Techniques › Baking and pastry
Folding
Intermediate Baking and pastry
Folding is mixing something light (whipped cream, beaten egg whites) into something heavier without knocking the air out.
Written with AI help from the sources listed, and published by Cory. Spot a mistake? Tell us and we'll fix it.
How do you do it?
1Stir about a quarter of the light mixture into the heavy one to loosen it.
2Add the rest on top. Cut a spatula straight down through the middle to the bottom of the bowl.
3Sweep it along the bottom and up the side, turning the bowl a quarter turn each time.
4Stop as soon as no streaks remain — a few are better than overdoing it.
Why does it work?
The air bubbles you whipped in are what make a mousse, soufflé or sponge rise and feel light. Stirring breaks them; folding moves the mixtures around each other gently so most bubbles survive.
What are the common mistakes?
- Stirring in circles or beating — the batter goes flat and dense.
- Folding long after it's mixed.
Still stuck? Watch someone do it on YouTube.
More baking and pastry
- Creaming butter and sugarBeating soft butter with sugar until pale and fluffy — the start of most cakes and cookies.Beginner
- KneadingWorking dough by hand or machine until smooth and stretchy.Beginner
- Proofing (letting dough rise)Letting yeast dough rest and rise before baking.Beginner
- Cutting in butterWorking cold butter into flour until it's in small lumps — pie crust, biscuits, scones.Intermediate
- Blind bakingBaking a pie crust before it's filled.Intermediate
- ScoringCutting shallow slashes into the surface of bread dough, meat fat or fish skin.Intermediate