We all suffer from a soggy bottom or a droopy sponge occasionally, so here I will explain how these common mistakes happen so you can prevent them happening in the future.
Uneven-shaped cakes
If your cake ends up an uneven shape, this could be because there is either too much liquid in the mixture or too much baking powder – or simply that the oven was not hot enough.
Cracked cakes
If your cake has cracks in it, this could be because there was not enough liquid in your mixture, or too much baking powder was added.
Uneven-textured cakes
If your cake has an uneven texture, the fat was either rubbed in too much or not enough.
If your cake has a very close texture, then you may have added too much fat or your hands were too warm when rubbing in the flour.
Disastrous fruit cakes
If you find that the fruit in your cake sinks to the bottom, then this could be because either the fruit or the mixture was too wet, or because the oven was not hot enough.
Hard pastry
If your shortcrust pastry is too hard, it could be caused by a number of things. Either you have added too much water or not enough fat, or the fat was not rubbed in sufficiently or was over-handled. Or the pastry was over-baked.
Shrinking pastry
Shrinking pastry is a common mistake. This normally occurs when the pastry has been over-handled or has not been left to rest for long enough.
Soggy bottoms
And finally, the most frustrating pastry problem of all – the soggy bottom. This normally happens when the oven is not hot enough or the pastry is not baked for long enough. However, it can also be because too much water was added to the dough.
Letting the dough ferment for longer develops better flavour and texture. The built-up old carbon dioxide impairs fermentation. You may have noticed that after degassing the dough it starts fermenting more rapidly. If the dough is not knocked back the fermentation rate slows down as time goes by.
This is a technical term for punching or pressing down on the dough after the bread's first rise. This process bursts the tiny air bubbles that have formed in the dough and then forces them to reform again in the final shape you want, which results in a smoother texture.
The fourth series of the show in 2013 saw fans levy accusations of favouritism against Paul Hollywood as it was suggested he gave preferential treatment to then 21-year-old contestant Ruby Tandoh due to her looks.
Some recipes have you “punch down” the dough one or two times. Some recipes do not have this step at all. If your recipe asks to do it, do it! From my experience making regular yeast breads, I punch down once after first rise and then once again before forming into loaves.
Degassing dough means releasing the air trapped inside the dough during the rising period. It is also known as “punching down” or “knockdown,” which essentially means punching down the dough with your fist after it rises to get rid of any excess air pockets that may have formed during the fermentation process.
Those who believe in the superstition say that placing a baguette face down means a hunger curse may befall you or anyone who eats it. But according to Flavors of Paris, you can undo the curse simply by drawing a cross with your knife on the flat side of the baguette before eating it.
making baked goods from scratch, that is, weighing and mixing all ingredients, using no premixes. Artisan bakeries are sometimes referred to as scratch bakeries.
Diana found herself at the center of the "Bingate" controversy, where she was accused of sabotage after removing her fellow contestant Iain Watters' dessert from the freezer to make space for her own.
Paul and pub landlady Melissa married at a stunning hotel in Cyprus back in September. At the time, we told how the couple were said to have picked to say I do at a chapel at the luxury resort.
As judges on the original BBC iteration of The Great British Bake Off, bakers Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood worked together as a team and forged a strong friendship.
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