Problems & Solutions

When you are baking, there are many different problems that can unexpectedly arise. I am hoping that I will be able to provide enough information on this page, so that if you have a common baking problem you will now know how to fix it, and you can also learn how to prevent these problems from occurring in the future. 

One of the most common problems I had when I was first learning how to bake was that substances such as oils, honey, syrup, etc. would always stick to the measuring utensil I was using. The best way to fix this is to either spray the utensil with a cooking spray beforehand or else dip the utensil in warm water. Either of these methods will prevent the substance from sticking. 

Do you have a cake with a tough texture or a brownie that has a rubbery texture? Chances are that you did not properly measure the flour the recipe called for. To measure flour correctly, be sure that you have a measuring cup that is designed for dry ingredients. Once you have the correct type of measuring cup, gently spoon the flour into the cup and level it off with a knife. If you are someone who takes the easy approach and scoop the flour out of the container with the measuring cup, you are likely packing the flour into the measuring cup and are using more flour than the recipe actually calls for. 

Another problem is inaccurate measurements that can mess up the final product by not being careful with the measuring utensils that are being used. Buying different measuring cups should fix this problem. Dry ingredients need measuring cups that are specifically for dry measurements and wet ingredients need measuring cups that are specifically for wet ingredients.

Are your cookies spreading out on the cookie sheet too much? The chances are that you use melted butter instead of softened butter. Melting the butter can cause the cookie dough to become more like a batter instead, which causes the cookies to flatten and spread when baking. In order to get proper cookies, you must cream the butter which requires room temperature butter. The best fix for this is to let your butter sit at room temperature, and if you forgot to set it out it is best to set it out and wait until the butter is properly softened.  

The next problem I’ll discuss is that your baked good come out of the oven and are rather flat and not fluffed up like they should be.  The most common cause of this problem occurring is that your opened throughout the baking process. To prevent this, use your ovens light and avoid opening the door as much as possible when you have something baking. 

Did you double the recipe and it did not turn out right? What about cut a recipe in half for smaller portions? For cooking, this will usually work. However, when baking changing the recipe does not always work. Doubling or halving a recipe can alter the cooking times and cause the recipe to not turn out. In this case it is best to just bake multiple batches with the original recipe. 

Do you go to bake something and realize that your brown sugar is rock hard? The easiest fix to this is to make sure that you always store brown sugar in an air tight container because it will always dry out faster if it is not. If you are in need of using the sugar in a hurry and all you have is the dried out sugar, you can place the brown sugar in a microwave safe container and cover it with a damp paper towel and microwave the brown sugar for 30 seconds. Repeat in intervals until the sugar is softened again. Make sure that the paper towel is only damp and not dripping. If you are storing extra in an air tight container you can try to place an apple slice in the container with the brown sugar to prevent it from hardening as quick. 

Have you had baking soda or powder in your pantry for a while and are not sure if it is still good? A good trick and tip is to take about a teaspoon of baking powder and 1/3 of a cup of hot water and combine them. If the baking powder bubbles, then it is still good. For baking soda, place 2 tablespoons of white vinegar into a bowl and add in 1 tablespoon of baking soda. If the mixture starts to fizz right away, then the baking soda is still good. 

Did you make a dessert that involves fruit and noticed that it does not look like how it should? Using fruit that is in season and is fresh and ripe makes all the difference in fruit recipes. Using fruit that is not quite ripe, or fruit that is overly ripe can greatly alter the final outcome of a recipe and make a treat that does not taste well or look well. 

One last problem I would like to cover is not following the recipe on how to properly mix the ingredients. Your cookies, piecrusts, or any dough can become extremely tough because you mixed the ingredients different than the recipe says. Over mixing and beating dough will ruin the recipe.  A tip I have learned is to always mix the ingredients by hand with a spatula for one minute after mixing with an electric mixer. If the instructions say to slowly mix the ingredients together, then make sure that you are truly mixing the ingredients slowly so you can prevent the dough from becoming tougher than it should actually be. 

Overall, baking can a tedious activity as you should follow all of the instructions in a recipe step by step. If you run into an issue that you are not sure of, it is best to follow the recipe exactly as it says rather than making substitutions on your own without knowing whether or not the substitutions will work.

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