Basic Baking

BAKING

       Refers to cooking by dry heat especially in an oven when the temperature is uniform as hot air circulates to cook a cake, pie, cookie or bread.

BASIC BAKING

BASIC INGREDIENTS IN BAKING AND ITS FUNCTIONS

          1. FLOUR  -        The major ingredient in making bread.

-        It provides the structural framework of the bread because it contains gluten which gives the bread strength to keep its shape when baked.

KINDS OF FLOUR

a.     Cake Flour – weak flour and

  Gluten – elasticity, strength

b.     All Purpose Flour – gluten content to make bread

c.      Pastry Flour

                                                         

          2. FATS     -        It is added to enrich the dough and to keep it soft longer.

-        It is also added to shorten the gluten strands and to tenderize

-        Adds moistness and gives flakiness to  pastries and pies.

1.     SHORTENINGS     -        solid fats usually white and

                                           tasteless.

2.     BUTTER and MARGARINE            

a.     BUTTER        -        hard and brittle when cold and

soft at room temperature and melts easily.  Dough made with butter is hard to handle.

b.     MARGARINE-        is a little easier to  handle

c.      OILS               -        liquids fats; not often used as

shortening because they spread through a batter or dough.

d.      LARD            -        rendered fat of hogs;

highly valued for making flaky pie crust.

          3. SUGARS                   -        add sweetness and flavor and give crust color;

                                       -        increase the keeping quality of the baked product.

4. LIQUIDS         -        are added to hydrate and bind flour to develop the

gluten and to dissolve the yeast.

a.     MILK and CREAM          -        makes the bread nutritious

b.     WATER                            -        basic liquid in baking

5. EGGS    -        gives structure to baked products

                   -        leavening agent

                   -        nutritional value

6. LEAVENING AGENTS

a.     YEAST      -        1.  Compressed / fresh yeast

2.  Dry use

b.    CHEMICAL LEAVENING AGENTS

1.     Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate)

2.     Baking Powder (baking soda plus acid)

c.      AIR   -        is incorporated into a batter by

TWO (2) Methods

1.     CREAMING-      process of beating fat and

                             sugar together to increase air

2.     FOAMING -        process of beating eggs with or

without sugar

d.      STEAM    -        when water turns to steam, it expands to

1600 times its original volume.

         

7. SALT     -        strengthens gluten structure and controls the growth of 

yeast.

BASIC STEPS IN BAKING

        1. Read the recipe carefully    

2. Check if you have all the necessary ingredients

3. Prepare all the utensils you will need for measuring, mixing and baking.

4. Preheat the oven                  -        preheat the oven when you are in the middle

of preparing of the mixture

          5. Prepare the pans needed, making sure to use the correct pan size.

              If needs greasing, brush the bottom of the pan with a little shortening.

          6. Measure the ingredients using correct utensils in the amounts required in

    the recipe.

7. Mix the batter or dough

8. Bake in the preheated oven

9. Test the doneness

a.     For Cakes (butter cakes) – prick the center of the cake

b.     Sponge Cake / Chiffon Cake – press lightly with fingers

c.      Pies and Pastries – crust have turned golden brown.

10.Cool the baked products

BASIC PRINCIPLES IN BAKING

1.     FORMULAS AND MEASUREMENTS

Bakers generally talk about formulas rather than recipe.  The bakeshop is much like a chemistry lab in the scientific accuracy of all the procedures and in the complex reactions that take place during mixing and baking.

2.     MEASUREMENT

All ingredients must be weighed.  Accuracy of measurement is critical in the bakeshop.  Measurement is by weight rather than by volume measure because weight is much more accurate.

SCALING  -        baker’s term for weighing out ingredients.

OVEN DO’S AND DONT’S

1. DO preheat oven 10 minutes before baking

2. DO put the oven rack at the center of the oven for proper heat distance

3. DON’T let the pans touch the sides of the oven or touch each other.

4. DON’T put the pans are on top of the other when baking with two (2)

racks.  Stagger them so heat will circulate.

5. DON’T open the oven door until at least half of the baking time has

passed.

          6. DO use an oven thermometer

          7. DO clean up any spill on the floor.

         

CLASSIFICATION OF BAKERY PRODUCTS

            1. Cookies

          2. Pastries (pie, tarts, puff pastry)

          3. Cakes

          4. Quick Breads (biscuits, pizza, muffins)

          5. Breads (other yeast-raised products)