How to Bake in a Microwave

Co-authored by Jennifer Levasseur and Kyle Hall

Last Updated: October 5, 2022 References Approved

You don’t always need an oven to bake your favorite recipes. With a microwave, you can make delicious baked meals, like bread, pizza, cake, and brownies, in a shorter amount of time. Just make sure you’re using microwave-safe pans and trays! Keep in mind that exact baking times will vary depending on how many watts your microwave has.

Ingredients

Bread in a Microwave

1 ½ teaspoons (7.4 mL) dry active yeast
½ cup (118.3 mL) warm water
2 cups (473.3 mL) warm milk
3 cups (709.8 mL) flour
1 tablespoon (14.8 mL) sugar
2 teaspoons (9.9 mL) salt
¼ teaspoon (1.2 mL) baking soda
¼ teaspoon (1.2 mL) warm water

Cake in a Microwave

3 ¼ cups (768.9 mL) flour
1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) baking powder
½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) baking soda
½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) salt
2 sticks of butter
2 eggs
2 cups (473.2 mL) buttermilk
1 tablespoon (14.8 mL) vanilla

Pizza in a Microwave

½ cup (118.3 mL) warm water
1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) sugar
1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) instant yeast
1 cup (236.6 mL) flour
1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) salt
2 tablespoons (29.6 mL) cooking oil
Pizza sauce
Cheese
Pizza toppings

Brownies in a Microwave

3 fluid ounces (89 mL) unsweetened chocolate
1 stick of butter
2 eggs
1 cup (236.6 mL) sugar
½ cup (118.3 mL) flour
½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) baking powder
½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) salt

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Baking Bread in a Microwave

1
Prepare a bowl of yeast. Add 1 ½ teaspoons (7.4 mL) of dry active yeast, ½ cup (118.3 mL) of warm water, and 2 cups (473.2 mL) of warm milk to a bowl. Stir thoroughly and set the bowl aside.^{[1]
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2
Prepare a flour mixture in a separate large bowl. Add 3 cups (709.8 mL) of flour, 1 tablespoon (14.8 mL) of sugar, and 2 teaspoons (9.9 mL) of salt to the bowl. Use a spoon to thoroughly combine the flour, sugar, and salt.^{[2]
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3
Pour the flour mixture into the bowl with the yeast. Beat the yeast and flour mixture thoroughly using a dough hook. Stop beating once the the dough has formed and it's smooth.^{[3]
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4
Cover the bowl of dough with a damp towel and let it rise. Place the bowl of dough in a warm place so it rises faster. Check on the dough after an hour. If it has doubled in size, it’s finished rising. If it hasn’t, let it rise for another 15 minutes.^{[4]
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5
Mix baking soda and warm water into the dough. Dissolve ¼ teaspoon (1.2 mL) of baking soda in ¼ teaspoon (1.2 mL) of warm water in a glass. Once the baking soda is dissolved, add the baking soda and water to the dough. Mix them into the dough using a spoon.^{[5]
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6
Separate the dough into 2 greased microwave-safe glass pans and let it rise. Cover the pans with a damp towel and set them in a warm place. Check on them after 45 minutes to see if they’ve doubled in size. If they have, they’re finished rising.^{[6]
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7
Microwave each pan of dough separately for 6 minutes on high. Take the damp cloth off the pans before microwaving them. After 3 minutes, open the microwave and rotate the pan of dough. Finish microwaving the dough for the remaining 3 minutes.^{[7]
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8
Remove the bread from the microwave and let it cool. After the dough has cooled, remove it from the pan. Cut it into slices and serve.^{[8]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Baking Cake in a Microwave

1
Combine your dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add 3 ¼ cups (768.9 mL) of flour, 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of baking powder, ½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) of baking soda, and ½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) of salt to the bowl. Stir the dry ingredients thoroughly with a spoon.^{[9]
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2
Melt 2 sticks of butter in the microwave. Place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it for 30 seconds. If the butter hasn't melted after 30 seconds, microwave it for another 15 seconds, or until it has melted.^{[10]
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3
Whisk together your liquid ingredients in a separate large bowl. Add 2 eggs, 2 cups (473.2 mL) of buttermilk, and 1 tablespoon (14.8 mL) of vanilla to the bowl. Whisk until the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla are thoroughly combined.^{[11]
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4
Add the buttermilk mixture and melted butter to the dry ingredients. Stir everything together with a spoon until the batter is smooth. If there are any clumps in the batter, break them up with the spoon.^{[12]
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5
Pour the cake batter into a silicone, microwave-safe cake pan. If you’re making a cake with multiple layers, divide the batter into 2 or more silicone cake pans. Just make sure you’re only microwaving 1 layer at a time. Don’t worry about greasing the pan, the cake shouldn’t stick to the silicone.^{[13]
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- You can find a silicone, microwave-safe cake pan online or in the baking section at your local shopping center.
- If you want to bake a personalized cake in a mug, fill a mug a third full with batter instead.
6
Put the pan in the microwave and bake on high for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. After 2 minutes and 30 seconds, check the cake to see if it's finished. If there's any liquid batter on the surface of the cake, microwave the cake for another minute, or until it's dry and fluffy.^{[14]
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7
Let the cake cool completely before you add frosting. It could take over an hour for the cake to fully cool. Don't frost the cake when it's warm or the frosting could melt off. After you've frosted the cake, cut it into slices and serve.^{[15]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Baking Pizza in a Microwave

1
Prepare a bowl of instant yeast. Combine ½ cup (118.3 mL) of warm water and 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of sugar in a small bowl. Once the sugar is dissolved, add 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of instant yeast to the bowl. Stir the yeast and sugar water thoroughly. Set the bowl aside for 10 minutes to rest.^{[16]
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2
Mix 1 cup (236.6 mL) of flour and 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of salt in a large bowl. Stir the salt and flour thoroughly using a spoon. Then, make a hole in the center of the bowl using the spoon.^{[17]
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3
Pour the bowl of yeast into the center of the flour mixture. Stir the yeast into the flour mixture using a spoon or your hands. Continue stirring until the dough starts to form. If the dough is too dry, add more water.^{[18]
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4
Add 2 tablespoons (29.6 mL) of cooking oil to the dough and knead it for 5 minutes. To knead the dough, roll the dough back and forth in the bowl using your hand. When you’re finished, the dough should be a smooth ball.^{[19]
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5
Cover the bowl of dough with a damp cloth and let it rise for an hour. After an hour, check on the dough. If it has doubled in size, it’s finished rising. If not, re-cover with the damp cloth and let it continue to rise.^{[20]
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- Place the bowl of dough in a warm place to help it rise faster.
6
Separate the dough into 2 pieces and roll them out with a rolling pin. Sprinkle a pinch of flour onto the dough to help you roll it out. Bring the rolling pin back and forth so the dough gets flat and round. Keep rolling until the dough is about 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter. This will be the crust for your pizza.^{[21]
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7
Poke tiny holes in the dough using a fork. Gently pierce the surface of the dough with the fork every .5 inches (1.3 cm) or so across the dough's surface. The holes will let air circulate through the dough so it doesn't bubble up in the microwave.^{[22]
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8
Add your favorite toppings to the pizza dough. Start with pizza sauce and cheese. Then, add your toppings of choice. You can add chopped vegetables like onions, peppers, and mushrooms. If you want to put meat on your pizza, make sure it’s already cooked all the way through.^{[23]
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9
Place the pizza on a microwave-safe wire rack and microwave for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, check on the pizza. If the cheese doesn’t look melted, microwave it for another 1-2 minutes.^{[24]
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- If your microwave didn’t come with a wire rack, look for one online or at your local shopping center.
10
Cut the pizza into slices and serve. Transfer the pizza from the wire rack to a plate using a spatula. Use a knife to divide the pizza into even slices.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Baking Brownies in a Microwave

1
Melt butter and chocolate in the microwave. Add 1 stick of butter and 3 fluid ounces (89 mL) of unsweetened chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the butter and chocolate on high for 2 minutes. Open the microwave every 30 seconds and stir the chocolate and butter together with a spoon so they melt.^{[25]
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2
Whisk 2 eggs and 1 cup (236.6 mL) of sugar in a bowl. Continue whisking until the eggs and sugar are thoroughly combined. Set the bowl aside.^{[26]
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3
Prepare a flour mixture in a large bowl. Add ½ cup (118.3 mL) of flour, ½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) of baking powder, and ½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) of salt to a large bowl. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together thoroughly using a spoon. Use the spoon to make a hole in the center of the flour mixture.^{[27]
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4
Pour the chocolate and egg mixtures into the center of the flour mixture. Use a spoon to stir the mixtures together. Keep stirring until all the ingredients are thoroughly blended.^{[28]
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5
Pour the batter into a greased, microwave-safe glass pan. Make sure the pan you use is small enough to fit in your microwave. Spread the batter out in the pan so it’s even.^{[29]
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- For an even better-tasting brownie, sprinkle chocolate chips on top of the batter before you bake it.
6
Place the pan in the microwave and bake on high for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the brownies and check to see if they’re done. If there’s still liquid on top of the surface, put them back in the microwave for 1-2 more minutes.^{[30]
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7
Let the brownies cool for 3 minutes before serving. Once the brownies have cooled down, cut them into slices using a knife. Scoop the slices out of the pan and serve.^{[31]
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Community Q&A

Question

How do I make tea?

Community Answer

If you mean in the microwave, you can just heat a cup of water for about 2 minutes (times will vary based on microwave wattage) and then place the teabag inside.
Question

Can you use regular chocolate instead of unsweetened?

Cros Saint

Community Answer

Yes, but you may want to add less sugar as a result. Try seeing if you can subtract the amount of sugar labeled on the nutrition facts relative to the serving size.