Baking Tips To Help You Turn Out Luscious Cakes and Pies

Is baking really a lost art as many people believe? Not really! While Mom and Grandma might not be in the kitchen every day turning out luscious cakes and pies, there are still times when Mom and Grandma, as well as Dad and Granddad, set aside time to enjoy creating baked goods for their families.

The following tips may not all be useful to home bakers, simply because everyone uses different techniques. However, there is sure to be something here that will provide a quick fix to a baking problem.

* Have trouble rolling out butter-based piecrust? Try this: Roll out from the center lightly, and then cover the crust with a large piece of plastic wrap. Keeping rolling crust out until it reaches the edges of the plastic and then flip it over. Now the crust is on top of the wrap. Put another larger piece of plastic wrap on top and continue rolling until the crust reaches desired thickness. Then refrigerate if needed. This method helps the crust hold its shape, relieves that annoying tendency to split and helps prevent adding too much flour when rolling.

* Need a pie immediately for unexpected visitors or that school bake sale a child forgot to mention? Give up your pride and keep some piecrust mix on hand. Substitute a few tablespoons of sour cream for some of the water called for in the mix recipe. The sour cream adds flavor and makes the crust flakier, so no one will ever know you used a packaged mix.

* Want a glossy finish on your pie? Brush it with some beaten egg whites.

* Don't ditch that leftover piecrust! Top it with Gruyere or Parmesan cheese, bake it and slice it into small slivers. Guests will rave about your succulent appetizer.

* Instead of flour, use a little bit of cake mix instead. The mix will bake right into the batter so there won't be add white powder on the sides of the cake.

* If the layers of a cake stick, return them to a warm oven for a few minutes and they'll come out easily. Another option is to line the bottom of the baking pans with some waxed paper (NOT plastic wrap!).

* Dip a spoon first in milk, and cookie dough will drop easily onto the baking sheet.

* A damp towel underneath the breadboard will keep it steady while the baker kneads bread dough. Also, be sure to place dough away from drafts when it's rising. Otherwise, the drafts will make the dough rise too slowly and unevenly.

* Spray the dough hook of your electric mixer with vegetable cooking spray, and the dough won't stick.
* Always work with fresh ingredients. For example, to test baking powder, place on teaspoon in one-third cup of water. Toss it out if it doesn't fizz, because that's a sure sign the baking powder is too old to work properly.

Here's a pastry tip as a bonus: When preparing strawberries with sugar for shortcake, add some fresh mint, a squirt of lime juice and a pinch of salt. The berry flavor will dance across the diners' palates!