Have you ever wanted to know any of the basics of baking. I went to culinary arts for four years at a tech school. We learned every definition there was to know for the basic baking so I thought why not put them here.
Strengtheners-(such as flour and eggs)Provide Stability and ensure that the baked item does not collapse once it is removed from the oven
Gluten-Is a protein found in flour
Fats/Shortenings- ( such as butter and oils)Makes baked goods moist, add flavor, and keep baked items fresh longer
Sweeteners-(such as sugars and syrups) Add flavor and color to baked goods
Caramelization-Occurs whenever sugar is used as an ingredient in baked items
Chemical, organic, and physical leaveners-(Such as baking powder,baking soda, yeast, and steam) allows the dough or batter rise
Thickeners-(Such as cornstarch, flour , and eggs)Combine with the stirring process, determine the consistency of the finished product
Flavorings-(such as extracts and spices)affects the baked items flavor
Extracts- are flavorful oils
Liquids-( such as water, milk, cream, eggs, honey, molasses, and butter)To provide moisture to the product and to allow the gluten to properly develop
Additives- (Such as food coloring)Are substances that are added to food to enhance taste and/ or appearance
Formulas-Standardized recipes for bakery products
Baker’s percentages- Flour always has a proportion of 100 percent, and the percentages of all other ingredients are calculated in relation to the flour
Cookie-Is a sweet baked food made from flour and sugar that is usually small, flat, abd round
Quick bread-Generally refer to any baked goods not leavened by yeast or eggs
The Muffin method-Uses liquid or melted fat
The biscuit method-Uses solid fats which is “cut” into the flour to resemble pa-sized pieces
Creaming method- Beat the fat and sugar together
Foaming method- Beat eggs, with or without sugars
Foments- produces carbon dioxide gas and alcohol
Types of flour
All-purpose flour-This flour falls between pastry and bread flour. It is good to use in cookies, biscuits, and generally production work. Gluten content is 10%-12%
Bread flour-This is a strong flour that is used for making breads,hard rolls, and any product that needs high gluten for a strong texture. Gluten contest is 12.5%-13.5%
Cake flour-This flour has low gluten content, a very soft, smooth texture, and a pure white color. Use cake flour for cakes and other delicate baked goods. Gluten content is 7%-9%
Durum flour- This is a hard wheat flour used to make breads, Its gluten contain is a little bit higher than bread flour. Gluten content is 13.5%-14%
Pastry flour- This flour is not as strong as bread flour and not as delicate as cake flour. Use pastry flour for baking cookies, pie pastry, and some sweets. Yeast doughs, biscuits, and muffins. It feels like cake flour, but has the creamy color of bread flour. Gluten content is 9%-10%
Semolina flour- This is a type of durum flour, but it is more coarsely ground than the flour used to make most breads. It has a fine texture with a high gluten content and is primarily used to make pastas and certain italian pastries. Gluten contents is 13.5% or more
Leaveners
Baking Powder- Chemical leaveners react with other ingredients to produce carbon dioxide gas, which helps batter to rise as it is heated. Baking powder is a very versatile chemical leavener,
Baking soda-is a Chemical leavener that releases carbon dioxide gas when mixed with a liquid and an acid
Physical leaveners-Introducing air into the batter is another way to level a baked cake item. The air expands during baking and leavens the product
Yeast-An organic leavener, yeats is microscopic fungus used often in baking.When yeast is combined with carbohydrates and liquidity foments
Types of cookies
Bagged cookies- Make bagged cookies by forcing soft dough through a pastry bag, Varieties include ladyfingers, macarons, and tea cookies
Bar cookies-Make bar cookies by baking three of four bars of dough the length of the baking pan, and then slicing them into small bars. One variety is biscotti
dropped cookies- Make drooped cookies, such as chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal cookies, from soft dough and drop them from a spoon and scoop onto the cookie sheet
Icebox cookies- Mak icebox cookies by rolling dough into a log, chillin it, and then slicing it just it just before baking . Butterscotch icebox cookies and chocolate icebox cookies are examples
Molded cookies- Mold stiff dough by hand into any shape to make molded cookies. Peanut butter cookies are an example
Rolled cookies- Rolled cookies are made often at home than in commercial kitchens because they take a lot of work. Cut these cookies from a stiff dough that has been rolled out on a baking bench. Varieties include decorated sugar cookies and shortbread
Sheet cookies- Pour The batter into the entire baking pan and then slice it into individual squares or rectangles after baking, brownies are usually made this way. Other types of sheet cookies include butterscotch brownies or blondies.
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