Fold. A deliberate gentle turn.

Combine a mixture with a controlled lifting-and-turning action. In a foam-based batter the goal differs from folding a fermenting bread dough, so read the recipe’s context first.

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Set yourself up.

Choose a bowl with room to work and the tool specified by the recipe. Keep the ingredients ready in the state and order requested.

Three things to notice.

Reach through the mixture and bring material from below over the top.
Turn the bowl to work through it evenly.
Look for the recipe’s mixing endpoint instead of counting arbitrary strokes.

Reach for the right tool.

A flexible spatula for many batters; the recipe may specify hands or a different tool for dough.

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Keep the limit in view.

A batter fold and a bread-dough fold are not interchangeable instructions. Follow the method for the mixture you are making.

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Fold. A deliberate gentle turn.: Set yourself up.; Three things to notice.; Reach for the right tool.