Baking!

Ingredients and Techniques

Cakes, Cookies, and Pies
Quick Breads
Yeast Breads and Rolls
 Basic Ingredients
• Flour
• Liquid
• Leavening agents
• Fat
• Sweeteners
• Eggs
• Flavoring
 Flour
• Protein and starch in the flour give
structure
• Gluten- a protein that affects the texture
and helps determine how the product will
rise
– Gluten develops when flour is moistened and
mixed, and hold the leavening agents
– Starch helps absorb some of the liquid that is
added in most recipes
 Types of Flour
• All-purpose flour- the most popular, good results
for most products
• Bread flour- highest gluten content and give
bread a strong structure
• Cake flour- contains less gluten and gives cakes
a tender structure
• Whole-grain flour- weaker gluten than all-
purpose flour, some have no gluten at all
– Products rise less and have a heavy texture
– Usually combined with all-purpose flour in equal
proportions
– Flour is stirred, not sifted
 Liquid
• Water and milk are the most common
– Eggs and fat too
• Hydrate the protein and starch to form the gluten
• Moistens and dissolves ingredients
• Leavening agent when converted to steam
• Milk adds flavor and nutrients, helps brown
better
• Buttermilk gives a slight tangy flavor, affects the
kind of leavening agent needed
 Leavening Agents
• Leavening agent- substance that produces
gas in batters and doughs to make baked
products rise and become light
• Three leavening gases are air, steam, and
carbon dioxide
• Beating eggs, creaming fat and sugar
together, folding doughs, and beating
batters incorporates air
 Types of Leavening Agents
• Air: Is trapped when creaming fat and
sugar, sifting flour, adding beaten egg
whites
– When the mixture is heated, the air expands
and the product rises
• Steam: leavens products that contain high
amounts of water
– Water heats as the product bakes and turns
to steam and causes the product to rise
Types of Leavening Agents cont
• Yeast: produces carbon dioxide as it
grows
– Needs food (flour and sugar), liquid, and
warm temperature
– Active dry yeast and quick-rising dry yeast
come packaged in dry granules
• Quick rising leavens dough in half amount of time
– Can be stored at room temperature and use
before expiration date
 Leavening Agents cont
• Baking Soda: when mixed with flour and heated
releases carbon dioxide
– Can produce an off flavor and color, so it is usually
combined with an acidic ingredient
• Baking Powder: contain a dry acid, baking soda,
and starch or flour
– Double acting baking powder- release some carbon
dioxide when moistened, and the rest when heated
– Too much baking powder can cause a product to
collapse
 Fat
• Adds richness, flavor, and tenderness
• Usually cannot be eliminated, but can be
substituted or reduced
– Applesauce or pureed dry fruits
• Solid and liquid fats are not easily
substituted with each other
– Cannot use soft, liquid, or whipped margarine
because they contain air, water, or oil and can
affect the outcome
 Eggs
• Add flavor, richness, nutrients, and color
• Help form structure
• Add air when beaten
• Can use substitutes such as just egg
whites or liquid substitutes
 Sweeteners and Flavorings
• Sugar adds sweetness and flavor, helps
crust brown
• Fruits, vegetables, and nuts add flavor,
texture, and nutrients
– Herbs, spices, and extracts in small amounts
 Batters and Doughs
• Amount of liquid in relation to flour
determines batter or dough
• Pour batters: steady stream
– Cakes, pancakes, waffles
• Drop batters: thick, spooned in pans
– Quick breads and cookies
• Soft doughs: sticky
– Biscuits, breads, cookies
• Stiff doughs: firm
– Piecrust and cookies
Successful Baking of a Cake
 Measuring Ingredients
• Correct amount of flour gives the correct
amount of gluten needed for structure
• Correct amounts of fat and sugar
tenderize the gluten
– Too much weakens the cake
• Correct amount of liquid provides moisture
for the gluten to form
• Correct number of eggs gives proteins that
strengthen the gluten
 Mixing Cakes
• Mix the correct proportions of ingredients
with the correct mixing method
• Over mixing will cause the gluten to
overdevelop, it will be tough
• 2 types of mixing methods:
– Conventional
– Quick mix
 Conventional Mixing Method
• Cream fat and sugar together until light
and fluffy
• Beat eggs into creamed fat and sugar
• Add dry ingredients alternately with liquid
ingredients
• Dry ingredients are usually sifted together
in a separate bowl
 Quick Mix Method
• Measure dry ingredients into mixing bowl
• Beat the fat and part of the liquid with the
dry ingredients
• Add remaining liquid and unbeaten eggs
last
 Baking Cakes
• Choose the appropriate size pan
• The cake will have a gently rounded top if
using the correct size pan
• Grease and flour the pans, bottom and
sides
• Place in preheated oven and bake just
until done
• Insert a toothpick in the center and it will
come out clean when done
 Quick Breads
• Can be high in fat
• Great source of:
– Carbohydrates
– Protein
– B vitamins
– Iron
• Use whole grains:
– Add fiber and minerals
• Fruit, vegetable, nuts add nutrition
 Muffin Method
• Sift or mix all dry ingredients together
– Make a well in the center
• Beat all liquid ingredients until well
blended
• Pour liquid into the well
• Mix enough to moisten
• Some flour spots will remain and batter will
be lumpy
• Fold in other ingredients
 Overmixed Muffins
• Peaks on top
• Tough and heavy
• Long, narrow tunnels on inside
 Preparing and Baking Muffins
• Grease pan or use paper cups
• Fill 2/3 full
• Test for doneness 5 minutes before end of
cooking time
– Insert toothpick; should come out clean
– Nicely browned
 Loaf Breads
• Mixed using the muffin method
• Cooked in greased loaf pan with
parchment paper on the bottom for easy
removal
• Check for doneness same as muffins
• Top of bread may crack
 Types of Cookies
• Rolled- requires a stiff dough
– Cookie cutters are used
– Example: sugar cookies
• Dropped- soft dough
– Drop or push off from spoon
– Spread more when cooked than rolled
cookies, place 2 inches apart on cookie
sheet
– Example: chocolate chip cookies
 continued
• Bar- soft dough
– Spread in square pan
– Can be chewy or cake like depending on
thickness
– Example: brownies
• Refrigerator- high proportion of fat
– Form dough into long roll, cover with foil or
plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm
– Cut in thin slices once firm
– Example: pinwheels
 continued
• Pressed- rich, stiff dough
– Pack into cookie press
– Press out onto cookie sheet and bake
– Example: spritz cookies
• Molded- stiff dough
– Break off small pieces of dough and shape
with fingers
– Examples: crescents and small balls
 Cookie Ingredients
• Flour, sugar, liquid, fat, salt, egg, and
leavening agents
• Have more fat and sugar and less liquid
than cakes
 Mixing Methods
• Conventional mixing method
– Cream fat and sugar, then add eggs, then
flour
• Cookies should be crisp and chewy,
rather than light and fluffy
 Pans to Use
• Flat baking pan or cookie sheet
– Should not have high sides
• Bright shiny cookie sheets will give a
light, delicate brown crust
• Dark cookie sheets will give dark
bottoms
• May have to rotate pans during cooking
to cook evenly is baking more than 1
pan
 Storage
• Store crisp cookies in a container with
a loose lid
• Store soft cookies in a container with
an air tight lid