The Secrets of Baking

I think the reason I love baking is that it is so precise. It is like a chemistry experiment; if you add the correct things, under the correct conditions, in the correct order, you will get something amazing. The only problem was, I didn't really know what those correct things were. My mission is to find out. Here is a bit of what I have learned so far.

First off, there are several different types of flour; cake flour with 5-7% protein, pastry flour with 7-9% protein, self-rising flour with 7-11% protein, all-purpose flour with 7-12% percent protein, and bread flour with 12-14% protein. Some, like cake flour, need to be sifted before measuring. The types of flour are not interchangeable. There are conversions you can do to make one type into an imitation of another, but they are far from precise and give less predictable responses. 

For baking, superfine sugar dissolves better then regular granulated sugar. You can either purchase it, called Bakers Sugar, or make it by putting granulated sugar in a food processor for 60 sec. Superfine and granulated sugars are interchangeable. (All other types of sugar are not; like confectioners sugar.)

Eggs should always be the large size (unless your recipe calls for a different one). They should also be room temperature.

Butter should always be between 65 and 68*. Certain types of baked goods can fall if the butter was too warm. (It should be moldable but not squishy or liquid.)

I tried these principles with the new cake I made for my third Wilton class. For this class, I again did my mother in law's Silver White Cake. The difference was incredible! This cake was so much lighter and had a much smoother texture. Stay tuned for photos!