BAKING INGREDIENTS

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BAKING INGREDIENTS

• Flour
• Fats
• Sugars
• Eggs
• Liquids
• Leavening agents
• Chocolate flavorings
• Salt

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Flours

• White wheat flour
• Contains 7 to 15 gluten (protein)
• High gluten flour (strong flour) makes chewy
  products
• Low gluten flour (weak flour) makes tender
  products
• Gluten is developed by mixing a dough the more
  a dough is mixed the more gluten will develop and
  the product will be firmer and chewier.
• Whole Wheat flour
• The entire kernel of wheat is ground, including
  the bran (outer covering) and the germ
• The ground bran has sharp edges and cuts gluten
  strands. The germ contains oil which also
  shortens the gluten strands. This is why whole
  wheat products cannot be as firm or chewy as
  white flour products.
• Rye flour
• Does not contain gluten and so cannot make a
  crisp or chewy product. Usually some wheat flour
  must be added.

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Fats

• Fats coat the strands of gluten and prevent them
  from holding together, thus fats shorten the
  strands and help create a tender product.
• Solid fats are called shortening.
• Fats tenderize baked goods, create moisture and
  richness, add flavor and increase keeping
  qualities.
• In some cases they act as a leavening agent

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Fats

• Shortening
• Usually vegetable based, although butter or lard
  may be used.
• Regular shortenings have a tough, waxy texture
  and hold together in particles within a dough or
  batter.
• Emulsified shortenings are soft and spread
  easily and are used to make cake batters. They
  are used when there is more sugar than flour in a
  formula and are sometimes called high ratio
  shortenings.
• Puff pastry shortening is very firm and is used
  for making rolled-in doughs when it is important
  that the fat stay in distinct layers between the
  layers of dough.
• Oils Little used in baking except in some
  muffins cakes.
• Lard Used less and less today, however it is
  excellent for pastry.
• Butter
• The best flavor for most baked goods.
• Melts at a low temperature so it melts in your
  mouth, unlike some fats. Its low melting point
  can make it hard to work with.

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Sugars

• Sugars create sweetness
• Sugars also create tenderness because they weaken
  gluten
• They add color to the crust when they bake
• Sugars improve keeping qualities because sugar is
  hydroscopic, meaning it absorbs water.
• Sugars act as a creaming agent with fats

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Sugars

• Refined sugar
• Granulated sugar is the most commonly used.
• Very fine sugars are used in cakes and cookies.
• 3. Coarse sugars are called sanding sugars, for
  topping baked goods
• 4. Icing sugar is very fine and is used in icings
  or for dusting finished products.
• Molasses and brown sugar
• Molasses is concentrated sugar cane syrup with
  the sugar removed.
• Brown sugar is simple white sugar with some of
  the molasses left in. You can make it by mixing
  molasses with sugar.
• Corn syrup
• A liquid sweetener containing natural sugars
  called fructose.
• Honey
• A natural sweetener containing fructose and
  glucose.

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Liquids

• Liquids are essential in the baking process
  because gluten cannot develop without the
  presence of some liquid
• Water
• The basic liquid used in baking
• Milk and cream
• Add texture, flavor, nutritional value and color
  to baked goods
• Whole milk and cream contain fat, which must be
  accounted for as part of the shortening in baking
  formulas
• Buttermilk is slightly acidic and is often used
  in quickbreads
• Cream is more often used in fillings puddings
  than in doughs
• Powdered dry milk is often used because of low
  cost and convenience

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Eggs

• Available whole, frozen or dried
• Add structure because the proteins in eggs
  coagulate when baked. This is important for
  baked goods with a high ratio of fat which
  weakens the gluten structure.
• Emulsification of fats-egg yolks help make smooth
  batters.
• Leavening-beaten eggs contain air bubbles which
  expand when baked.
• The fat in egg yolks help shorten gluten strands,
  making a tender product.
• Eggs also add moisture, flavor, nutritional value
  and color to baked goods.

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Leavening agents

• Leavening is the production of gases in baked
  goods which increases their volume.
• For example, bread dough rises when proofed
  because of the gas CO2.
• Yeast
• A microscopic plant
• Yeast ferments, which means it converts
  carbohydrates into CO2 and alcohol when it gets
  warmth and moisture.
• Below 6 to 7 degrees C yeast is inactive
• At 15 to 20 degrees C yeast grows slowly
• 20 to 32 C yeast grows best (proofing
  temperature)
• Yeast dies at 60C or 140F
• Yeast is available as compressed yeast, which
  must be refrigerated, or as active dry yeast,
  which must be dissolved in warm water before use.

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Leavening agents

• Baking soda
• A chemical leavener
• When moisture and an acid are added to baking
  soda it releases CO2
• Baking soda releases CO2 as soon as moisture and
  acid are added and thus must be baked immediately
  after mixing. It needs no proofing, unlike
  yeastbreads.
• Baking powder
• Also a chemical leavener
• Baking powder is actually just baking soda with
  the acid already added.
• Single-action baking powder releases CO2 as soon
  as water is added to it.
• Double-action baking powder releases CO2 when
  water is added to it and again when it is heated.
• Adding too much baking powder or baking soda
  gives an undesireable taste.

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Leavening agents

• Baking ammonia
• A chemical leavener
• Usually used only in large-scale commercial
  cookie baking.
• The ammonia evaporates when the cookies bake.
• Air
• Creaming is the process of beating fats and sugar
  together to incorporate air into the mixture.
• Usually used in cake and cookie baking.
• Air beaten into the mixture during creaming may
  be the only leavening agent.
• Steam
• When water is heated and turns to steam it
  expands to 1600 times its original volume, thus
  moisture is an important leavening agent in
  baking.
• Pie crusts, cream puffs and puff pastry are all
  leavened by the action of water flashing to steam
  when heated.

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Chocolate and Cocoa

• Chocolate and cocoa are made from cocoa or cacao
  beans
• The beans are roasted and ground to make a paste
  called chocolate liquor
• The fat content of this is called cocoa butter
• Cocoa is the dry powder left after cocoa butter
  is separated from chocolate liquor
• Unsweetened chocolate (bitter chocolate) is just
  hardened chocolate liquor. Popular in Europe.
• Sweet chocolate is bitter chocolate with sugar
  added
• Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate with milk
  solids added. Popular in North America.
• White chocolate is cocoa butter with milk solids
  and sugar added. It can be dyed with food
  coloring.

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Salt

• Salt strengthens gluten and makes it more
  stretchable in bread doughs
• Salt helps control yeast growth in doughs because
  it acts against the yeast
• Salt enhances the flavor of most foods, even
  sweet foods because it turbocharges your taste
  buds

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Spices

• Spices add flavor and interest to baked goods
• The most commonly used are cinnamon, nutmeg,
  mace, cloves and ginger
• Most spices are made from the bark, nuts, seeds
  or roots of tropical plants
• Indonesia was originally known as The Spice
  Islands and European countries fought wars for
  control of them

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Extracts and emulsions

• Extracts are oils dissolved in alcohol
• Vanilla extract is a common example
• Vanilla beans are processed to extract the oils
  from them and this is dissolved in alcohol. True
  vanilla extract and vanilla beans are quite
  expensive, partly because of the current
  popularity of novelty items such as vanilla
  flavored soft drinks and vanilla scented
  cosmetics and soaps
• Emulsions are oils mixed with water
• Lemon and orange emulsions are the most common
• Lemon or orange oil is extracted from the skin,
  where most of the flavor is and mixed with water.
  You can zest or grate lemon or orange skins
  yourself to add to baked goods for the same
  flavor

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Review

• Most baked goods are made from only a very few
  ingredients.
• A good understanding of ingredients is necessary
  so you can produce the type of baked goods you
  want

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Flour

• Flour forms the basis of most baked goods
• Wheat flour contains proteins called gluten
• A strong flour contains a high percentage of
  gluten and will make crisp, chewy products like
  baguettes or bagels
• A weak flour contains less gluten and will make
  tender products, like cakes or pastry
• Whole wheat flour includes the bran and the germ.
  It is weaker than white flour
• Rye flour contains no gluten and will not form a
  strong structure unless some white wheat flour is
  added

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Fats

• Fats coat the strands of gluten and prevent them
  from holding together, thus fats shorten the
  strands and help create a tender product.
• Solid fats are called shortening.
• Fats tenderize baked goods, create moisture and
  richness, add flavor and increase keeping
  qualities.
• In some cases they act as a leavening agent
• Fats include vegetable shortening, butter and lard

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Sugars

• Sugars create sweetness
• Sugars also create tenderness because they weaken
  gluten structure
• They add color to the crust when they bake
• Sugars improve keeping qualities because sugar is
  hydroscopic, meaning it absorbs water.
• Sugars include white granulated sugar, icing
  sugar, brown sugars, corn syrup and honey

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Liquids

• Liquids are essential in the baking process
  because gluten cannot develop without some liquid
• Water is the basic liquid used in baking
• Milk or cream may be used for flavor, to develop
  color or to add nutritional value
• Buttermilk is slightly acidic and is often used
  in quickbreads
• Cream is most often used in custards and fillings

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Eggs

• Eggs add structure because they contain proteins
• Eggs contain fats and make a product tender
  because they shorten gluten strands
• Eggs add flavor and nutritional value
• Beaten eggs contain air bubbles which expand when
  baked and thus leaven some baked goods

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Leavening agents

• Leavening is the production of gases in baked
  goods which increases volume
• Yeast is a microscopic plant which produces CO2
  when it gets warmth and moisture
• Baking soda also produces CO2 when moisture and
  an acid are added to it
• Baking powder produces CO2 when it gets warmth
  and moisture
• Water in baked goods leavens because it expands
  to 1600 times its original volume when it flashes
  to steam
• Yeast, baking powder, baking soda and water all
  leaven baked goods and increase their volume

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Chocolate and cocoa

• Chocolate is made from roasted cocoa or cacao
  beans. The beans are ground to make chocolate
  liquour.
• Hardened chocolate liquour is just bitter
  chocolate
• The addition of sugar makes it into sweet
  chocolate and milk solids make it into milk
  chocolate
• Chocolate liquor can be separated into cocoa
  powder and cocoa butter. Cocoa butter becomes
  white chocolate with the addition of sugar and
  milk solids

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Salt

• Salt strengthens gluten and weakens yeast growth.
  Most importantly it turbocharges your taste buds
  to bring out flavors

Spices
Spices such as nutmeg, cloves, ginger, mace
and cinnamon add flavor and interest
Extracts and emulsions
Extracts are flavorful oils, such as vanilla,
dissolved in alcohol Emulsions are oils like
lemon or orange oil mixed with water