Jennifer Harris and Elizabeth Barbone

What does it take to produce a loaf of bread that rises and doesn’t sink or cookies that spread properly? How annoying is it to spend time and money following a recipe only to pull a baking fail out of the oven? Being a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America with a degree in pastry and baking arts, Elizabeth has seen her fair share of flops, as have I, which prompted us to compile our top five tips for successful baking.

1. Swap solid fat for solid fat
There is a difference between solid and liquid fats and how they work in recipes. If a recipe calls for butter, replace it with another solid fat such as shortening, lard or coconut oil. In cookie and cake recipes, solid fats work with the sugar to lighten the recipe. Those same recipes made with a liquid fat could turn out heavy and greasy.

2. Don’t skip the salt
When making a yeast bread, don’t omit the salt. It might seem like a small amount, but that salt plays the key role of controlling yeast growth to prevent it from collapsing. Plus, it adds flavor. A loaf made without salt can sink and end up flavorless. Unless Kosher or another type of salt is specifically called for in a recipe, use table salt. Its fine texture makes it the best choice for baking.

3. Weight versus volume
To measure ingredients, you have two choices: weight or volume. For weight, use a kitchen scale. For volume measurements, use two sets of measuring cups—one for liquid ingredients and one for dry. Pour the ingredient into the cup and get down to eye-level to ensure it’s accurate. For dry ingredients like flour, oats and sugar, use a set of nested measuring cups. Scoop the dry ingredients into the cup, overfilling a little. Then swipe a straight-edged tool such as a butter knife across the top to level it out.

4. Check dates
Ingredients don’t last forever. Baking soda, baking powder and yeast all have expiration dates. Be sure to check them before using in a recipe to ensure cakes, cookies and breads will rise. Check spices, too, because they lose flavor over time. To test a spice, put a little between two fingers and rub it together. If it has a nice aroma, you’re set. If you can’t smell anything, toss it.

5. Get the grit out
Grittiness is one of the most common complaints about gluten-free baked goods. When shopping for ingredients, look for superfine rice flour or whole-grain flours, like sorghum or millet, which tend to be fine and grit free. Experiment with different brands, because some are gritty and some aren’t.

News Editor Jennifer Harris is a gluten-free consultant and blogs at gfgotoguide.com. Recipe developer Elizabeth Barbone is a cookbook author. She blogs at GlutenFreeBaking.com.

Why do so many of us try to take shortcuts, substitute ingredients and still expect a recipe to work the way it was intended? I am not a recipe developer, but Elizabeth is a very experienced one. All of the trial and error Elizabeth and other recipe developers go through to ensure a recipe works perfectly saves me time and money. To help prevent failure, here are our top five tips for successfully preparing a recipe:

1. read thoroughly

The most important rule is to read the entire recipe before starting. Sometimes recipes have unexpected steps. Nothing’s worse than getting into a recipe only to realize it requires longer than you planned or a kitchen tool you don’t have on hand.

2. measure first

After reading a recipe, do all prep work first. Chop the onions. Measure out all the small ingredients. While this step sounds more labor intensive than measuring as you go, it actually saves time.

3. No substitutions

We all have different dietary restrictions, but changing the ingredients in a recipe can cause it to fail. This is especially true for baked goods because not all gluten-free flours work the same. For example, using coconut flour in place of all-purpose gluten-free flour won’t work. It’s best to find a recipe that uses ingredients that fit your needs.

4. order is everything

Recipes have a flow, so follow the steps in the order they are written. We all want shortcuts; however, following the correct order of a recipe ensures success.

5. tweak and tinker

After you’ve made the recipe once, it’s time for experimenting. If you don’t first prepare the recipe as written, it’s hard to gauge what needs to be tweaked. Jot down some notes. Does it need more seasoning? A few more mushrooms? Write down what you loved and what you would like to change. Then make one change at a time. Soon you’ll have a recipe that’s perfect for your palate.

News Editor Jennifer Harris is a gluten-free consultant and blogs at gfgotoguide.com. Recipe developer Elizabeth Barbone is a cookbook author. She blogs at GlutenFreeBaking.com.