Advantage Realty, San Francisco East Bay Homes, Real Estate, Mobile Homes, Manufactured Homes, Joanne Gardiner, Broker, 510-429-4800 | Joanne L. Gardiner, Broker, e-PRO Realtor®

~ Baking Tips ~

Cookie Dough – To have future batches of cookies ready in minutes, drop dough onto cookie sheet and freeze until firm. Remove dough from cookie sheets and double wrap in resealable, plastic freezer bags. Storage Time: Up to 3 months.Thawing Directions: Thaw the dough in the refrigerator until it’s just soft enough to use. Place frozen mounds of cookie dough on cookie sheet and follow recipe directions. Baking time may need to be increased.

Baking Pans: The look and texture of quick breads or pound cake is affected by the pan it is baked in. When baked in a glass pan, the bottom and sides of these cakes will overcook. Shiny dark metal pans also crisp the edges too much. For the best result, choose an old fashioned, dull finished, heavy duty aluminum pan.

Applesauce as substitute for oil: You may substitute up to 50% applesauce or fruit puree in place of oil when you bake to reduce fat content, i.e.: 1 c. oil called for in recipe, use 1/2 c. applesauce. If you have any questions call Motts: 1-800-426-4891.

Eight Common causes of failure in cake making:

Too hot oven causes cake to brown over on top before it has finished rising. Then as rising continues, the center portion breaks through the crust, giving a humpy, uneven shape to the cake
Too slow of an oven (low temp.) allows the bubbles of gas to escape and the cake is too heavy.
Too much flour makes a cake rise too high in the center and crack open. Also makes the cake dry and hard.
Too little flour allows the cake to fall.
Too much shortening makes a soggy cake with a greasy crumb.
Too much sugar causes a heavy cake with a sugary crust.
Insufficient creaming of the shortening and sugar makes a coarse texture.
Too much beating after flour is added causes large holes and tunnels

Applesauce as substitute for oil . . . You may substitute up to 50% applesauce or fruit puree in place of oil when you bake to reduce fat content, i.e.: 1 c. oil called for in recipe, use 1/2 c. applesauce. If you have any questions call Motts: 1-800-426-4891.

Bananas . . . Freeze ripe bananas in their peels when they cannot be used right away. Thaw each 30 to 60 seconds in microwave and use in baked foods like
bread, cake or muffins.

Cooling Cookies . . . If you have no wire or wooden racks on which to cool cookies or not enough of them when baking large batches, cool cookies on cotton dish towels or on a large cotton tablecloth folded in half.

Keeping Cookies Moist . . . A piece of bread in the cookie jar keeps soft cookies from hardening.

I hope you have found these baking tips helpful. Would you like to add your baking tips? Please tell us about them in the ”Leave a Comment” section below. And if you’re thinking of buying or selling San Francisco Bay Area real estate or manufactured homes, please call on me to represent you.

Thanks,
Joanne
–
Joanne L. Gardiner, Broker, e-PRO Realtor®
California Department of Real Estate Brokers License Number: 00822285
California Department of Housing and Community Development Occupational License Number: SP1178511

Advantage Realty
A.R.M. Homes
3205 Whipple Road
Union City, CA 94587-1218

Office: 510-429-4800
Cell phone: 510-589-4794

Our primary service areas in the San Francisco Bay Area are: Hayward, Castro Valley, Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon, Danville, Fremont, Newark, Niles, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, San Ramon, Sunol, Oakland, Foster City, Burlingame and San Mateo.

Our location near the bay enables us to easily cover Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and San Mateo County. The types of real estate in which we specialize are: Single family homes, duets, condominiums, townhomes, garden homes, PUDs, manufactured homes, mobile homes, income property, investment property, tri-plexes, four-plexes, apartment property, and special use properties such as churches and mobile home parks.