Baking

Baking is quite an interesting and rewarding hobby and very enjoyable too.

Sumptuous pizzas, tasty cherry cakes, moist, chewy, huge spicy fruit buns, chocolate brownies, crunchy biscuits, irresistible chocolate fudge cakes so wonderful to imagine, arent they? But to tell you the truth they aren't all that difficult to make too if you follow directions, mix the ingredients in the right proportions and if your oven is in perfect order.

Equipment List
Baking is a process by which articles of food are cooked entirely in the oven. So the first and foremost thing that you need is an oven. Other things that you will require are baking trays, large roomy mixing bowls, wooden spoons for mixing, a rolling pin, sieves, cutters, scales, nylon piping bags with nozzles, whisks, measuring jugs, palette knives, etc. etc.

Ingredients
Some ingredients are common to all recipes. These are flour, baking powder, butter or margarine or oil, sugar and eggs. Self-raising flour is at times used instead of plain flour (maida) because it has just the right balance of raising agents for quite a number of cakes. And, yeast is often made use of instead of baking powder especially when baking bread or pizzas. If it is a chocolate cake that you are baking, you will also need cocoa powder.

Preparation
The first thing is to get hold of some great tried and tested recipes. Seek help from your friends or consult some good book. Weigh all the ingredients first and then mix them as directed. When the dough is ready, place it in the baking tray but first grease it with some oil or butter or line it with greaseproof paper. Now put it in the oven at the temperature specified.

Once it is ready, you might decorate it with fruit or jam or cream or icing sugar or top it with some delectable chocolate sauce which you can prepare according to the instructions given in the recipe.

Useful Tips
1- Never open the oven door until the cake is at least three-quarters cooked according to the time given as this lets in cold air and might spoil your cake.
2- Always give your flour a good airing by sifting it two or three times.
3- Eggs to be used should be at room temperature and not too cold.
4- Dont keep yeast longer than two months before using.
5- Insert a skewer in the center of the cake, if it comes out clean the cake is cooked.

Enjoy!
Home made goodies taste good and cost less than those bought from the bakery. They can also be symbols of friendship and love for if someone takes the time to bake something for you then that means he or she cares about you. So surprise others with your baking talent and get the praise which is your due!