Baking Basics

Maybe you know someone who is vegan -- meaning, he/she doesn't eat animal products (like eggs and milk, for example). Or maybe you have a food allergy. Perhaps you're just looking for a way to...

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...

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...

Often when baking bread using yeast from our pantries we find that our bread will not rise. This costs money and frustrates even the seasoned of bakers. There's an easy way to prevent this...

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...

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...

How to make a delicious wine cake, perfect for holidays!

Enjoy one of my family’s favorite recipes! This recipe along with many others located under my avatar were first produced and used frequently by my grandparents and their parents. I wanted to pass...

Enjoy one of my family’s favorite recipes! This recipe along with many others located under my avatar were first produced and used frequently by my grandparents and their parents. I wanted to pass...

Enjoy one of my family’s favorite recipes! This recipe along with many others located under my avatar were first produced and used frequently by my grandparents and their parents. I wanted to pass...

A cupcake recipe uses the same ingredients as a standard cake but because of its small size, it is ready to eat in less time. Because of this, preparing miniature cupcakes can be a great source of...

How can I make buttermilk? If you're in the middle of a recipe and you realize you don't have any buttermilk, don't worry. I have a simple recipe for sour milk, a buttermilk substitute. This...

Have you ever been in a cookie exchange and half the cookies you get back taste like cardboard - no flavor? Five tips to baking fabulous cookies.

If you're in the middle of making up a batch of cookies or a cake, adding the ingredients as you work from a recipe in your cookbook, you may find that you are lacking something and need to make a...

You can cook anything in a convection oven that you can cook in a traditional oven. It's not hard to learn how to use a convection oven, and there are quite a few benefits over the standard oven....

Cream of tartar is an acidic white powder derived from the sediment left after the wine making process. If combined with baking soda, cream of tartar becomes baking powder. It is used to add...

Sorghum flour, also known as jowar flour, is a common substitute for all-purpose flour in instances when a gluten-free food is necessary. Sorghum flour does not contain gluten. When baking...

When using active dry yeast in bread recipes, it is important to activate or "proof" the yeast prior to its use. This allows the yeast, which is a living organism, to develop and grow...

A Sunbeam Bread Maker can bake up to a 2-pound loaf of fresh bread. It has a 13-hour delay baking cycle and an LED display. To make cleanup easy, it has a nonstick removable pan. It also comes...

Sometimes, what you have in your pantry is not what is called for in a recipe. If you do not have the time or inclination to run to the store, substitutions can be made. If the recipe calls for...

Ever have muffins come out of the oven like door-stops? It's simple to make light fluffy muffins by following these directions. It's important to have accurate measuring cups, spoons, and the...

German chocolate can refer to a type of baking chocolate, to a type of cake or to where the chocolate was manufactured. There is a commonality among the three, as they are typically all a mild and...

Baking in an electric oven can be rewarding, especially if it is your first time. There are precautions to take when using any appliance and especially when the temperature in that appliance can...

Don't you just like chicken freshly cooked out of the oven with is crispiness and great taste? Well in this article, I will teach you a basic recipe for baked hot chicken wings. It takes about ten...

Don't you just like chicken freshly cooked out of the oven with is crispiness and great taste? Well in this article, I will teach you a basic recipe for baked chicken wings. It takes about ten to...

Guar gum (guaran) is made from ground guar beans. The processing of the beans produces a pale, off-white powder that's ground from coarse to fine. Guar gum is used in the preparation of multiple...

Does your family love cookies, cakes, cupcakes and breads as much as mine? Well, if the answer is yes, then, like me, you probably bake a lot at home and get to see all of the ingredients that go...

I love to cook or bake, and I love to try new recipes. However a lot of times when I try a new recipe, I used to make a lot of mistakes and the recipe failed. Whenever I have time, I will test...

Fabulous desserts and tempting treats start with good baking habits. I'm going to give you some advice to insure you have a great tasting dessert come out of a fun and easy baking experience. This...

Do you have some recipes that you love but wish you could make them a little healthier? Read on to find simple ways to improve the health of your favorite recipes!

The most basic way to make a quick bread. Follow this method. Measure, Sift dry, Cut in fat, should be solid, Combine liquid + eggs, Liquid to dry, mix only until combined, Bench dough and knead...

Here is a great, quick and easy recipe to make a delicious rice pilaf. I recommend this recipe for anyone in to easy cooking that is tasty!

Missing an ingredient for a recipe doesn't mean a ruined recipe or a trip to the grocery store. Many common ingredients can be substituted in a recipe without compromising the basic taste or...

Cooking can be a very intimidating thing. It can seem like a different language. It's not that it's actually hard, it's that most people don't have the patience to learn. Today's television has...

Of course you can purchase sweetened condensed milk in a can at the supermarket, but why not make it yourself! With a few simple ingredients you already have at home, you can whip up this recipe...

Every year during Halloween, many of us carve pumpkins and use them as a Jack-O-Lantern and light tea lights in the evening. However, many leave them to rot on their front porch only to leave...

Have you ever started a recipe thinking you had all of the ingredients or wanted to make a recipe and was missing a key ingredient. Instead of driving all of the way to the supermarket to pick up...

After researching baking methods, ingredient components, and discussing this topic with several professional chefs, I have deciphered several common elements for any quality cookie, regardless of...

Why pay more for something you can make yourself in just a few moments? Self-Rising flour is nothing more than flour with a little bit extra in it. This is actually easier than easy!

Have you ever gone through your recipes, picked one out and then discovered that you lacked the essential ingredient of buttermilk? No worries. Use this simple substitute and go ahead and make...

Sometimes it can be a bit tricky to bake at a high altitude. Once you get to about 3,000 feet, it takes a little longer for things to cook. Standard baking recipes are not suited for high...

Cookies and Cakes can taste so good but always carry unwanted calories and fat. While you can not cut out those things without reducing taste you can make a few changes to a recipe to make it...

Baking books for children are a good idea for the photos and simple to follow instructions. However, you can save money and invest instead in good baking equipment your child can help you select....

Most recipes call for a teaspoon of this or a tablespoon of that. Unfortunately, if you don’t understand how to use measuring spoons your recipe could be a disaster. Here's a guide to help...

Choosing the correct type of flour for your recipe can help to create a masterpiece of a flop. All purpose flour can be used for anything but depending on the recipe using the proper flour can...

You're in the middle of baking, and suddenly realize the recipe you're creating calls for cake flour, and there's not a grain in the house! What do you do? Don't worry, there's an easy substitution!

Do you have a recipe that you think will be fabulous with a little tweaking? There are things you--can and can't do--to adapt a recipe. With a little practice, you can create a recipe that is...

A simple mistake measuring dry ingredients in a recipe and you could drastically change size, shape and taste of the recipe you are trying to achieve. Follow these tips and you will no longer fear...

People have been changing their eating habits for years in an attempt to get healthier and live longer. One of the ways they achieve this goal is to bake with low-fat substitutes to produce...

Amaranth is an ancient grain and amaranth flour is a flavorful result of grinding down amaranth grains. Many consumers aren't even aware of the possibility of baking with amaranth flour because...