Top 10 Tips For How To Become A Better Baker

If you’re looking to improve your baking skills, this guide is just what you need. I’ve compiled a list of my best tips and tricks to teach bakers of all levels how to become a better baker.

Whatever your baking aspirations are learning how to become a better baker is the first step in reaching your goals. I’ve compiled a list of the most helpful tips I wish I knew when I started out on my baking journey. Baking can be an extremely fun and rewarding experience, but having the right tips and tricks up your sleeve is essential.

1. Learn Your Oven

This may sound silly, but the first step in honing your baking skills is getting to know your oven. All ovens are different, some ovens run hot while others run cold. What quirks does your oven have? Does your oven have any hot spots? Do your cakes bake better on the middle rack of the oven as opposed to the bottom rack?

It is important to know your oven, once you learn the quirks of your oven learn how to work with them instead of against them. If your oven runs hot maybe you need to prop the door open for a few minutes before baking your pastries.

The best ways to learn your oven is first by investing in a quality oven thermometer, second, paying close attention while your baking, and third, calibrate your oven once or twice per year. An oven thermometer can help determine if your oven is at your desired temperature. While you’re baking pay close attention, are your cookies in the back over-baked while the cookies in the center are perfect, or are your cakes browning more on one side than the other. This will help you start to figure out your ovens quirks. Lastly calibrating your oven is so important, you want to be sure if you set your oven to 350 degrees that it’s at that actual temperature. Your oven temperature can make or break your final baked products.

2. Understanding Mise En Place

Mise en place is a French term meaning “everything in its place”. As a professional baker I can tell you mise en place is extremely important. This just means that you want to gather all of the ingredients, equipment, and tools necessary for your recipe before you begin. You do not want to be in the middle of mixing your cake batter and realize you don’t have anymore vanilla extract, or having to stop and search in your cabinets for an ingredient in the middle of your mixing process.

Before you begin baking read your recipe, gather all of your ingredients that you need, this will save you time and ensure your baking process runs smoothly.

3. Read The Recipe

Don’t skim over the instructions or read half of the recipe. Read the entire recipe from start to finish before you begin doing anything. Reading the recipe thoroughly will set you up for success every time. The recipe will let you know what ingredients need to be left out at room temperature, as well as what equipment you’ll need to successfully complete the recipe.

Think of the recipe is your sous chef or co-baker there to guide you along and ensure everything goes according to plan.

4. Measure Ingredients Properly

Properly measuring ingredients is one of the most important things that separates amateur bakers from skilled bakers. Measuring properly provides consistency in your baked goods. There are a few key tools used to measure ingredients in baking: dry measuring cups, measuring spoons, liquid measuring cups and a digital kitchen scale.

Dry measuring cups are used to measure dry ingredients such as flour and sugar. Measuring spoons are used when measuring small quantities of ingredients such as leaveners. Liquid measuring cups are used to measure liquids by volume, while a digital food scale accurately measures both liquid and dry ingredients. A digital scale is the most precise way to measure ingredients because with measuring cups and spoons there is room for error. Each time you measure flour in a dry measuring cup the amount of flour in the cup will vary, sometimes the flour will be more packed together than other times. Digital scales provide the most accuracy and the least amount of room for errors.

If you’re looking to up your baking game and become a better baker, focus on properly measuring your ingredients. This may seem like a small detail however this makes all the difference in the consistency and the final outcome of your baked goods.

5. Invest In Baking Essentials

There are tools that every baker should have in their tool box. Check out my ultimate list of must have baking tools. This is a comprehensive list of all the tools and equipment that every baker should have at the ready. There are a few baking essentials that you should undoubtedly have whether you’re at the beginning of your baking journey or several years into it. Measuring cups and spoons, a digital kitchen scale that can measure in ounces and grams, as well as a sturdy set of heat proof mixing bowls are some go to tools.

Basic baking essentials are multi purpose, you will find yourself reaching for them time after time. There are many different tools and equipment that you can purchase to aid you as a baker however I am just covering the basics.

6. Learn How To Scale Recipes

What does it mean to scale a recipe? Scaling a recipe is different from measuring ingredients in a recipe. Scaling a recipe means if a recipe makes a dozen cookies and you need two dozen cookies knowing how to double the recipe properly. This may seem like a simple task however scaling can get a bit complex. For example if a recipe makes a half dozen cookies and you want to make three and a half dozen cookies then you need to know how to properly scale the ingredients. Incorrectly scaling a recipe can completely change the end result of your baked goods.

Also when scaling a recipe knowing proper conversions can help to streamline the process. For example knowing that 48 teaspoons equals 1 cup can save whole lot of time. Learn your basic measurement conversions and scaling a recipe will become a piece of cake.

7. Making Substitutions

It’s worth noting that making substitutions in a recipe for baked treats will almost always affect the end product, sometimes more than others. Substituting different types of flours will have the most drastic change to your baked good because different flours have different protein levels and overall affect the texture of the baked good. It’s also worth noting that not all flours can be substituted one to one. This is the case with many ingredients when it comes to baking.

Making substitutions can be done successfully however it should be done sparingly. Baking is a science and every time you tweak that perfectly balanced formula there is a chance that it will not work.

8. Attention To Detail

Baking requires precision and attention to detail. Attention to detail means reading the recipe in its entirety before beginning. Common baking mistakes such as improperly measuring, unintentional substitutions, not following recipe instructions, and even temperature mistakes can be prevented with attention to detail.

Attention to detail means ensuring you’re using the correct ingredients in your recipes, and the proper baking techniques to achieve the results you want. Remember baking is a combination of chemical processes and reactions, pay close attention and follow the recipe instructions. All in all attention to detail is key in becoming a successful baker.

9. Learn Basic Techniques

Learn these basic techniques and you’ll be well on your way to learning how to become a better baker. Creaming, whisking, folding, rub in method and the scoop and level method are some basic techniques that will carry you far as a baker.

Creaming is a technique in which butter and sugar are mixed together at a moderate speed. This method works wonders for incorporating air into your batter. Creaming is an important step in recipes and ultimately determines the texture in final product of your baked goods.

Whisking is used for blending ingredients and incorporating air. Different types of whisks are best for different tasks, choosing the correct type of whisk is vital in baking.

The rub in method is primarily used in biscuits and scones, this is the process of literally rubbing cold butter into flour. This method coats the flour with fat and results in a more tender crumb.

Folding is the process of combining a lighter mixture into a heavier mixture. Think of the addition of delicate whipped egg whites into a thick cake batter. These ingredients need to be mixed by gently folding the lighter mixture into the heavier mixture.

The scoop and level method is a technique used when measuring dry ingredients in a recipe such as flour or sugar. The scoop and level method prevents the addition of too much of one ingredient, by gently scooping the dry ingredient into your measuring cup with a spoon or scoop and using the back of a knife to level it off once you’ve measured the desired amount.

10. Practice Makes Perfect

Practice may not make “perfect” but it does indeed make for improvement. Becoming a better baker can only be accomplished by actually getting in the kitchen and whipping up some treats. I believe the best way to improve is by making mistakes. Once you make a mistake you learn what you did and how to fix it, and you likely won’t make the sane mistake moving forward.

Get in your kitchen and make it your business to learn a new technique, practice scaling recipes, and measuring ingredients properly. These skills may seem basic, and they are, all great bakers need to know the basics. It is possible to develop your skills as a baker through consistency and practice.