Tips, Tricks, 

& Ideas

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Tips,Tricks, & Ideas

Tips, Tricks,
& Ideas

Emergency Substitutions

May 31, 2017
It happens to the best of us: You’re all ready to bake when you realize you're missing a key ingredient in your recipe. No worries! Use these substitutions to save your recipe in a snap.
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Baking

Ingredient Substitute
1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda plus 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 pkg. active dry yeast 1 Tbsp. dry or 1 cake compressed yeast, crumbled
1 cup honey 1-1/4 cups sugar plus 1/4 cup liquid, or 1 cup molasses
1 cup corn syrup 1 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup water
1 cup cake flour 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour minus 2 Tbsp.
All-purpose flour An equal amount of whole-wheat flour can be substituted in some breads, cookies, and bars; the texture will be coarser.
1 whole egg For custards and puddings, 2 egg yolks, for cookies and bars, 2 egg yolks plus 1 Tbsp. water; liquid egg substitutes may sometimes be used.

Dairy Products

Ingredient Substitute
1 cup whole milk 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water, or 1 cup nonfat milk or reconstituted nonfat dry milk plus 2 tsp. butter or oil
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to equal 1 cup; let stand 5 minutes
1 cup dairy sour cream 1 cup plain yogurt, or 1 cup evaporated milk plus 1 Tbsp. vinegar, or 1 cup cottage cheese mixed in blender with 2 Tbsp. milk and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup half-and-half 7/8 cup milk plus 3 Tbsp. margarine or butter, or 1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup plain yogurt 1 cup sour milk or 1 cup buttermilk

Chocolate

Ingredient Substitute
1 ounce (1 square) unsweetened chocolate 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder plus 1 Tbsp. shortening or margarine
1 ounce (1 square) semisweet chocolate 1 square unsweetened chocolate plus 1 Tbsp. sugar, or 3 Tbsp. semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces for melting 3 ounces (3 squares) semisweet chocolate

 

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Want to brush up your Vocabulary? Refer to our Baker's Glossary