I don’t post many blogs that are not related to travel but as baking seems to be my main activity these days, I decided that I would veer away from the most troubling parts of life for a bit and share five of my favourite baking ideas and gadgets. It’s not just because we are bound to our homes due to Covid-19 that I am baking up a storm. Baking is my coping method.
Let’s start with pastry since my three favourite gadgets help make pie-making fun. My favourite (and really fool-proof) pie crust dough is made with 5 cups of flour, 1 lb of shortening and 10 oz of ginger ale. It doesn’t seem to matter how many times to work the dough — it comes out perfectly!
Now for the countdown if my most favourite baking gadgets.
No. 5: Marble Rolling pin
I have a pretty cool old wooden rolling pin, but this marble one with it’s weight is ideal. The trick I use with this, is that when I flour the surface, I roll the rolling pin through the flour to give it a thin coating.
No. 4: Scraper
The scraper is an all around perfect tool. I use it to scoop up things I have chopped, as a cutter to cut squares (for example), to scrape all the dough and flour after making pastry to name a few uses. My best trick is to use it to lift the dough from the surface after it is rolled out. I find that sometimes, the dough sticks to the surface and it does not lift easily. Using the scraper to lift it works well because you can also roll your pastry up to easily lay it out in your pie plate.
No. 3: Juicer
My favourite pie to eat is lemon pie. For this, I use my antique juicer to squeeze the lemons. So simple yet it works so wonderfully! No tricks needed here!
No. 2: Lattice Cutter
Apple pie is my favourite pie to make with lattice top. First, roll the dough out, then, use this handy-dandy cutting tool just like a rolling pin, to cut the narrow lengths you need. It adjusts for different widths as well. The trick to create a beautiful looking pie, is to weave all the pieces rather than lay all the slats in one direction and then the other.
No. 1: Circle cutter
Among my favourite things to make around New Year’s are butter tarts. In past years, cutting the circles has been quite an tedious and time-consuming task. This brings us to the my most favourite gadget of all time! It has various sizes and it cuts circles easily and perfectly every time! You simply roll the dough out, then roll the cutter over just like you would a paint roller. I use the largest size which fits into the regular muffin pan cups. The trick here, is that I use a small glass to push the circle into the muffin mold and it fits — you got it — perfectly!
If I do this again, that is to say, post about baking, I will move on to breads and maybe even deserts.
Let’s all move forward in our friendly ways: wear masks, distance and avoid gatherings.