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more quickly at altitude, so you want to watch it closely to ensure that the dough isn’t overproofed.

• Decrease your goal size for the dough. When a recipe calls for the dough to double in size, move on to the next step just before it has doubled. This helps avoid overproofing as well.

• Place a small pan half full of water on the bottom shelf of the oven while baking. This isn’t always needed, but it can help develop a sturdy crust on loaves of bread.

• Baking temperatures don’t usually need to be changed for bread, but on occasion the crust can form too early if the baking temperature is too high. If this happens, cover the bread with foil for the remaining baking time.

Cakes: If you’ve got a cake recipe that isn’t working for you, here are some things you can try to adjust: • Decrease the leavening agent in the recipe by 1⁄8 to 1⁄4teaspoon, depending on how much the recipe calls for. If it calls for less than a teaspoon, go for a 1⁄8teaspoonreduction. If it’s more than a teaspoon, go for a 1⁄4teaspoon reduction.

• Increase the baking temperature by 25°F, and bake it for a shorter amount of time—this is particularly helpful for cakes that are sinking.

• Add 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup extra flour to the recipe.• Take care not to overmix cake batters, especially when working with eggs. Over-beaten eggs can create those pesky large air pockets and contribute to too-fast rising.

• Grease your cake pans very well! Rumor has it that cake batters sticks more in high altitude. I prepare most of my cake pans with this mix: equal parts room-temperature shortening, canola oil, and flour. Beat the ingredients together until

completely smooth, and store the mixture in the fridge. When a recipe calls for greasing a pan, I spread a thin layer in the baking pan with a brush or paper towel before pouring in my batter or dough. If a recipe calls for greasing and flouring the pan, I add extra flour to the pan after greasing with this mixture, rotate the pan to coat it evenly, and then shake out the excess.

To unmold cake layers from pans, I always let the cake cool at least slightly in the pan. I run a clean butter knife around all the edges, and the cake should then tip right out. If you have issues with the cake sticking on the bottom, gently pry the cake around the edges with the knife to loosen.

Cookies:As I mentioned before, cookies are generally the least affected item when it comes to high-altitude adaptations. However, there are still some modifications to remember if you’re working with a cookie that isn’t turning out quite right: • It can be tough to find the right baking time for cookies. Most recipes give a range for baking times, mainly because you have to keep an eye on the cookies in those last few minutes to avoid under or overbaking. I suggest doing a test batch with only one or two cookies, which will help you figure out the right baking time in the oven.

• Many people worry about overmixing, and of course it’s important to avoid. But at your last stage of mixing, whenever the last set of ingredients go in, make sure you geteverything completely and properly incorporated, even if it seems like you are mixing for a long time. Otherwise, you’ll end up with an uneven batch of cookies that don’t turn out uniformly.

• I do still occasionally reduce the leavening agent in cookies to avoid a too-puffy cookie. Use the same tips as for cake here.

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HIGH-ALTITUDE BAKING TIPS