10 quarantine baking hacks

It seems like everyone is trying their hand at baking during quarantine. If you’re one of the many, many people in isolation getting doughy for the first time, you may have run into one of two problems: shortages of ingredients in your local grocery store or shortages in your ability to make your creations look the way they do in the recipe books—here are our baking hacks to fix both.

1. Problem: The grocery store is out of flour

Solution: Make your own

Did you know that you can make your own (gluten-free!) oat flour using just oats and a blender?  Simply blend gluten-free oats until they’re powdered (it’s that easy!)

2. Problem: I don’t have a rolling pin

Solution: Use a wine bottle!

You may not have a rolling pin at home, but we bet you have wine! Wine bottles are the perfect alternative to rolling pins. Just cover your dough in plastic wrap and hold either end of the bottle, rolling to your heart’s content.

3. Problem: The grocery store is out of buttermilk

Solution: Make your own

Many recipes use buttermilk for that extra flavor (especially pancakes!), but did you know you can make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to every cup you use of regular milk. Let it sit for five minutes and you’ve got buttermilk!

4. Problem: I can’t mix in the butter properly

Solution: Grate it

It can be hard to get butter to soften and then to spread evenly throughout your mixture. For best results, grate the butter with a cheese grater to break it down into smaller chunks. This will mean the butter spreads, mixes and melts more easily.

5. Problem: The grocery store is out of cookie dough

Solution: Modify cake mix

Did you know you can make cookie dough from almost any boxed cake mix? All you need to do is add ½ cup of oil and 2 eggs to the dry milk then simply bake as you would regular cookie dough. Craving solved!

6. Problem: There are air bubbles in my cookies and cakes

Solution: Bang the mixture

Before you put your mixture in the oven, try dropping the pan of batter onto your countertop a few times. The force of the bang forces the air bubbles to the surface, meaning they won’t get trapped in the batter and ruin the presentation of your creation. For cookies, it’s best to do this after you take them out the oven to help them settle quicker.

7. Problem: I don’t have powdered sugar

Solution: Make your own

You can even make your own powdered sugar perfect for frosting or icing without a trip to the grocery store. Just add 1 cup of white sugar and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and blend together until you reach a powdery texture.

8. Problem: I dropped bits of eggshell in my batter

Solution: Egg it out

One of the most frustrating things is accidentally dropping a bit of eggshell in your batter. You don’t want to stick your fingers in the mixture and it can be tricky to get it to stay in one place. Instead, use the rest of the eggshell to fish the broken pieces out. The parts will gel together, making it easier to get hold of those pesky flakes and leaving your batter crunch-free.

9. Problem: I can't cut my baking treats in a solid line

Solution: Floss them or heat things up

It can be hard to cut the perfect slice of that cake or to get your cookie dough to divide where you want it to. We've got two solutions for this. Either whip out the dental floss and use this to cut a fine line to separate your mixture without any stickiness, as dental floss cuts cleanly without leaving any residue. Or why not try simply heating up your knife under hot water for a few seconds? Simply wipe it dry and take the knife straight to your creation to create solid, professional cuts.

10. Problem: The grocery store is out of brown sugar

Solution: Make your own

Because everyone is baking in quarantine you might find that your grocery store is out of brown sugar. Don’t panic! You can make your own using white sugar and molasses (which are available in most baking aisles!). For light brown sugar, mix one cup of granulated sugar with one tablespoon of molasses. For dark brown sugar, add two tablespoons of molasses. It’s that simple. Just mix the two ingredients together with a fork until completely mixed. Crisis averted!