In baking, technique and the accuracy in measurement are not the only things to be considered. There are items that cannot withstand resting or waiting, while there are others that are better off rested. Today, we will discuss one of the most common problems in baking.

Q: Hi Jun Jun and Adoree. How long can cookie dough wait or be kept before baking? Does this apply to all cookie dough?  Are there any setbacks? (April Revilla of Quezon City)

Adoree: Hi, April. Most kinds of cookie dough can be stored in the refrigerator for some time and they will still come out yummy. Actually, this technique, refrigerating the dough before baking, is done to make your cookies chewy.  There are no setbacks in making the cookie dough wait, provided you do not let the dough wait out and make the butter or fat in the dough pre-melt before baking it.

Jun Jun: Baking cookies is a real joy, and it can wait as Adoree stated. But there are times when your recipe has baking soda and when the cookie dough is rested then baked, there is a metallic and funny alkaline taste in your cookies. So I suggest that you omit this ingredient but add some baking powder in the recipe so that it still rises and becomes a bit bigger while it is baking in the oven. 

Q: What causes the cake to collapse and have that hard layer at the bottom? What is the maximum time cake batters can wait?  My oven can only accommodate one baking pan at a time. So, what do I do if I need to bake two pans? Can the other pan wait? (Delie Severino of Parañaque)

Adoree: Most cake batters, especially the more liquid ones with baking powder and baking soda, have to be baked right away after mixing and pouring into the baking pan. The reason behind this is because the leavening power of the chemical leavener will be activated upon mixing with the liquid ingredients. So to maximize its leavening power, it has to be put in the oven right away.

Making it wait will cause air bubbles to be released. This can cause the formation of a hard layer at the bottom part of your cake. For thicker cake batters and for those that do not have chemical leaveners in the recipe, they can wait for some time. If your oven size can only accommodate one baking pan at a time, use one baking pan with a height taller than your existing pans. Bake the cake and just slice the cake into layers after baking.

Jun Jun: Aside from what Adoree has already discussed, certain cakes like chiffon and sponge cannot wait at room temperature because of the egg foam that was folded into their base. It is very important that these types of cakes are immediately baked because their air bubbles will immediately be attracted to moisture in the environment, thus causing it to collapse. This also causes the hard layer at the bottom of both of these cakes. 

Q: Is it okay for pie dough to wait at room temperature? Will refrigerating the dough or letting it sit at room temperature produce different results? Thanks in advance. (Nina Alfonso of Mandaluyong City)

Adoree: Pie dough can wait. But they have to be refrigerated while they wait so that the fat or butter in the dough stays chilled; so that you end up with a flaky crust and that the dough does not turn oily.

Jun Jun: Anything that has fat incorporated into a mixture should not be left at room temperature.  Our country is quite hot and the fat melts faster here than in other countries. Keeping it inside the refrigerator is a general guideline for most kinds of dough. 

Q: I know for a fact that some things can be left out to wait before baking, while most of the items have to be baked right away. What is the general rule for this? What are the items that need to be baked right away?  Some can even be refrigerated overnight before baking. Please enlighten me on this.  Thank you very much for your help. (Tintin Claviolo of Pasig)

Adoree: Thanks for your question, Tintin. The general rule of thumb is: if a batter has chemical leavener like baking powder and baking soda in it, and the batter is very runny, it has to be baked right away. If the batter is thick, it can wait for some time. If the batter has no chemical leavener and is on the thick side, you can let it wait for some time. Dough, in general, be it pie dough, cookie dough or bread dough, can wait for a relatively longer period of time; you can even store them in the chiller or freezer to prolong their shelf life and to make the result more favorable.

Jun Jun: That’s so complete, Tintin, whatever Adoree answered is true and right. But if I were you, since baking anything must be planned, after mixing it, bake it right away. Nothing tastes better than a freshly baked item. 

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