The funny thing about baking is that it’s very easy to fall into a routine. It really is. It’s very easy to basically sleepwalk your way through baking batch after batch of cookies. After all, if you have achieved some level of success in the past, it’s easy to think that you’re entitled to at least that same level of success with this current batch.
For the most part, thanks to the right equipment, this is almost guaranteed. But the problem is you’re not really swinging for the fences when you do this. You’re not really aiming high. Instead, you’re just basically coping along and hoping that the formula or recipe will pull you through. Unfortunately, this is not a recipe for success. Seriously. In many cases, you stand a pretty good chance of botching up the batch that you are working on.
Again, while the likelihood that you would have a fairly decent batch is quite high, it only takes one bad batch for you to start questioning your abilities as a baker. You probably don’t need me to remind you of why that’s a bad thing. When you doubt yourself, you start unleashing a negative spiral. It works this way. You produce a bad batch and you start doubting whether you’re a good baker of not. You produce another bad batch and this depresses you even further and robs you of your motivation. You try again and it turns out to be bad, which leads to a further degradation of your performance.
Do you see how this works? It’s a race to the bottom and unfortunately, success tends to reward success and failure tends to operate the same way. It really all boils down to how you choose to receive and perceive the results that we get. And unfortunately, people being people, it’s very easy for us to take things on an emotional level. When you feel that the one batch after another is turning out bad, it doesn’t take long for you to start doubting your abilities as a baker.
This is why you need to nip this all in the bud by making sure that all your ingredients are top notch. Now, I’m not saying that just because you have the very best ingredients, you are guaranteed a slam dunk. No, I’m not advocating that nor am I making that case. What I’m saying is that by operating from a firm foundation of solid or top notch ingredients, you make it all that much harder for you to fail.
Of course, you still have to go through the checklist properly. You have to follow all the baking instructions. You have to make sure that you bake your cookies on the right cookie pans and using the right temperature setting. Still, by spending a few extra dollars on top notch quality ingredients, you position yourself for a greater chance of succeeding. This is really important because a lot of people overlook the power of ingredients and of course, when it comes to cookies, the most important ingredient is the flour.
You need to study the flour options you have available to you. You need to read up on which flour brands make for the best cookie dough. Sure, some of them cost a little bit more. But chances are they’re not going to cost all that much more. We’re talking maybe two to five dollars more, but believe me, the benefits that you get as far as the taste of your cookies, as well as the positive impact on your self-esteem and self-confidence as a baker, are tremendous.
Why flour quality matters?
Have you ever seen a building go from a mere hole in the ground to a towering structure? Pretty awesome sight, no? Well, it all depends on the framing used. Buildings need scaffolding or framing to turn out well. Great flour is the scaffolding for awesome cookies. All the flavors of the cookie need the right framework to produce a top notch taste experience. You need to use the right flour framework. This requires you to spend a little extra.
You have to understand that this is all an investment. You’re not just investing in the quality of your tasty cookies, although that is a very big factor. In addition, you’re also investing in your perception of your competence as a baker. Just remember, you might be a couple of bad batches away from concluding that you’re a bad baker, and this can lead to a nasty downward spiral that may not be all that easy to climb out from.
While you’re here, be sure to check out our kitchen product reviews!