Baking can be challenging for some because one mistake can ruin a batch. However, it becomes easy once you know the common pitfalls.
Yes, you can become a successful baker yourself! To help you get started, here are my tips for avoiding the usual mistakes beginners make.
10 Common Baking Problems and How to Avoid Them
Below are ten of the most common baking problems you may encounter.
1 – Measuring Mistakes
Learning how to measure ingredients is one of the most important aspects of baking. You can make the whole process easy if you have a weighing scale.
Yet, if you’re using measuring cups, there are a few pointers to remember.
First, always sift dry ingredients before scooping them into a cup. Avoid packing flour and other powders into the measuring cup.
The only exception to this rule is brown sugar. When you measure brown sugar, you want to pack it until it forms a solid shape once you release it from the measuring cup.
Following these tips can save you from overly dense cakes!
2 – Missing an Ingredient
Another common mistake beginners make is failing to incorporate all ingredients in the recipe. It’s easy to miss an ingredient, especially when you’re unfamiliar with baking.
Fortunately, you can avoid this by doing mise en place.
Mise en place is a French culinary term meaning “to put in place.” This is when you measure each ingredient into separate bowls before combining them.
By taking this extra step, you double-check whether you missed an ingredient before baking.
3 – Baking at the Wrong Temperature
Baking at the wrong temperature is a common mistake because of temperature conversions.
American recipes that you’ll find online will often list temperatures as Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, European and Asian recipes are in Celsius.
Ovens will also have these differences depending on where you’re located.
To avoid baking at the wrong temperature, make sure you set the oven correctly. A quick Google search lets you convert Fahrenheit to Celsius and vice versa.
4 – Using Cold Liquids
When baking cookies, cakes, and bars, recipes often tell you to cream your butter. This is when you whip butter with sugar to make it light and fluffy.
After this step, add your liquids, like eggs and milk, to the mix. Here’s where most beginners make an error.
Adding cold liquids to your creamed butter mixture can solidify the butter. As a result, the butter won’t incorporate no matter how much you stir!
Before baking, make sure to read the instructions and keep the ingredients at room temperature. In case your wet ingredients fail to mix, microwaving the whole bowl for a few seconds may help.
5 – Getting Egg Yolks in Whites
Mixing egg yolks into egg whites can become a pitfall when making chiffon cake or meringues.
For these types of recipes, you want to whip your egg whites into stiff peaks. To do so, you must not have any fat or excess water from egg yolks mixed in.
Avoiding this pitfall is easy. Always crack and separate eggs in a different bowl.
If you accidentally get a little egg yolk into the white, don’t use it. It’s better to start over to ensure your egg whites whip perfectly!
6 – Overmixing
Baking often involves using gluten-rich wheat flour. In breadmaking, gluten is essential for forming a solid structure.
Yet, the same protein can become a pitfall in cookies, muffins, and cakes.
When you overmix certain recipes, you may end up overdeveloping the gluten. As a result, you get a tough, dry dessert.
One tip is to only mix until the wet ingredients and dry ingredients are combined.
7 – Incorporating Too Much Flour
Incorporating too much flour is an issue in breadmaking. This is because recipes tell you to add flour if the dough is too sticky.
The problem with this instruction is it’s subjective. Beginners will always find the dough sticky, meaning they’ll add too much flour.
Whenever you’re making bread, be sure to avoid adding more than ¼ cup of flour. Better yet, use butter or oil instead of flour as you knead.
Limiting the flour you add in breadmaking means you’ll get moist bread every time!
8 – Killing the Yeast
Another problem you may encounter when baking bread is accidentally killing the yeast. Active dry yeast is the living organism that leavens your bread and makes it airy.
The yeast will die off if you place it in water that’s 120°F or above. Additionally, mixing salt into the yeast mixture can also be bad for the yeast.
When hydrating yeast, you should always test the water’s temperature. The water should only be slightly warm to the touch.
Wait at least ten minutes to see if your yeast mixture bubbles. Bubbling is a good sign that your yeast is ready!
9 – Forgetting to Line the Pan
Lining your cake pan is a must if you want to prevent your desserts from sticking. There’s nothing more disappointing than baking a perfect cake only to have it crumble as you struggle to release it from the pan!
The good news is you have many options for line baking pans.
For cakes, a usual method is brushing the pan with oil and dusting it with flour. In contrast, you can use silicone mats, cooking spray, or parchment paper for cookies.
Lining your pan may seem time-consuming, but I promise it’s worth the extra effort.
10 – Icing a Hot Cake
A common mistake for beginners is putting the icing on a warm cake.
Even a small amount of heat can melt the icing. In the end, it’ll make the cake’s structure weak, causing it to topple over.
When making cake, it pays to remain patient as it cools. If you’re in a hurry, you can pop the cake into the freezer to speed up the process!
Final Thoughts
Baking is fun and easy if you know how to avoid the pitfalls. I hope that with this guide, you can avoid getting into disasters and become an expert baker!
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.