Consistency of Dough and Batter for Baking
When I first started, I thought cake batter was suppose to be runny. Therefore, I added ALL THIS LIQUID and guess what? The cake turned so hard on the outside my teeth could crack if I bit on it, and inside would still be gooey. Since then, I’ve really learned what the batter consistency should be.
Crackers
If you’re making things like wheat thins or crackers (not rice crackers), it should feel oily to touch, and the dough should be hard enough to actually form into a ball if you knead it.
Cakes
Cake batter should be quite fluffy but thick. It should not be runny or watery, but very puffy-like. Also, when you taste cake batter, it has to be sweeter than what you want, as baking does remove a lot of the sweetness as the water evaporates. Important thing that a cake needs is baking powder and baking soda so it can rise.
Muffins
Muffins should be extremely close to the cakes, if you noticed – muffins do taste very similar to cakes. Perhaps it can even be called a smaller version! Similar to the cakes, muffins also need baking powder and soda.
Breads
Making breads, the dough should not be as oily but still clump together. However, the dough should not be too hard or sticky, but soft to touch. For the best tasting bread, it should be risen with yeast.
Pizza Dough
Pizza dough may require slightly more oil and herbs, but the feel of it should be exactly the same as breads. In fact, it should even be made in the same way – with yeast.
Cookies
If you want crunchy type of cookies, then the dough should feel like the crackers (oily, hard), but at the same time, sweeter than what you’d normally expect (like the cakes) because anything baked loses a lot of sweetness.
Brownies
Brownies are much more dense and should be made similar to muffins, but without any rising agents like baking powder, baking soda or yeast.
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Few important things to remember: When you’re adding in the leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda, be sure not to add them at the last minute. You will really need to add a bit more sweeteners to your baking goods than if you’d have it raw, as sugar does get “cooked away”. Remember that cakes need to be thick, not runny and watery.
Good luck with your baking!
