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Hi Bold Bakers!
I am often asked “Why do you Mix Dry Ingredients and Wet Ingredients Separately?” Even the best bakers get ahead of themselves, working in the order of recipe ingredients. You might think if all the measurements are correct you can just throw it all in the same bowl and mix, but it isn’t true. Baking is a science, but it’s not anything like rocket science. It really is important that you mix your dry ingredients all together in one bowl, your wet in another bowl, and then you can whisk all together.
Why do you mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately when baking?
The general rule of baking, whether it be cookie dough, cake mix or pancake batter, is as follows: dry ingredients should be combined together thoroughly in one bowl BEFORE adding liquids.
Liquid ingredients should ALWAYS be mixed separately before they’ve been added to the dry ingredients.
Mixing the dry ingredients by themselves means you will evenly disperse the raising agents, spices, sugar etc throughout which is important for an even batter.
The Reason Behind It?
Over mixing batters and dough will toughen and strengthen the gluten in the flour. Doing this to the gluten will yield you tougher baked goods, not a light and tender bake, like you want.
Mixing the dry ingredients together first, and then doing the same with the wet ingredients, means that once you combine the two, you will have to do very little mixing. The less you mix the flour the less gluten has a chance to develop meaning you end up with a fluffier and light end product.
A perfect example is Pancake Batter. It is so very important that you don’t over mix pancake batter. You want those thick, fluffy pancakes right? then resist the urge to keep mixing until you have all the lumps out. Lumps are ok, they will work themselves out in the resting period so don’t worry about them. If you are worried about over mixing then I say aim to under mix and you will probably have the perfect batter. Trust me, leave the lumps be.
The Results?
This method of mixing everything separately will yield you the best results and a more even texture in your baking.
When in doubt, just remember these tips, and you will find you can always achieve your desired texture, allowing you to be a far more consistent baker.
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