Baking is the process of cooking food using "dry heat" in an oven. This process is often slow and improper selection and handling of ingredients may result in a dry or overcooked texture.
As you know, the quality and quantity of ingredients and their characteristics affect all forms of cooking. However in baking, the difference might be even more pronounced due to longer cooking times. You might therefore need to keep in mind
Given below are some of the
factors that should be taken into account for optimum cooking results in your OTG. Remember some of these factors might also be responsible for slight variations in cooking times with those given in our recipes.
- Quality of ingredients - it is advisable to use good quality fresh ingredients for best baking results. Old flour for example might result in a dried out or sunken cake. Always check the expiry date of dry ingredients before use.
- Measure or weigh ingredients accurately. Use a good quality weighing scale and measuring cups and spoons for accurate results.
- Follow standardized recipes that have been tried and tested.
- Ambient temperatures affect mixing and baking times. For e.g. Ingredients straight out of the refrigerator would take longer to mix or bake than those at room temperature. It is always advisable to use ingredients at room temperature unless otherwise specified in a recipe.
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Right sized moulds and pans also play an important role in the quality and appearance of a finished dish. Therefore always try to use the sizes specified in a recipe.
- Use the correct oven temperatures for baking as specified in a recipe.
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Uniform and correct mixing of ingredients also plays an important role. Mixing is the blending of ingredients that form a dough or batter. Use a whisk for manual blending or an electric beater with the beater or dough attachment (as required). Remember not to over mix ingredients as they may result in a poor quality baked product.
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Sifting - sifting dry ingredients like flour, baking powder, baking soda help to aerate the mixture. Always sift (pass through a fine sieve) dry ingredients before mixing especially while baking cakes, cookies, pies, tarts, breads etc.
- For yeast raised breads, remember to use correct temperatures for proofingas it would affect the volume, flavor and aroma of baked bread. Proofing must be done at a temperature of 29-35°C and high humidity. During proofing, yeast gives out carbon dioxide (which gets trapped in the dough contributing to its volume) and alcohol (which increases the acidity in the dough) resulting in a richer flavor and aroma. Proofing must be done for at least 1 - 2 hours or until the dough doubles in volume.
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Always place the food to be baked in the correct position /on the right shelf inside your oven cavity for best results.
- Refrigerating certain dough's (like pastry, breads etc) plays an important role in the texture, flavor, aroma and appearance of the finished product. Always refrigerate the dough (if specified in a recipe) for best results before proceeding further.
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Remember to adequately cool cakes, muffins, breads etc. at room temperature before storing them in airtight containers. This will prevent breads and cakes from drying out quickly.
- While using the rotisserie function always cut pieces of meats and vegetables into equal sized pieces as far as possible to promote uniform cooking.