If you have dabbled with baking as a hobby, you’ve definitely gone down some rabbit holes on the internet searching for the perfect recipe to guide you.
 
But when you make your desserts, you want a recipe that you can trust won’t fail you. After all, it’s a waste of time, money and ingredients if the whole thing comes out inedible.
 
While nothing can beat a face-to-face guide from someone who knows what they’re doing, you’re more likely the kind of person to try and look up recipes on your own. So here’s a guide on how to get the most out of the recipes you find online. Then, create your own reliable recipes, fit to your personal tastes!
 

Find 2-3 Recipes From Your Trusted Sources

Surely you’ve got some of your favourite sources for recipes. Family blogs or recipe columns of TV food shows, it doesn’t really matter where you get your recipes from so long as you have a minimum of 3 versions.
 
If you have an old family recipe that you want to modernise and make simpler, that’s even better! Update and create your very own recipe with your preferred brands and ingredients.
 

 
Some people nowadays also prefer to follow a video guide rather than reading through a wall of text that maybe peppers in a few reference pictures. If you’re one of them, make sure to check for a text guide in the description section. This will make it easier for you when you move on to the next step.
 

Find Similarities and Differences

Anyways, the reason why you want a few different versions of a certain dessert is so that you can cross reference. Be sure to adjust the measurements according to the serving size of the desert as sources may vary.
 
It may not sound very fun for some people, but it’s a great mental exercise. As well as learning the functions of different ingredients as you try and figure out what are the base necessary ingredients needed for your dish.
 

 
Keep all the similar base ingredients and read up on what the steps are. As each of these different recipes are supposed to make the same dessert, any major differences should only concern you in the next section.
 

Read Descriptions on Texture, Flavour, Etc. Decide What Your Preferences Are.

As you read what the instructions are for each of your reference recipes, take note of how they describe the end result of their baked goods.
 
Crispy crust, moist, chewy. These are the kinds of descriptors you need to be looking for.
 

 
A great example of this are brownies. Brownies are simple to make, but to get the right kind of brownie, you have to know what you’re looking for and how to get there. Brownies come on a scale of cake to fudge which affects both the moisture and texture of the brownie
 
Once you’ve decided what kind of dessert you want, remove any recipes that don’t lead to you getting there.
 

Know What Certain Ingredients Do to Affect Your Dessert or Follow The Amount on The Original Recipe.

Here’s where experience in baking helps.
 
All forms of culinary art are a chemical reaction. Knowing what are the effects of each ingredient to that chemical reaction is important to making sure that your dessert comes out as you desire.
 

 
If you’re still new to baking, just follow the list of ingredients in your finalised reference recipe, but remember to adjust the ratio of the measurements accurately!
 

Get Baking!

And here comes the part you’ve been waiting for, baking!
 
Simply measure out the new measurements you’ve made and get started!
 
Be sure to follow the instructions well, especially for more complicated baked goods.
 

 
As with many things, a little hard work goes a long way.
 
Finding the perfect recipe is always going to be a difficult process. All, what may work for some people may not work for you. The little things that can affect the results of your baking might even be things that you can’t correct for.
 
For example, the taste of sourdough bread is dependent on where it is made because the air in the area as it is proofing will affect the bread. So the most you can do is try to get the closest result possible.
 

 
Once you’ve created your very own recipe, you may need a few trial runs to adjust it if there are any outside factors that are affecting your recipe. However, for a majority or desserts and baked goods, it should be just as delicious as the original dessert!
 
If you’re the kind of person that prefers a real person guiding you through more complicated recipes, come and check out our available classes taught by certified chefs.
 
https://www.myweekendplan.com.my/