The Clueless Baker. Evelyn Raab

      Table of Contents

       Chapter 1: Getting Started Baking: The Eleven-Step Program

       Bare Necessities, Electric Gizmos and Extra Added Widgets

       The Essential Clueless Baking Cupboard

       Emergency Substitutions

       The Basics About Some Basics

       Chapter 2: Quick Breads and Yeast Breads

       Quick Breads

       Yeast Breads

       Clueless Troubleshooting: Quick Breads and Yeast Breads

       Chapter 3: Muffins and Biscuits

       Muffins

       Biscuits

       Clueless Troubleshootiong: Muffins and Biscuits

       Chapter 4: Cookies, Cookies and More Cookies

       Cookies

       Squares and Bars

       Clueless Troubleshooting: Cookies and Squares

       Chapter 5: Cakes and Frostings

       Cakes

       Frostings, Fillings and Frivolities

       Clueless Troubleshooting: Cakes and Frostings

       Chapter 6: Pies and Other Pastries

       Basic Pastry Recipes

       Pies and Other Pastries

       Clueless Troubleshooting: Pies and Pastries

       A Baking Glossary

      Published by Firefly Books Ltd. 2013

      Copyright © 2013 Firefly Books Ltd.

      Text copyright © 2013 Evelyn Raab

      ISBN: 978-1-77085-390-4

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the Publisher.

      Illustrations: Clive Dobson and George A. Walker

      Cover design: Hartley Millson

      The publisher gratefully acknowledges the financial support for our publishing program by the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund as administered by the Department of Canadian Heritage.

      Published in Canada by

      Firefly Books Ltd.

      50 Staples Avenue, Unit 1

      Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 0A7

      To my husband George, an enthusiastic (but brutally honest) guinea pig, who wouldn’t let me bake anything with cloves in it; and to my two intrepid sons, Dustin and Jared, who bravely struggled to try and keep up with the sheer volume of cookies that were produced during the writing of this book.

      The oven looms before you. A darkened abyss. The gates of hell. You know — you just know — that whatever you put in there is doomed. Doomed and ruined. It will burn. Or collapse. Probably both.

      Plus, your house will burn down. Which is just as well, because after the mess you made of the kitchen it would take ten lifetimes to clean it up, anyway. There is flour on the floor. Batter on the walls. Broken eggs in the sink (it was an accident). You’re missing a spatula (you pray it didn’t get baked into the cake). The phone is ringing, but you can’t find it.

      Okay. Take a deep breath and relax. Help has arrived.

      What you need are some decent recipes, a good attitude and a plan. Baking can be — should be — fun. Also easy. It should be neither traumatic nor terrifying. And at the end of it, you should have something delicious to eat. Which is, after all, the point of the whole thing.

      Let’s begin with the plan.

      Baking — The Eleven-Step Program

      1 First, decide what you want to make. This is the easy part. Do you feel like brownies, or are you having a focaccia kind of day? Do you want to throw something together really fast, or do you feel like taking your time and wallowing in the experience? Make up your mind, would you, please?

      2 Choose a recipe. This book is full of them.

      3 Read through the recipe. Do you have all the ingredients you’ll need? Are you sure? Do you have the right size baking pan? Will you need an electric mixer? Blender? Baking parchment? Does the dough have to chill before baking? Rise? Meditate? How long does it have to bake? Will whatever-it-is be ready to eat right away, or will you have to let it cool? It’s all there in the recipe — just take the time to read it.

      4 Preheat the oven. Now. Before you do anything else. Go.

      5 Assemble the ingredients. Take every single ingredient out and arrange it in a tasteful and attractive manner on your kitchen counter. If you are an obsessive type, you might even measure the ingredients into individual bowls and set them out in the order you`ll use them. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.

      6 Prepare your baking pan. Grease it, flour it, line it with parchment paper if the recipe calls for it. Have some bowls ready; get out your mixer (find the beater thingies!); grab the measuring cups and a spoon. You don’t want to be groping around your junk drawer for a spatula when you’re up to your elbows in batter.

      7 Okay, now you can start. Begin at the beginning and follow the instructions exactly. This is no time to be creative. At least, not the first time. If you decide to bake the same thing again, you can be more adventurous — substitute ingredients, take liberties and go rogue. But follow the directions at least once — you may even learn something.

      8 Keep your eye on the oven. Set a timer and make sure you can