Tips for Quick and Easy Baking

mommymommymommy | Apr 1, 2010 |

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Baking is a lot of fun! Here are some tips to make it quick and easy.

Get Organized for Quick and Easy Baking

In order for baking to be quick and easy, you need to be organized. Create a "baking center" in your pantry and in a cabinet. In my pantry, I have two plastic bins that contain:

Vanilla and other extracts

Baking powder

Baking soda

Chocolate chips

Muffin liners

Cinnamon

Yeast packets

Coconut

Nuts

Whenever I am baking, I just grab what I need out of those containers, which makes my baking quick and easy .

I have two large Rubbermaid square containers (1.3 gallon size) that hold 5 pounds of flour and sugar each. In addition, I have smaller Rubbermaid square containers (1.4 quarts) that contain:

Light brown sugar

Dark brown sugar

Confectioner's sugar

Corn meal

Corn starch

Each container has a piece of masking tape on it that tells what the contents are.

By keeping everything in air tight containers, my ingredients stay fresher for a longer period of time. In addition, I can easily stack and store the squares much neater than if everything is in a plastic or paper bag. My baking center is neat and organized and I can quickly see when I need to replace an ingredient when it is running low.

Your cabinet baking center should have everything in one place to make your baking quick and easy. Inside your mixing bowl, keep:

Measuring cups

Measuring spoons

Spatulas

Spreading knives (for frosting)

Cookie cutters (if you use them frequently)

Electric mixers (if not inside, then adjacent to it)

Now when you are ready to bake, just grab the bowl and begin!

Keep it Clean for Quick and Easy Baking

When you are baking with children, it is typically not quick or easy! Everyone wants the same amount of turns and it can get messy. That is, however, what makes baking fun.

To minimize the mess, place newspaper on the table or a plastic table cover. That way, any spills can be tossed away when the baking session is over. This is also a great idea when you have cookies to cool. Place the cooling rack on the newspaper. Crumbs settle on the newspaper and then you can throw it away, making baking and clean-up qucik and easy.

If you are baking multiple batches of cookies, parchment paper is a good investment. Just take off the paper with the cookies on it, and place another n the baking sheet that you have prepped with dough while the first batch is in the oven. No need to let the baking sheets cool between batches, so baking and clean-up is again quick and easy.

If you are baking alone, then you can mix and measure your ingredients inside the sink. That way, any spills remain in the sink to be wiped away with a sponge. Then you can just rinse and toss them into the dishwasher.

While your cookies, breads or cakes are the oven, clean up your equipment and put it back in the baking center for your next quick and easy baking session! It is easier to clean up in small amounts than to do one major clean up.

Baking can be quick and easy when you are organized!