Basic Steps in Baking

1. Read the recipe carefully, make sure you have all the ingredients and utensil needed and understand the entire procedure.
2. Gather all the necessary ingredients together and prepare the utensils you will need to measure, mix and baking.
3. Preheat the oven. Set the oven knob at the desired temperature. Hang an oven thermometer on the center rack. When the same temperature registers with the oven knob then the oven is ready to use.
4. Prepare the pan, make sure it’s the correct size. If it needs greasing, brush the pan with little shortening. For baking purpose, don’t use butter or margarine for greasing coz it burn easily and can produce a very brown crust.
5. Measure the ingredients using correct utensils in the amounts needed in the recipe.
6. Mix the batter or dough. When filling pan, make sure you don’t overfill. Fill about 2/3 full to give allowance for the rising.
7. Bake in the preheated oven. Put the pan at the center rack.
8. Test for doneness. For butter cakes, prick the center of the cake with a toothpick. If it comes out clean then it is done. For chiffon and sponge cake, press lightly with the fingers. If it springs back then it is done. Pies and pastries are done when the crust have turned golden brown, crisp and flaky.
9. Cool the baked goodies. For butter cake, put the pan on a wire rack and leave to cool for 10 mins. Afterwards, invert the pan to remove the cake and cool it completely. For sponge and chiffon cake, invert the pan at once on wire racks. Remove cookies from cookie sheets at once and cool on wire racks.
10. Assemble and decorate the cake only when is already cool.