Wake and bake and ache and cake

I love a life full of do's and no dont's and yet in each life some rain must fall..and so it is with baking.

The only rule is you gotta play by the rules.

Precise measurements and temperature makes all the difference, and follow the recipe instructions. 

Do's and dont's of baking 

- bake often to get the hang of your oven and become friends with it.

- measure and weigh your ingredients. Always.

- mise en place. Every fucking time.

- always pre heat your oven at least 20-25 minutes before you put in anything to bake. The oven should always be hot hot hot when you put in anything, not warming up or tepid. That's a no no. 

- Be patient! The first few attempts mightn't be what you expected, but that will get better with each time you bake.

- be prepared to wash a lot of dishes in the aftermath. 

Dont's 

- don't bake halfheartedly 

- don't ever keep a dirty oven. Clean it routinely.

- don't use stale leavening agents. Baking soda and powder shouldn't be older than six months.

- don't use cheap quality throw away baking material to save on the washing.

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Baking basic must haves  

- measuring cups and spoons. Easily available everywhere online or otherwise. 

-kitchen weighing scale. ( some recipes specify measurements in cups and some in gms)

- parchment paper or butter paper for baking.

- baking moulds (silicon or otherwise)

-good quality oven mitts.

-large bowls for mixing batter.

-whisk with a sturdy hold. The wirey ones are difficult to use after a while.

-silicon spatula. Nothing scrapes wet batter as cleanly from the sides of a bowl as a good silicone spatula. 

-large sieve. 

-kitchen tissue rolls for degunging greasy fingers.

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I will write some more on baking and if I've missed out on something, I'll include it all in new baking posts, and update on my food blog.