I wanted to reconnect with my professional cooking roots, so I recently spent a week as a hired hand (read: worked for free) at one of my favorite bakeries in Boston, Allium Market + Cafe.
During my week there, I helped the pastry team make hundreds of baked goods: mixed berry scones, morning glory muffins, zucchini cakes, peanut butter miso cookies, pimento-stuffed pretzel bombs, chocolate croissants, and more.
Working in a professional kitchen gave me some pearls of wisdom about baking, ideas that make me a better home baker. If you take away these five tips—as I did in my week at Allium—your cookies, cakes, muffins, and pastries will have a greater chance of success.