BakersBodega

Please Join us for the First Demo of the Year!

1st demo of the year. Everyone is welcome. Floral gelatin taught in Spanish translated to English. Friday January 25th 10am to 2pm. Brought to you by Deiman.

Perfecting the Art of Gluten-Free Baking

Baking can be a unique challenge if you or someone in your family has a gluten allergy. Typically, flour made from wheat, which is highly common in all types of pastry, contains varying levels of gluten. This protein stabilizes baked goods so they can rise and form into many different foods. Gluten-free baking will require some trial and error, but it can become second nature with a little practice using these tips:

Start Simple
Start with items like quick breads and cookies to get used to gluten-free varieties of flour. After this, step up to the more advanced items that can challenge your baking abilities. It is possible to make items like pie crust and pretzels without gluten, but these are more advanced baked goods that can pose a challenge even when regular wheat flour is being used.

Measure Carefully
Measuring in baking is a crucial step for success, and it is particularly important when gluten-free flours are in the mix. Instead of scooping gluten-free flour with the measuring cup and leveling it off, spoon flour into the measuring cup. You can also weigh it so that you don’t end up with baked goods that are too dense.

Beware of Substitutions
Swapping out ingredients in a gluten-free recipe is possible, but it will require a little experimentation to get just right. When you do want to switch up a recipe with new ingredients, like applesauce instead of eggs, do a trial run of the recipe with close friends or family members before debuting it for a big event.

Find all of the ingredients and supplies you need to improve your gluten-free baking skills at BakersBodega. Call us at (562) 942-2253 to see what we have to offer in our extensive warehouse of baking essentials. We also offer hard-to-find ingredients, like specialty gluten-free flours.

Website Temporarily Down for Improvements! Stay Tuned!

Please note that bakersbodega.com is temporarily down as we work on improving our site.  For anyone interested in purchasing online, please send your order to geovani@bakersbodega.com.  If you have any questions about our products, please call (562) 942-2253 or e-mail geovani@bakersbodega.com. 

Top 3 Baking Blunders and How to Avoid Them

Almost all bakers, from those just starting out in the kitchen to those who professionally craft pastries for a living, have experienced recipes gone wrong. Most often, these baked disasters can be attributed to simple mistakes that are easy to avoid if you know a little bit about the chemistry of baking. Avoid these common baking errors to serve perfect pastries and treats every time:

Poor Pan Preparation
Greasing your baking vessel is very important if you want to avoid having your cake stick to the inside of the pan. For most cakes, you should coat the pan in butter or shortening and sprinkle it with flour, making sure to coat the pan and tap out the excess. You might also try this with cocoa powder for chocolate goodies.

Under or Overzealous Mixing
It is important to know what the batter or dough should look like before you attempt a new recipe. Mixing too much or not enough could destroy the dish before it even goes in the oven. Some batters need to be beaten until they are completely smooth, while others need a few clumps to achieve the right texture in the finished product. Browse the Web for similar recipes with step-by-step photos to help you along if your recipe does not feature pictures. This will help you get the perfect start to your baked goods every time.

Lack of Temperature Control
A good rule in baking is to never trust your oven for a temperature reading. Keep a probe thermometer or use a heat-safe thermometer that can stay in the oven so you always know the exact temperature. Be sure to regulate temperature properly by keeping the oven door firmly shut as you bake. Opening the oven even for a few seconds can cause significant temperature fluctuations that some delicate baked goods cannot handle.

If you want more tips for beautiful baked goods, explore the baking classes offered at BakersBodega. Check out our extraordinary selection of supplies and ingredients for all of your baking projects while you are in the store, or visit us online to see what we have to offer.  You can also call us at (562) 942-2253 to learn more.

Baking Physics for Kids!

When you are teaching kids to cook, you should explain some of the simple science behind baking. Knowing why baked goods go from thin batters to fluffy cakes will help your kids learn cooking skills that will be useful for a lifetime.

Teach your kids about the difference between metal and glass baking dishes with this fun video from Bill Nye the Science Guy. In the persona of Vivian Cupcake, Bill explains that metal transfers heat through conduction, while glass uses radiation and conduction to cook brownies faster.

Find all of the baking pans you need to achieve the exact texture you want in your baked goods at BakersBodega. See a sampling of our large selection of baking supplies on our website, or call us at (562) 942-2253 to learn about our warehouse store.