Module 4: Principles of Baking

Objectives: At the end of this module, students should be able to:

- Identify the different mixing methods used in a bakery.

- Explain the factors that control gluten development in baked goods.
- Explain the importance of understanding basic baking methods.
- Describe the changes that occur in dough or batter during baking.
Key Concepts

1. Weight refers to the mass or heaviness of a substance. It is expressed in terms such as

grams, ounces, pounds, kilograms, and tons.
2. Volume refers to the space occupied by a substance. This is mathematically expressed as
height x width x length. It is expressed in terms such as cups, quarts, gallons, teaspoons,
fluid ounces, bushels, and liters.
3. Count refers to the number of individual items.
4. Formula is a standard term used throughout the industry for a bakeshop recipe.
Formulas rely only on weighing to ensure accurate measuring of ingredients.
5. Measurement by weight is more accurate.
6. Bakers' term for weighing is scaling.
7. Basic Unit:
- Gram - Weight
- Liter - Volume
- Meter - Length
- Celsius - Basic unit of Temperature
 TABLE 4
Eqivalent for one unit and fraction of unit
TABLESPOON CUP

1 tablespoon 3 teaspoon 1 cup 16 tablespoon

7/8 tablespoon 2-½ teaspoon 7/8 cup 14 tablespoon
¾ tablespoon 2-¼ teaspoon ¾ cup 12 tablespoon
2/3 tablespoon 2 teaspoon 2/3 cup 10-⅔ tablespoon
5/8 tablespoon 1-⅞ teaspoon 5/8 cup 10 tablespoon
½ tablespoon 1-½ teaspoon ½ cup 8 tablespoon
3/8 tablespoon 1-⅛ teaspoon 3/8 cup 6 tablespoon
1/3 tablespoon 1 teaspoon 1/3 cup 5-⅓ tablespoon
¼ tablespoon ¾ teaspoon ¼ cup 4 tablespoon
1/8 cup 2 tablespoon
1/16 cup 1 tablespoon
 PINT QUART GALLON POUND
1 pt 2 cup 1 qt 2 qt 1 gal 4 qt 1 lb 16 oz
7/8 pt 1¾ cup 7/8 qt 3½ cup 7/8 gal 3½ qt 7/8 lb 14 oz
¾ pt 1½ cup ¾ qt 3 cup ¾ gal 3 qt ¾ lb 12 oz
2/3 pt 1⅓ cup 2/3 qt 2⅔ cup 2/3 gal 10⅔ cup 2/3 lb 10⅔ oz
5/8 pt 1¼ cup 5/8 qt 2½ cup 5/8 gal 5 qt 5/8 lb 10 oz
½ pt 1 cup ½ qt 1 cup ½ gal 2 qt ½ lb 8 oz
3/8 pt ¾ cup 3/8 qt 1½ cup 3/8 gal 3 qt 3/8 lb 6 oz
1/3 pt 2/3 cup 1/3 qt 1⅓ cup 1/3 gal 5⅓ cup 1/3 lb 5⅓ oz
¼ pt ½ cup ¼ qt 1 cup ¼ gal 1 qt ¼ lb 4 oz
1/8 pt ¼ cup 1/8 qt ½ cup 1/8 gal 1 qt 1/8 lb 2 oz
1/16 pt 2 1/16 qt 1/4 cup 1/16 pt 1 cup 1/16 lb 1 oz
tablespoo
n
TABLE 5
Mixing Methods

METHOD PURPOSE EQUIPMENT

BEATING Vigorously agitating foods to Spoon, rubber spatula, whisk or

incorporate air or develop gluten. electric mixer with paddle
attachment.
BLENDING Mixing two or more ingredients Spoon, rubber spatula, whisk or
until evenly distributed. electric mixer with paddle
attachment.
CREAMING Vigorously combining softened Electric mixer with paddle
fat and sugar while incorporating attachment on medium speed.
air.
CUTTING Incorporating solid fat into dry Pastry cutters, fingers or an
ingredients only until lumps of the electric mixer with paddle
desired size remains. attachment.
FOLDING Very gently incorporating Rubber spatula or balloon whisk.
ingredients such as whipped
cream or whipped eggs into dry
ingredients, a batter or cream.

KNEADING Working a dough to develop : Hands or elastic mixer with

gluten. dough hook.

SIFTING Passing one or more dry Rotary or drum sifter or mesh

ingredients through a wire mesh to strainer
remove lumps, combine and
aerate.
STIRRING Gently mixing ingredients by hand Spoon, whisk or rubber spatula.
until evenly blended.

WHIPPING Beating vigorously to incorporate Whisk or electric mixer with whip

air. attachment.
 STAGES DESCRIPTION

FROTHY Large air bubbles of uneven

size are apparent. Whipping stages in white egg
BEGIN TO HOLD SHAPE Air bubbles are fine and
close together, and the
whole product seems whiter.
The whisk leaves marks
when removed from the
whites.

SOFT PEAK Whites will stand in peaks,

but are so soft the tips will
bend over.
STIFF PEAK BUT NOT Whites stand in stiff, sharply
DRY pointed peaks, but are still a
uniform white color and will
glisten.
STIFF PEAK AND DRY Whites stand in stiff, sharp
peaks; product will speckled
with white spots and have a
dull, not shiny appearance.
 Flour Mixtures

CLASSES LIQUID FLOUR CONSISTENCY PRODUCT

POU BATTER 1 part 1 part Pours in a steady Popovers,

stream. waffles.
DROP BATTER 1 part 2 parts Breaks into drops Muffins, fritters.
when poured.
SOFT DOUGHS 1 part 3 parts Sticky to touch. Rolled biscuits,
yeast rolls
STIFF DOUGHS 1 part 4 parts Firm to touch. Pie crust, rolled
cookies.
Mixing and Gluten Development
Gluten

Gluten, a protein in wheat flour, forms an elastic

network when moistened and manipulated, giving
baked goods their structure, strength, volume,
texture, and appearance.

How the Gluten Develops?

1. Water absorption and mixing create long, elastic gluten
strands.
2. Leavened dough traps gas, causing it to rise.
3. Heat causes gluten proteins to solidify, similar to how eggs
cook.
ControIling GIutten

Bakers has several methods for adjusting gluten development:

• French bread-firm and chewy-requires much gluten.
• Cakes-tender-very little gluten development.

1. Selection of Flours
Wheat flour's protein content determines its strength (strong or weak), and only
wheat flour produces enough gluten for bread making.
• Strong flour is from hard wheat and has high protein content.
• Bread Weak flour is from soft wheat and has low protein content Cakes

2. Shortening
Fats act as shortenings in baking, tenderizing the product and shortening gluten
strands.
3. Liquid
Gluten proteins must absorb water before they canbe developed, the
amount of water in a formula can affect toughness or tenderness.

4. Mixing Method
a. More batter or dough mixed, more gluten develops.
b. Bread dough- mixed and needed for long time to develop the
gluten.
c. Over mixing- gluten strands will stretch only so far and breaks
the dough.
The Stages in Baking Process

1. Formation and Expansion of Gases

Baked goods are leavened by carbon dioxide (from yeast,
baking powder, or baking soda), air incorporated during The Baking Process
mixing, and steam produced during baking.

2. Trapping of the Gases in Air Cells

Expanding gases during baking are trapped within a network
of gluten and sometimes egg proteins.

3. Gelatinization of Starches
Starches absorb moisture, expand, and firm, contributing to
the structure of baked goods. This gelatinization process
begins around 140°F (60°C).
4. Coagulation of Protein
Gluten and egg proteins coagulate (solidify) around 165°F (74°C), providing
baked goods with structure. The baking temperature is critical; too high a
temperature causes premature coagulation and poor volume, while too low a
temperature results in collapse.

5. Evaporation of some of the Water

a. Takes place throughout the baking process.

6. Meeting of Shortenings
a. Different shortenings melt and release trapped gases at different
temperature so the proper shortening should be selected for
each product.
7. Crust Formation and Browning
A dry crust forms as surface water evaporates. Browning, which enhances flavor, results
from sugar caramelization and heat-induced chemical changes in starches and sugars,
aided by milk, sugar, and eggs.

Staling
1. Change in texture and aroma of baked goods due to a change of structure and a
loss of moisture by the starch granules.
2. Stale baked goods have lost their fresh-baked aroma and are firnmer,
drier, and more crumbly than fresh products.
3. Begins almost as soon as the bakers' baked items are taken from the Oven.
4. Stale bread is dry and leathery.
5. Staling is caused by retro-gradation and recrystallization of starch
leading to dry, hard, crumbly bread.
2 Factors in Staling
1. Loss of Moisture- drying;exposed to air-dry to the touch.
2. Chemical change in the structure of starch process called starch
retrogradation.

What is Starch Retrogradation?

Starch retrogradation is the process that causes bread to stale, even

without moisture loss. It happens quickly in the refrigerator but stops
in the freezer. For best results, store bread at room temperature short-
term or frozen long-term. While reheating can partially reverse staling,
it also dries the bread, potentially making it worse than before.
Techniques to Maintain or to Slow Staling

1. Protecting the product from air.

Wrap bread and cakes (especially those with rich icing) in plastic to prevent
staling, but avoid wrapping hard-crusted bread.

2. Adding moisture retainers to the formula

Foods high in fat and sugar retain moisture best.

3. Freezing
Freeze baked goods immediately after baking in a blast freezer at -40°C (-
40°F), then maintain at or below -18°C (0°F).