The holidays are a time of warmth, joy, and togetherness, and what better way to embrace the season than through the art of baking? Baking for the holidays brings families and friends together to create lasting memories, irresistible scents that fill your home, and even homemade gifts for loved ones. Epicurean Group pastry chefs remind us that “details can make or break the baking process,” so use their helpful tips for best results.

What are some essential tools for successful baking?

Stand or Hand Mixer: The baker’s workhorse for mixing and whipping; a more affordable option is the hand mixer. If you have space and the money, having both a large and small mixer is optimal.

Measuring Cups and Spoons: Invest in both dry and liquid measuring cups.

Kitchen Scale: A digital kitchen scale is essential, especially for ingredients like flour, sugar, and butter.

Mixing Bowls: Some are heavier than others; consider weight as well as size.

Whisk: For combining and aerating ingredients, have both a large and small whisk.

Spatula: Rubber or silicone spatulas are excellent for folding, scraping, and spreading batter and dough.

Baking Pans and Sheets: Invest in a variety of sizes and types, including cake pans, muffin tins, loaf pans, and cookie sheets.

Cooling Rack: Essential to cool baked goods evenly and prevent soggy bottoms.

Oven Thermometer: Ovens are notoriously inaccurate; thermometers are cheap.

Oven Mitts and a Timer

What are common mistakes bakers make, and how can they be avoided?

Not Measuring Ingredients Properly:

Solution: Invest in a kitchen scale for precise measurements, especially for flour, sugar, butter, and liquids. Use dry measuring cups for dry ingredients and liquid measuring cups for wet ingredients.

Not Following the Recipe:

Solution: Read the entire recipe before starting and follow it closely. Baking is a science, and even small deviations can lead to problems.

Overmixing the Batter:

Solution: Mix just until ingredients are combined. Overmixing can develop gluten, resulting in a tough texture in baked goods like muffins and quick breads.

Not Preheating the Oven:

Solution: Always preheat the oven to the specified temperature before placing your baked goods inside. Inconsistent oven temperature can lead to uneven baking.

Using Cold Ingredients:

Solution: Ingredients like butter, eggs, and dairy should be at room temperature unless the recipe specifies otherwise. This ensures even mixing and better texture.

Opening the Oven Door Too Often:

Solution: Opening the oven door releases heat, causing fluctuations in temperature. Only open the door when necessary and do so quickly to check for doneness.

What are the different types of flours you like to use aside from white wheat?

Epicurean Group pastry chef Lise Eisenberg likes to use rice flour for gluten free baking; she mixes it with tapioca starch and potato starch for best effect. Pastry chef Courtney Luddon enjoys spelt flour, “It has a lot of flavor,” and also suggests Cup4Cup as a gluten free option.

Any tips for achieving a perfect texture in cakes and cookies?

Texture depends on many things. If you mix a soft cake batter too much, you will develop gluten and toughen the result. If your bowl is greasy when you whip egg whites, they won’t fluff, so make sure the bowl is clean. Always bake at the correct temperature for the correct amount of time.

Help me understand the difference between baking soda and baking powder?

Baking powder helps things rise or have height. Baking soda tends to help things spread, it also reacts with the acids in the recipe, and that helps produce a lighter texture. Be mindful of cookies that only have baking powder – they will have a mound shape, or hold whatever shape you form them in.  

What are some baking ingredients alternatives for people with dietary restrictions, like egg substitutes for vegans?

Pastry chef Lise has been a vegan for 26 years. She uses a high protein Silk milk in the liquid amount equal to an egg. “You can use the powdered egg-replacer, but I prefer the high protein milk substitute.”

What’s the secret to making a flaky pie crust?

Don’t knead or over work your dough without resting it in between. Also, chill the fat and the water, or use ice cubes in water for a quick chill.

How do I know when a cake or bread is done baking without overcooking it?

At the ½ to ¾ time of total baking time, rotate the item in oven and look carefully for color. Continue baking but if it looks more done than expected, check again before full baking time. Testing techniques range from light touch to test for bounce back (done) or indent (not quite done). Do not let any baked item get too dark that will most certainly mean it is over baked. 

Any tips on how to properly cream butter and sugar for cookie and cake recipes?

When sugar cuts through the butter it creates air holes for a fluffy light result. Start with softened butter- if butter is cold cut up into smaller pieces and let stand till room temp. Cream butter and sugar in a mixer for a good long time, until light colored (a couple minutes). You can test by taking out a little of the mix and rubbing it between your fingertips; test for no graininess or much smaller grains of sugar. If using eggs, make sure they are room temperature. Tip on getting eggs room temperature: submerge cold eggs into warm water for a few minutes.

What is the best way to store baked goods for freshness?

Do not wrap until completely cooled. Store bake goods in a freezer, never the refrigerator. The freezer keeps it fresh as if you just made it. The fridge makes it stale and hard. Fresh loaves of bread should not be wrapped in plastic until you have cut the loaves. Fresh baked bread should be stored in paper bags after completely cooled. 

What are some tips for making gluten-free or low-carb baked goods?

For gluten free, use a flour blend, such as Cup4Cup, or make your own. For low carb baking, use a nut flour such as almond flour.

What’s your most important baking tip?

Lise: Learning to use a gluten free flour blend has been game changing. Also baking vegan was a challenge at the start, but I have experimented so much now that I feel confident my cakes/cookies will come out great. So practice and test out new things! Supplement eggs with high protein Silk plant-based milk, butter with Earth Balance vegan blend, and cream with vegan cream cheese.

Courtney: Remember that sugar is a liquid.  Also – DO NOT open and slam the oven door closed, EVER!