These ingredients will make you a better baker
‘What is this delicious, what’s in it?’ Of course, you’re not giving that away. With these secret ingredients, you’ll take every bake to the next level.
Milk powder
A great tip from Christina Tosi of Milk Bar in New York: milk powder. What the Chinese flavor enhancer MSG is to savory dishes, milk powder is to sweet creations. Stir a tablespoon or two into your next cake, pie or cookie, and the result will be deliciously chewy and extra moist.
Coffee
Baking something with chocolate? Then add coffee. Use instant espresso powder or very strong espresso made from real beans. For example, our ultimate red velvet cake isn’t complete without it.
Lemon
What coffee does for chocolate, lemon does for fruit. The acidity is a lovely counterbalance to the sweet fruit and the sugar you’ll probably add. Lemon juice is great in things that are really sweet, such as jam. Do you want the lemon’s aroma without that intense acidity, or don’t you want to add too much moisture? Then go for lemon zest. Your apple pie or crumble will never be the same again.
Spices
Cinnamon goes into many bakes, but there are plenty of other spices that work well in sweet dishes. Nutmeg, for example, isn’t only for meatballs—it’s also delicious in creamy vanilla desserts such as rice pudding. Another favorite? Cardamom. Delicious in cake batter or custard. Crack open the pods with the side of a knife, remove the seeds and grind them in a mortar. Want to make next-level donuts? Roll them in cardamom sugar. Just be careful not to use too much; spices can sometimes be overpowering.
Herbs
Herbs you normally encounter in savory dishes can sometimes work wonderfully in sweet recipes too. Thyme and rosemary in particular are excellent in baked goods. For example, make a syrup with sugar, water and thyme or rosemary and pour it over your cake, or mix some finely chopped herbs into your cookie dough. Your standard butter cookie recipe? Even better with rosemary and plenty of sea salt mixed in, trust me.
Salt
Where would we be without salt? In your pasta water, over your tomato salad—without salt, life would be dull. Baking would be too. Salt brings out all the flavors, so you should add it to every creation. And no, it won’t make everything very salty; it simply makes everything a little more delicious.
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