What To Do Pre-Baking

When I have to start baking something, I'm all confused. I'm like, "Am I supposed to get the stuff out first, or read the recipe first in case I need to prepare anything beforehand, or just stand here being confused without getting anything done?"

The first thing to do is choose a recipe to make. Read through it all before the time you start to bake, in case anything needs to be prepared beforehand. For example, softened butter, room-temp eggs. Let's use this simple brownie recipe as a guideline.
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BUTTERSCOTCH BROWNIES

Duration: 40 minutes
Yield: 1 dozen

1 cup softened unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups butterscotch chips

1 square semi-sweet chocolate, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and lightly flour a 2” deep rectangular baking pan.
Beat butter with sugar until creamy. Add eggs and beat until fluffy.
Sift flour and fold into batter. Fold in chips.
Scrape batter into pan and smooth evenly. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or use the toothpick trick.
Let bars cool. Drizzle with melted chocolate and cut into bars.
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Arright. Where do we start?

I assume most of you know what a yield is, but since the purpose of this blog is to educate, that includes educating all ages, which means educating all levels of knowledge. A yield is not that triangle sign you see on the road, but a yield is the estimated number of servings a recipe will make. This recipe says it can make 1 dozen, or 12, butterscotch brownies. Personally I think that's a tiny number, but that might just be because I have a big family who likes to eat. Including me.

Okay, so what do you think softened butter means? Ain't butter naturally soft? Well, not if you put it in the freezer at a ridiculously cold temperature. Anyhow, softened butter means butter at room temperature. It has to chill for a bit. (Think of it this way: the butter was taken out of its bed and unwrapped of its sleeping garments. Rude much? You need to let it have some alone time to cry its life out. But don't let it cry too much. It wouldn't be useful.) When I soften butter I do it a little late, but this isn't due to any smart techniques I have, because I DON'T have any smart techniques. Since I do it late, I put it in a patch of sunlight, or I heat it up in the microwave for some time. Why am I even saying this though; it isn't helpful.

There is also a reason we use unsalted butter. I don't remember what it is, but it could be this: Salted butter is salty. Its addition to a recipe would call for more sugar. More sugar might change the consistency of the batter or dough, and also it would make your treat less healthy. I mean, it would be naturally unhealthy, but I think you feel me.

Brown sugar not only differs from white sugar in color, but it differs also in the outcome of whatever you're baking. White sugar makes things crispy, but brown sugar makes things yummy and chewy. Well, scratch the yummy. Some people think chewy things are disgusting. I personally think chewy things are delicioso. Unless... #chewygrapes

Eggs have to be at room temperature. The reason why is explained in another post I have, so if you want to know why, look through this blog.

I just realized that I typed all that unnecessary info that has nothing to do with the main point of this post. SO.

If a recipe calls for softened butter [and most of them do], take the butter out beforehand. If the recipe calls for eggs, take those out too.

About five minutes before you want to start the chemistry, measure everything out. The butter should be halfway to ready by then. Measure the flour, sugar, etc. You know the difference between dry and wet ingredients, hopefully. (I'm sorry, I'm not deliberately treating you like you're stupid.) Before you start measuring, you should preheat the oven to its desired temperature.

The rest is simple. You mix so and so together, pour it into a pan, set the timer, and wait.

There you go! With these pre-baking steps, your baking life shall now be completely facilitated with this post, if it were not before. Thank you for reading, happy eating!!

This ice cream is good.

N