With the lockdown in full force during the coronavirus pandemic, you might be looking for productive and comforting ways to pass the day indoors. So why not start baking?
Below, chefs and foodies share tips that will make baking easier for you.
Pumla Brook-Thomae kneading dough. Picture: Supplied
Chef and cookbook author, Pumla Brook-Thomae
There are so many tips I'd like to share on baking but the one I'd say comes to my mind right now is the question of yeast. Never mix yeast directly into the salt when making bread, as the salt can potentially kill the yeast resulting in your bread not rising. My suggestion, mix the salt with the flour, then add the yeast.
Chef lecturer at Capsicum Culinary Studio, Lungile Makiza
Have patience and don’t rush baking. Patience gives you a perfectly baked item.
Chef Bontle Molefe
Have fun with baking. As scientists and specific baking can be, it leaves a lot of room for experimentation to learn and try new things. Take that old vanilla cake recipe and throw some berries in it... Add some herbs to your bread... Turn cinnamon rolls into cupcakes. Go wild, enjoy it and you will yourself be physically and mentally happy while feeding your family at the same time.
Jenny Morris kneading dough. Picture: Danie Nel
Jenny Morris, aka The Giggling Gourmet
You can play with shapes and fillings and flavours . Baking is a science, stick to the quantities in the recipe and you can't go wrong.
Head chef at Van Der Linde Restaurant, Amori Burger
Read the whole recipe at least twice so you have a good understanding of what you need to do. Weigh-off all the ingredients and get all your equipment out before you start.
Finn Bushby kneading dough. Picture: Supplied
PR Director for JAG Communications and Amateur Bread Maker, Grant Bushby
Don’t forget the salt. Bread without salt is tasteless and the crumb isn’t as well-formed. Salt mediates the yeast and changes the texture of the bread. Add about one teaspoon of salt for each loaf of bread that the recipe makes. Too much salt can inhibit the yeast though, so don’t overdo it.