Classic Baking Methods

Creaming method
This type of recipe will say things like “cream” the butter and
sugar or “beat the butter and sugar till pale and creamy”. Cakes
made using this method will first cream the butter together with
the sugar, and then the eggs are added one by one, and finally
the flour (which is usually added alternatively with a liquid).

To cream butter, start with softened butter. Literally beat the

butter in your mixer until it changes colour and becomes lighter or
pale. The butter will eventually lose its buttery taste and become
creamier.

Why is this such an important baking technique? Creaming the

butter with sugar not only helps the sugar to “dissolve” into the
butter and be spread evenly through the batter; it also aerates
(adds air) to the butter – giving a lighter texture to bakes.

Rub in method
This method is often used in bread and pastry making. The recipe
will begin with the instruction to “run the butter into the flour”.
To do this, simply use your fingertips to rub the butter into the
flour until it begins to look like crumbs. This rubbing in will coat the
flour in a fine layer of butter, which helps give a pastry or bread
the correct texture when baking.

Hot milk method

This type of recipe calls for the butter and liquid to be boiled
together before being added to the flour. Cupcakes and old
fashioned hot milk puddings are made using this method.

Blind bake method

Pies or tart recipes will ask you to “blind bake” your pastry. This
means that you need to precook your pastry before adding the
filling to prevent the pastry from becoming soggy.

To bake blind, follow the steps below:

1. Roll the pastry out slightly larger than the pan.

2. Use a rolling pin to lift the pastry and position it over the
pan.
3. Leave an overhang of pastry around the sides of the
pan. Roll the rolling pin over the top to trim off the
excess pastry.
4. Lightly press the pastry into the pan using your fingertips
and prick the base of the pastry case all over with a fork.
5. Place a sheet of baking paper on top of the pastry and
fill the middle with baking beans, dried pulses or rice.
(The baking beans or rice are added to the baking paper
 to add weight to the pastry shell and help hold it in place
as it bakes.)
6. Bake the pastry case for about 15 minutes in a hot oven
or until the pastry is firm. Remove the beans and the
paper and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the pastry
is golden brown and crisp.

All in one method

This one is as easy as, well, pie. All the recipe ingredients are
mixed together in one go.

Common baking
techniques
In addition to following a specific baking method, baking recipes
also expect one to know a few other techniques. Here are a few
of the most commonly used:

Sieve
Most recipes will instruct you to sieve dry ingredients. The main
reason is to add more of that all important air to the batter. Sieved
flour will yield a greater volume (not mass) than non sieved flour.

To sieve like an all star baker, step one is to make sure that the
sieve is completely dry. Hold the sieve a good distance from the
bowl and tap gently with your free hand so that the dry ingredients
fall a little distance to the bowl, thereby incorporating air.

Fold
Folding is a delicate technique used to mix ingredients (like flour
or stiffly whipped egg whites) thoroughly into a batter without
deflating it.
Folding is done by hand using a thin rubber spatula or a metal
spoon. Add ingredients to a batter in thirds as this helps keep the
mixture light.

Add the first third of the ingredient to the egg batter. Cut down into
the center of the batter and sweep the spatula around the side of
the bowl. Scoop the batter up from the bottom of the bowl and
bring it to the rim, folding it over the ingredient on the surface.

Repeat the folding motion, giving the bowl a half turn after each
action, until well blended. Add the remaining ingredient in batches
repeating this technique.

Separate eggs
There are nifty little gadgets specifically made to separate the egg
yolk from the egg white on the market. But if gadgets aren’t your
thing, you can do this perfectly well by hand.

Firstly, wash and dry your hands. Then, set out three clean and
dry bowls. Crack the egg gently on a flat surface or on the rim of a
bowl, as close to the middle of the egg as possible. Turn the egg
out into the first bowl. Use your fingers to gently lift the yolk from
the white and transfer the yolk to the second bowl.

Crack the second egg into the third bowl, remove the yolk and
add it to the first. Add the egg white to the bowl of whites.
Cracking each egg into a bowl of its own first is a good idea.
That’s because if you do accidentally break the yolk, it won’t run
into the egg whites that you’ve already separated.

Keeping the yolks and whites completely separate is very

important if you need to whip up the egg whites. This is because
any yolk (or fat) in the whites will prevent them from whipping up
fully.

Tip: Chilled eggs are easier to separate. If a recipe asks for

separated eggs, separate them straight from the fridge and then
let them come to room temperature before using.