Six baking hacks for when stocks run low

Baking has emerged as a top lockdown activity, resulting in some shortages of vital ingredients.

Substitutions can be made for staple items, however, and here are six suggestions from NetVoucherCodes.co.uk. to help you overcome culinary setbacks.

1 Self-raising flour

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This combination will make the perfect substitute if you’re out of self-raising flour. Use the same amount of plain flour as the recipe states, then add one teaspoon of baking powder for every 75g of flour. Ensure all are sieved and fully mixed together.

2 Chocolate chips

If the recipe states that you need chocolate chips, but you only have a trusty bar to hand, don’t worry. Weigh out the correct amount of chocolate, then carefully use a sharp knife to cut the chocolate into smaller, chip sized pieces. Different sized chips will add more texture to your bake.

3 Breadcrumbs

When you don't have breadcrumbs to use in a recipe, but do have porridge oats available, they will make a great alternative. Oats can add more crunch than fine breadcrumbs and are a healthy option.

4 Sugar

It is okay to use white sugar in replacement for brown sugar, or granulated instead of caster sugar. The taste and look of the bake should be relatively unchanged.  Honey can be another sugar substitute.

5 Dried fruits

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If you were hoping to make currant biscuits or scones but don’t have any available, consider another dried fruit you may have as a replacement. This will change the flavour of the biscuits but will not affect the bake. Dried cherries, cranberries or dates may be good options.

6 Yeast

Bread making has boomed, meaning yeast is harder to obtain. Consider using dried active yeast. This will probably work out cheaper than sachets and is as easy. Follow instructions to add the yeast to warm water with sugar, and you will be ready to go, with less water needed in the recipe.