Get set for a baking bonanza
Tips on stocking your pantry for holiday recipes
TORONTO If you’re baking for the holidays, you want your treats to be a hit. A few simple steps can help ensure everyone will love your delectable goodies.
“One of the few times of the year when it’s really fun to bake is for the holidays. The things are so good and they’re a treat, so it’s really wonderful,” says Jane Rodmell, owner of specialty food business All the Best Fine Foods in Toronto.
Whether it’s cookies, loaves or a decadent finale for Christmas dinner, seek a new recipe you want to try from a trusted source, or concoct a traditional family favourite.
Read the recipe carefully and make sure you have everything you need, including pans, utensils and ingredients.
“If you’re baking a loaf, do you have the right size loaf pan?” asks Rodmell.
Esther Brody, the Calgary-based author of The 250 Best Cookie Recipes, suggests investing in heavyduty baking sheets.
“Likely they will cost a bit more than some, but I think they are worth it because they won’t rust and your cookies will bake more evenly,” she writes. “Cookie sheets differ from baking pans as they don’t have sides, which allows the heat to circulate around the cookies, helping to ensure more even baking. If you don’t have heavy-duty baking sheets, I recommend lowering the temperature of your oven by 25 F (10 C).”
Serious bakers may rely on a counter stand mixer.
“A good-quality hand-held mixer is what I use when I’m baking with the grandchildren, and they love it. They can handle it, it’s very easy and it works just fine,” says Rodmell. “When I learned to bake, first I used a whisk, a wooden spoon and a big bowl with my mum. You don’t need fancy equipment to bake cookies.”
Several cooling racks are ideal, as is parchment paper to line pans to make removing baked items and cleaning up easier.
Measuring cups and spoons with longer handles enable you to scoop ingredients out of deep containers and jars. Metal models won’t warp or melt. Spoons that are oblong rather than round will fit into the mouth of spice jars.
When it comes to ingredients, you’ll likely need flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and pure vanilla. Rodmell suggests buying a small container of baking powder and soda and restocking as needed. Once opened, their potency begins to diminish.
Make sure you have enough eggs. “I’ve done that before, where I’ve started a recipe and then found that I only had four eggs and I needed five. That’s really annoying,” says Rodmell. “Once you’ve got into the groove, you don’t want to have to rush to the store.”
Unsalted butter is preferred by many bakers since it has a purer flavour and lets you control the amount of salt added to the recipe.
You may need good-quality semisweet and unsweetened chocolate and cocoa.
A lot of holiday baking includes dates, figs, currants, raisins, sultanas, dried apricots or cranberries, candied citrus fruits or crystallized ginger and nuts, such as walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts. Buy just the amount you need, And double check your spices.
“You will be using probably ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, anise, maybe if you’re a little bit adventurous you may need cardamom, the lovely warm spices of the fall and winter months.”