Table of Contents Introduction Tips for Successful Baking Using Standard Measures Other Useful Equivalents Ingredient Replacements Important Ingredients in Baking Baking That Perfect Cake How to Freeze Cakes Chocolate Cakes Frosting and Icing Butter Frosting Chocolate Butter Frosting How to Apply a Frosting to the Cake Cake Icing Equipment Decorating Your Cake Biscuits and Cookies Mixing Tips Basic Biscuits Biscuits Variations Ready-Made Mix for Pancakes, Waffles, or Biscuits Tea Biscuits Pancakes and Waffles Muffins Plain Muffins Wheat Germ Muffins Freshly Baked Bread Baking Fresh Bread How Do You Get the Right Flour Consistency? Shaping the Dough Making Plaits Dinner Rolls Mini Cottage Loaves Testing the Bread Making a Cheese Loaf Perfect Bread Tips Perfect Pies Understanding Pastry Quantities Making the Pastry Chilling the Dough - Yes or No; That Is the Question Rolling out Pastry Lining your flan Ring Baking Your Pastry - Blind Baking Finishing Touches Sausage and herb Pie Conclusion Author Bio Publisher Introduction Nobody knows when baking became a part of mankind's culinary history, but this tradition, along with boiling, frying, broiling, stewing, etc. has been long known to help man cook his bread in an oven. Baking was just not restricted to making bread; you made biscuits, patties, pancakes, cakes, pies, and anything you wished with some oil, flour, eggs, milk and other healthy ingredients made up into a batter. After that, you just put it in a pan, put it in the oven, and allowed the heat to work its magic. Many of the baking recipes being used in grandma's time, - and even before her time - have been passed down through the ages for generations. Not only were they tested and proven and eaten regularly, they were for the most part simple and yet unusual. In nearly all of them, the only ingredients needed were basic items which grandma kept on hand at all times. The modern-day bakery with its wide selection of readymade cakes and pastries and also food manufacturers, turning out new package mixes and delicious frozen delicacies have taken much of the fun out of home baking. So is it a surprise that not many youngsters of the coming generations bother much about learning how to cook, especially baking. That is because all these ready-made goods are wonderfully convenient and inviting, but most homemakers still enjoy home baking, now and then, when they have the time, energy and inclination. So it does not matter whether you are an experienced home Baker or just a newbie starting out to learn the really interesting new activity of home baking - this book is going to give you plenty of tips and techniques, where you can take full advantage of improved ingredients, reliable recipes, laborsaving appliances and controlled temperature equipment to help you bake that perfect cake. Each time, every time. That means you can have your cake and eat it too.