Baking!

1
Baking!

• Ingredients and Techniques
• Cakes, Cookies, and Pies
• Quick Breads
• Yeast Breads and Rolls

2
Basic Ingredients

• Flour
• Liquid
• Leavening agents
• Fat
• Sweeteners
• Eggs
• Flavoring

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Successful Baking of a Cake
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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Overmixed Muffins

• Peaks on top
• Tough and heavy
• Long, narrow tunnels on inside

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Cookie Ingredients

• Flour, sugar, liquid, fat, salt, egg, and
  leavening agents
• Have more fat and sugar and less liquid than cakes

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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

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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

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Storage

• Store crisp cookies in a container with a loose
  lid
• Store soft cookies in a container with an air
  tight lid