The Best Tips for Baking During the Summer

Summertime means going to backyard barbecues, laying by the pool, and taking lots of naps in the hammock, but it also means hot weather and lots of it. The hot temperatures can often make baking a challenge, which can prevent a lot of people from stepping foot in the kitchen. Luckily, with these simple tips there’s no need to hang up your apron for the summer.

1. Chill cookie dough or bake it immediately.

The butter in cookie dough can start to melt if the dough is left out in a warm kitchen. This melted butter in the dough will change the texture and consistency of baked cookies. Instead, the best practice is to chill cookie dough in the refrigerator between batches or even pre-make dough the night before and keep it chilled until just before you’re ready to bake.

2. Bake during the early morning or at night.

Take special care to avoid baking during the hottest times of the day. Bake when it is cooler outside to save your sanity and prevent your AC from running on overdrive.

3. Butter softens/melts faster in the summer heat.

Keep in mind that the hot temperatures will cause butter to melt faster. It can be tempting to speed up the process of softening butter by placing it in direct sunlight. Unfortunately, this will over-soften and melt the butter, which can affect your baked goods. Instead place the butter on a warm counter until it is softened to the perfect consistency.

4. The humidity can and will affect your baking.

Baking in a warm and humid climate may require you to make some adjustments to your recipes. Recipes that require the use of a lot of liquids will take longer to bake than usual. Use your best judgment when checking for doneness of the baked goods.

5. Yeast dough will rise faster than usual.

When the weather is cool, most yeast doughs will take an hour or so to rise. But in a hot summer kitchen, it may only take 20 minutes for the dough to rise. If you don’t want your dough to rise this fast, it could be beneficial to set your dough in a cooler place or even near a few freezer packs to let the dough fully develop flavor and texture. Or you can make your dough a day in advance and allow it to rise overnight in the refrigerator.

6. Refrigerate frosted desserts until ready to serve.

Whether you make frosted cakes, brownies or cookies, the summer heat can take a major toll on your creations. To avoid a melted frosting mess, store your frosted desserts in the refrigerator until they are ready to be served.

7. Bake in bulk.

If you are baking cookies, make several dozen at one time (did you know the Bosch Universal Plus Mixer can make up to 400+ cookies at one time?) to lessen the time you have to heat and reheat the oven during the summer months. Once your bulk baked goods have cooled down, wrap them tightly and freeze the extras for later! When you have a hankering for chocolate chip cookies, you won’t have to worry about heating up the house again.

8. Try no-bake desserts.

When it’s simply too hot to even fathom turning on the oven, try out some no-bake desserts to satisfy your sweet tooth instead. Make homemade ice cream or sherbet with your Bosch ice cream maker attachment or give these yummy no-bake energy balls a try!

These summer baking hacks will help you keep your sanity and give you brownie points (no pun intended) at your next potluck. See you in the kitchen!