Baking might look sweet and simple from the outside, but anyone who’s spent time near a 5am oven knows: it’s a science. At Little Jaye, we bake everything in-house, from scratch, and we’ve learned a few things along the way — mostly by making the same mistakes over and over (until we didn’t). Here are 5 of the most common baking mistakes, and how we make sure they don’t show up in your pastry bag.
1. Not Measuring Flour Correctly
Flour’s a sneaky one. Scoop too aggressively and you’ll dry out a dough in seconds.
How we avoid it: We weigh everything. Always. We don’t mess around with measuring cups in a commercial kitchen — every gram matters. That’s why our cookies stay gooey, and our muffins don’t turn into bricks.
2. Underbaking (or Overbaking) Pastries
There’s a very small window between perfect and “meh.” Especially with Muffins, biscuits, and soft cakes.
How we avoid it: We bake in small batches, monitor oven zones, and train our team to use their eyes, not just timers. A perfectly golden edge and a slightly under-set center? That’s our sweet spot.
3. Ignoring Ingredient Temperature
Too-cold butter, too-warm eggs — it messes with everything from rise to texture.
How we avoid it: Our prep process is tight. Butter gets to temp before mixing, and eggs sit out when needed. This helps keep our laminated doughs flaky, and our cakes airy.
4. Using Ingredients Past Their Prime
Old baking powder, sad spices, or stale flour will kill flavor and lift.
How we avoid it: We go through ingredients fast — but we also rotate stock like a kitchen obsessed. Fresh vanilla, sharp cinnamon, and high-quality butter are non-negotiables at Little Jaye.
5. Baking Without Tasting
This one sounds obvious, but you’d be shocked how many bakeries skip this.
How we avoid it: We taste everything — doughs, batters, finished bakes. If it’s not hitting right, we fix it before it hits the case. That’s how we know our maple pecan cake is moist enough, or that our sprinkle cookies have the right salt hit to balance the sweet.
At Little Jaye, baking isn’t about perfection — it’s about intention. We make mistakes like anyone else, but we care enough to catch them before you ever take a bite. And that’s the real secret: small batches, real ingredients, and a team that gives a damn. Thats how you avoid these common baking mistakes.