Have you ever had a disastrous baking experience? The one where the entire process goes perfectly, the cookies are golden brown and smelling delicious, but when it comes to sliding them off the baking tray, onto the cooling rack, they just won't budge? Here at OneHowTo we’re going to tell you how to use parchment paper for baking to prevent those disappointing baking incidents once and for all.
Parchment paper, often referred to as baking or bakery paper is a silicone covered paper that provides a non-stick surface. The paper is completely oven safe making it an ideal piece of baking equipment.
Parchment paper is ideal for lining trays when baking cookies. Roll the paper across the baking tray and cut to size. Space the dough evenly onto the paper. Once cooked, gently lift the paper and cookies onto the cooling rack. After a few minutes cooling the cookies will slide easily right off the paper. This also saves time soaking baking trays to remove any burnt on cookie dough.
You can also line your cake tins with parchment paper to prevent the all too familiar ‘cake stuck in tin’ catastrophe. Trace the bottom of your cake tin onto the paper and cut it to size. Lightly grease the bottom of the tin - this will hold the parchment paper in place. Once baked and cooled, your cake will slide neatly out of the tin. Carefully peel the paper from the cake.
Remember – parchment paper never needs to be greased, but you WILL still need to grease the sides of your tin to prevent the cake from sticking around the edges.
In the same way that you can line your cake tins with parchment paper, it works just as well when making cupcake cases. Cut circular shapes just slightly larger than your cake tins. Lightly butter the inside of the tins, then press the cut out cases into the tins using a glass, this way the paper will overlap the glass creating the cupcake case shape. Add the mixture, bake, and you have beautifully rustic style cupcakes!
Parchment paper is also useful for lining work surfaces when baking, particularly when kneading doughs for bread as it prevents the mixture sticking to the surfaces. It also makes cleaning up a lot easier!
Top tip: When using parchment paper to bake cookies or biscuits, you can reuse the same piece for the next batch.
If this article has inspired you to use parchment paper next time you bake, try out our delicious oatmeal cookie recipe!
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