Baking Techniques

Baking techniques

It is important to follow exactly the directions in a recipe for baking foods. For example, some directions say to only grease the bottom of a pan. In the case of a quick bread loaf, greased pan sides cause the bread to “slip” down the pan as it is baking and result in a product that is not as high as it should be.

“Grease” a pan
Use a small piece of waxed paper or cover your fingers with a plastic sandwich bag to dip into shortening. Do not use reduced calorie margarine or other soft spread margarine. Spread the fat evenly over the bottom, sides, and corners of the pan. Other ways to grease a pan include:

Pour a small amount of cooking oil into the pan.
Wipe it with saved margarine or butter stick wrappers.
Use a “spray” coating, unless a recipe says not to.

“Grease and flour” a pan

First, grease the pan.
Then, place approximately one tablespoon of flour in the pan. (For a chocolate cake, use a little cocoa powder instead of flour so the sides of the baked cake are not white.)
Shake the pan, tilting it back and forth, until it is coated with the flour.
Dump out and discard any flour that does not stick.

Selecting Baking Pans
Baking results are affected by the baking pan used. Most recipes recommend which type of pan and which size to use. A pan should not be more than two-thirds full. To determine the pan size if it is not marked, measure from one top inside edge to the opposite inside edge.

Dark pans and glass pans absorb heat (catch and hold heat), so foods cook faster. If you use a glass pan for a recipe that calls for a metal pan, reduce the baking temperature by 25°F. Food tends to brown more quickly in these types of pans. Shiny pans do not have this problem because they deflect heat away.

This size pan	May result in a baked product that is:
Oversized	Too thin. Dried out if baking time is not adjusted. Burnt.
Too small	Overflowing in the oven.

Baking Tips

Use the pan the recipe suggests.
Preheat the oven if the recipe indicates.
Adjust the baking temperature if a glass or nonstick-type pan is used.
If only one baking pan of food is in the oven, place it near the center of the oven. Food placed low in the oven cooks faster on the bottom than on the top. Food placed high in the oven cooks faster on top than on the bottom. It may get too brown on top as well.
If more than one baking pan is placed on an oven shelf, leave at least two inches of space in between.
Round shapes produce more even browning than pans with square corners.
Foods baked in thick metal pans do not brown as much as those baked in thinner pans, especially if the baking time is short.

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