Baking With Berries? Don't Skip This Dredging Tip

What do blueberry muffins, tender blueberry pancakes, and rich blueberry-lavender coffee cake all have in common (other than including our favorite blue fruit in the recipe)? They are far better when the berries are evenly distributed so each mouthful gets a burst of juicy flavor. If you've ever baked with berries, you might know the frustration of ending up with a soggy-bottomed cake because the heavy fruit settled down to the bottom of the pan. Luckily, there's an easy way to prevent this disaster. Toss the berries in flour before adding them to the recipe.

Dredging, or coating with flour, is a culinary technique that helps create a starchy layer on foods. In the case of baking with berries, this starchy coat helps the berries float on the batter rather than sink to the very bottom. Then, your finished baked goods will be evenly speckled with blueberries for a delicious bite every time.

It doesn't take much flour to accomplish this feat — just use a tablespoon or two. If you want to bake with frozen berries, you should also dust them with flour, just like the fresh ones. Dredging with flour also helps absorb some of the berry juice that could stain the cake batter as it bakes, keeping the bright color closer to the fruit and not making the cake muddled with blue.

Don't reserve this tip just for berries – the dredging technique works any time you've got a mix in. Dried fruits like raisins and cranberries won't clump together in your cookies or scones when they've been dusted with flour first. If you love to bake banana bread, try this trick when you mix in chocolate chips or chopped nuts, too. Fold the dredged items in carefully to avoid over-mixing the batter, and you'll end up with picture-perfect muffins and quick breads every time.