Why did my sponge not rise?
The six causes of a flat sponge, how to tell which one you had, and what to do with the cake you have already made.
beginner15 min4 min read
Baking & Bread
Doughs, batters and the chemistry underneath them.
126 guides in Food & Cooking
How do I make bread?
A basic white loaf from scratch — the ratio, kneading, proving and baking, plus how to tell when each stage is actually done.
intermediate4 hr3 min readHow far ahead can I make a Christmas cake or pudding?
The timings for cake, pudding and mincemeat, how feeding actually works, and what to do if you have left it late.
intermediate4 hr4 min readWhy is my bread dense?
The five causes of a heavy loaf, how to tell which one you have, and what to change next time.
intermediate20 min2 min readHow do I convert a recipe to a different tin size?
Scaling by area rather than by diameter, why the arithmetic surprises people, and what to change about the baking time.
intermediate15 min4 min readHow do I knead dough properly and how long for?
What kneading is actually doing, the window test that settles when to stop, and the method that needs almost no kneading at all.
beginner20 min4 min readWhy did my cake burn on the outside and stay raw inside?
Oven too hot, tin too deep, or a mixture that insulates itself — the three causes and how to tell which you had.
beginner15 min4 min readWhy did my cake dome and crack on top?
Why the middle rises last and hardest, the two changes that flatten it, and how to level a cake that has already domed.
beginner15 min3 min readWhy is my dough too sticky to handle?
When sticky is correct and when it is not, and the handling techniques that work without adding flour.
beginner15 min4 min readWhy did my cake sink in the middle?
The five causes of a sunken cake, how to identify which one applies, and what to do with the cake you have.
beginner10 min2 min readWhy did my bread not rise?
The six things that stop bread rising, how to tell which one it was, and whether the dough can still be saved.
beginner15 min2 min readWhy is my pizza base soggy?
Heat from below, less topping, and drier ingredients — the three things a domestic oven needs help with.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I make a sourdough starter from scratch?
The two-week timeline, the false rise on day three that fools everyone, and the flat spot where most starters get thrown away.
intermediate15 min6 min readHow do I make pizza dough?
A pizza dough recipe that works in a domestic oven, and why a long cold ferment makes more difference than anything else.
intermediate1 day3 min readWhy did my buttercream split or go grainy?
Temperature is nearly always the answer — and both split and grainy buttercream are recoverable.
beginner10 min2 min readWhy does my cake sink in the middle?
The four causes — opening the oven, underbaking, too much raising agent and overbeating — and how to tell which is yours.
beginner30 min3 min readWhy is my custard lumpy or thin?
Custard is scrambled egg waiting to happen — tempering and gentle heat are the whole technique.
intermediate25 min2 min readWhy is my pastry case soggy underneath?
Blind baking, sealing and bottom heat — how to stop a wet filling soaking into raw pastry.
intermediate20 min2 min readWhy is my pastry tough or shrinking?
Overworking, warmth and no resting — the three causes of tough, shrunken pastry, and how to avoid each.
intermediate20 min2 min readHow do I know when dough has proved enough?
The poke test, why time is the least reliable guide, and the difference between under and over-proved.
intermediate30 min3 min readHow do I make cakes softer and more moist?
The mixing, fat and baking-time choices that produce a tender crumb instead of a dry, tough one.
beginner15 min2 min readWhy does my pastry shrink in the tin?
Gluten tension, the resting that releases it, and why stretching pastry into a tin guarantees shrinkage.
intermediate45 min3 min readHow do I make pastry?
Shortcrust pastry from scratch — the ratios, the cold-handling rules, and why resting matters more than technique.
intermediate30 min2 min readWhy is my bread dense and heavy?
The flour, kneading, proving and shaping faults that produce a tight crumb, and how to tell which one applies.
beginner15 min2 min read
Going deeper: PizzaHQ
Dough hydration and fermentation schedules, flour selection, oven types and bake profiles.