Why does my baking never turn out :(

justseven, Feb 21, 12:54am
If I make muffins they are not moist and fluffy, they are hard and dry. When I make biscuits they spread together, or else dont cook in the middle :( I want to make yummy stuff, i always follow the recipes correctly, dunno what im doing wrong. HELP lol

dilligaf_dah, Feb 21, 1:07am
1st siounds like your oven has not heated enough to start withAlways set the oven higher 180 = 200 than the recipe says to heat then turn doan to required heat when goods go in (You loose heat when you open the door)

lx4000, Feb 21, 1:16am
muffins. When you add the dry ingredients, only Just fold in till just mix. Don't beat it or over mix it. Thats the secret!!

letitia, Feb 21, 1:16am
If you are using scales, are they accurate?My breadmaker turned out failed loaves until I checked the accuracy of my scales - now the bread is great!

justseven, Feb 21, 1:26am
Thanks so much for all the help!

fifie, Feb 21, 1:32am
Mmm think weve all been there at some stage, don't give up, are you using tried and true recipes? are you turning oven on before you start to pre heat?Or maybe your oven thermostat isn't working properly, measuring scales not accurate, this can affect the end results in baking. Muffins just stir the mix to combine liquids in don't overmix.

wasgonna, Feb 21, 1:40am
Also ... realise that most of these recipes in cookery books are prepared in commercial kitchens with professional cooking equipment.

buzzy110, Feb 21, 1:58am
When I was at school we were lucky enough to have Home Economics in Intermediate. On the few occasions I was permitted to attend I learnt all sorts of things that I would never have learnt otherwise - things such as how to cream butter and sugar correctly, how to gently fold dry ingredients into beaten egg mixtures, all about correct oven temperatures and precise measurements. I hated having to do all that crap, or so I thought of it at the time, and considered it really trivial rubbish but boy, without it, I'd have been up the creek without a paddle when it came to my own home cooking.

Perhaps you could do a night school class on baking basics. It sounds silly, but it is much better than learning things the hard way.

dbab, Feb 21, 2:24am
Check how old your flour, baking powder and other ingredients are.
If this happens regularly, I'd be tempted to throw them away and start with fresh things.
Make sure you are following recipes to the letter.

kinna54, Feb 21, 2:24am
hey I agree with all the other posts do far. With muffins, yes a very light touch is needed , mix until just combined.(used to make up to 600 muffins daily) and be very careful you do not overcook. Use muffin cases as often a muffin will crust on the bottom and sides in a greased metal container. Adding yoghurt to a muffin mix, especially with berry muffins, makes them lighter.
if biccies spread that is often too much sugar, or mixture is not creamed enough. stick to basic recipes.
Like buzzy i learnt a lot thru home economics classes (weren't they just great), but most of my experience was learnt on the job floor, 1st hand. Trial and error, and perserverance will get you there. good luck.

justseven, Feb 21, 2:32am
So how do YOU cream correctly- the butter nd sugar please?

elliehen, Feb 21, 2:47am
I make sure the butter is room temperature, choose caster sugar (it dissolves more easily) beat like mad with my hand-held beater until the mix is light and fluffy and pale and does not have a grainy or yellow-buttery look.

justseven, Feb 21, 2:56am
Fantastic thanks! That maybe my problem, my creamed butter and sugar is always grainy, i didnt know it had to be smooth with no sugar grains

lx4000, Feb 21, 3:05am
ya know you have it right when you taste it and its got the texture of cream!! its just melts in ya mouth and no grains of sugar! Mine always go a pale yellow and looks fuffy

gilligee, Feb 21, 3:46am
I think we are having different results with the butter these days. eg biscuits are going flat or runny.

greerg, Feb 21, 5:04am
Hang in there just seven. These are good tips and if you get Alexa Johnson's "Ladies a Plate" from the library or buy it it has a whole lot more basic baking tips listed in the front.I think I'm quite a decent baker now but I can distinctly remember my husband chiselling very flat Anzac biscuits off the tray and saying "I think they're getting better".Heaven knows what they were getting better from - running right off the tray maybe.

rosathemad, Feb 21, 6:00am
I am a bit biased since I write one but googling for a blog which talks about how to make what you're doing might also help - recipes can sometimes skim over the details, if you can find an in-depth blog recipe you can see what it looks like as you go and get extra info as well. There are also video tutorials on just about everything online - e.g. this one for creaming butter and sugar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRBX-4KRRkI

kinna54, Feb 21, 6:15am
gilligee I bake biccies with marg most of the time, and I must admit the creaming is better. Definitely usethe caster sugar, but i learnt something oncewhen we ran out of caster sugar. If you have a kitchen whizz place ordinary sugar in there and whizz for a few seconds, it will become fine like caster sugar, and yep my electric beater runs red hot, as well as my kitchen whizz as these days my old hands can't take the wooden spoon method. (although that's how I was taught.) lol showing my age.

calista, Feb 21, 8:27am
Another thing that puzzled me when I got back to baking a few years back was that there are measuring spoons for sale that don't use NZ standard sizes - which have a teaspoon at 5 mls and a tablespoon ot 15ml,Australians being bigger and better (-;use a 20 ml tablespoon.

I must admit i had forgotten some of the basics, but the Recipes board posters have been really helpful.

erewhon04, Feb 21, 11:29pm
Not all muffin recipes are created equal!I'm not a bad baker, but some recipes seem to turn dry as soon as they are cool.Try these bran muffins, virtually fat free but the most moist muffins I ever make.Like others have said, resist the urge to overmix the dry/wet ingredients.Stop the second they are combined (or even earlier!)
Heat oven to 190degC.
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup hot water
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
1 Tbsp butter
Boil the above ingredients together for five minutes, then set aside to cool a little.
Add 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar to one cup of milk and set aside.
In a large bowl, place:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp salt
Stir these together thoroughly.
Add the cooled raisin mixture.
In one big lump, add the following amounts of bran, baking soda and flour, but do not stir.
1 1/2 cup flaked bran (also called Baker's Bran - in supermarket bulk bins, very cheap, or in packets where the flour lives, also cheap)
1 tsp baking soda (squash this though a seive or just with your fingers, cos lumps of baking soda taste nasty)
1 cup plain flour (white or wholemeal)
Tip in the whole cup of 'soured' milk in one go, then gently mix until the dry ingredients appear moistened.
Put in muffin tins (I use patty cases if I have them) and stand for a few minutes before baking at 190degC for about 20 minutes.
These muffins freeze really well without drying out (in a suitable container, of course!)

littlemiss14, Feb 23, 2:55am
I make cup cakes in muffin pans, put chippies in the middle, and some more on top.Only make them like that, without icing them, i now make my cakes with icing, or brown sugar, baking seems to come out moist and soft, never heavy. Making my own bp, i always use two teaspoons, to a cup of flour, never go wrong.

nzjenn24, Dec 6, 8:52pm
Buy a oven thermometer, I haven't found oven yet that actually has an accurate temp reading of it's own.

skippie1, Dec 6, 9:26pm
Also please check the butter you use, some have water added and changes your baking.