The holidays are generally known as the most peaceful time of year. With our tips for Holiday baking and cooking it is really easy to make sure this is true.
1. Before you start the baking, read through the recipe carefully and put out the stated amounts of all the ingredients. Then everything will be in reach and you can focus all your attention on the recipe.
2. Always use ingredients at room temperature, and sift all dry ingredients (flour, dry yeast etc.).
3. Make sure that you have all utensils on hand: bowls, spoons, moulds, mixers and other electric devices.
4. Gluten-free flour has different properties compared to normal flour and therefore special recipes with different amounts of ingredients are needed. Find your gluten-free recipe and follow a few simple rules when baking:
– Clean the work surface carefully to avoid contamination.
– Only use the type of flour and the amounts of ingredients stated in the recipe.
– More water is needed for gluten-free dough than for a wheat based dough. Follow the instructions in the recipe exactly.
– Gluten-free dough sticks to hands and utensils more than normal dough. It is therefore recommended to always line cake tins with baking parchment and to grease or flour the hands while working the dough. When working with pastry, it is advisable to roll the dough out between two layers of baking parchment.
5. When using the oven: Convection ovens are suited to baking biscuits (even on several shelves), but are not so good for baking gluten-free bread. This is because yeast dough dries out quicker. Pre-heat the oven so that it reaches the required temperature when you are ready to bake. If possible, do not open the oven door during the first 15-20 minutes.