchment paper, you can make a collar that will double the...