What is baking?
The technique of cooking food by dry heat, usually in an oven, but also in hot ashes, or on hot stones.
Just about anything can be baked including fish, poultry, meat, fruits, and vegetables.
The key to proper baking:
Getting the proper ratio between the oven temperature and the baking time is crucial to successful baking. It is determined by the size or weight of the item to be baked. The larger and more dense the item, the longer it will take to cook; the smaller and less dense, the less time.
Baking is a little bit like a science project going on in the kitchen with all kinds of fun and interesting chemical reactions taking place. Most baked goods are nothing more than flour, sugar, a fat (like butter or oil), eggs, a moistener (like water or milk), and leavenings (like baking soda, baking powder, or yeast). But just think about the endless possibilities you can create with these few ingredients! The more you understand the chemical reactions that take place with these ingredients when you add heat and the more prepared you are, the better at baking you will be.
Flour has a protein called gluten that gives structure and strength to the baked good. The more you stir or mix the flour with other ingredients, the more you develop the gluten.
Sugar gives sweetness and flavor, tenderness, moisture, and color (think of a browned crust).
Fats like butter or oil are tenderizers. They also give flavor.
Liquids add moisture and are needed to develop the gluten in the flour. The more liquid, the more the gluten develops and the tougher the product; the less liquid, the less gluten and more tender the product.
Leavenings like baking soda, baking powder, and yeast give structure, shape, and texture to baked products.
Eggs have lots of different roles in baking. Like flour, they provide structure; like sugar, they provide moisture and flavor; like fats, they act as tenderizers; like liquids, they give moisture; like leavenings they give structure, texture, and shape.
Why is it important to understand the techniques the recipe says to use and to use them in the order given?
The product may not turn out as planned if you fail to follow the technique. For example, there is a big difference between kneading and folding! If you are making bread and just fold your flour into the other ingredients instead of kneading the dough, you will not end up with a very desirable loaf of bread.
Most recipes for baked goods have you add ingredients in a certain order and in a certain way. For instance, most cake and cookie recipes tell you to ‘cream’ the butter and sugar together before adding the other ingredients. This is necessary for the product to rise, giving it a light and delicate texture. If you skip this step, you could end up with a coarse and dense product. It won’t necessarily be ruined but it won’t be the masterpiece you could make by following the instructions.
After reading through the recipe, gather all ingredients and equipment. For best results, use the pan size the recipe specifies.
Use the correct measuring tools.
Use standard dry measures for dry ingredients such as flour, sugar, cocoa, brown sugar, cornmeal, etc.
Use standard measuring spoons for amounts less than ¼ cup (4 tablespoons).5
Use a standard liquid measuring cup for liquids such as water, oil, milk, honey or corn syrup.
Before preheating the oven, make sure the racks are in the right place for the pans and recipe. It is usually preferable to place the item in the center of the oven to allow even distribution of heat.
Preheat the oven as the recipe directs—allow 10 minutes for your oven to reach the temperature specified.
Measure the ingredients accurately (next section will cover proper measuring techniques for ingredients).
Finish each step and double check to be sure nothing was omitted.
Place pan(s) in the oven so they do not touch each other or the oven sides. Do not place pans on racks directly below or above another pan.
Do not open oven door to check product during baking. Use the oven light and window to see how things are going.
Set out cooling racks to cool the pans and product when it is ready to come out of the oven.
Clean up the kitchen while the product bakes.
When the product is finished baking, remove the pan(s) carefully from the oven using oven mitts or hot pads.
Follow the recipe directions for cooling before removing the product from the pans. •
Why do you think it is important not to open the oven door and peek inside while the product is baking?
You lose about 25° of heat every time you open the oven door.
Keep the oven window clean so you can see what is happening without having to open the door.
When you open the door you could cause some items, such as cakes, to fall or sink in the middle.
Did you know that professional bakers don’t measure their flour and sugar when baking?
If bakers don’t measure their ingredients, how do they get their products to turn out so well every single time? How do they know how much flour and sugar to use?
They actually weigh the ingredients rather than measure them. This gives them the most precise amount of ingredients to use so that their products turn out the same each time. • Almost all home recipes call for measuring dry ingredients instead of weighing them. Measuring accurately will help you improve your baking skills so that you can create beautifully baked products that will impress!
Dry measuring cups allow you to measure to the rim of the cup.
Graduated dry measuring cups are made in at least ¼ cup, ⅓ cup, ½ cup, and 1 cup sizes.
Measuring spoons usually range from ⅛ teaspoon, ¼ teaspoon, ½ teaspoon, 1 teaspoon, and 1 tablespoon. •
Liquid measuring cups are transparent and have extra space at the top to allow the liquid to be measured without spilling.
Clear glass or plastic with measurement markings on side so measuring can be accurately done at eye level.
The technique of cooking food by dry heat, usually in an oven, but also in hot ashes, or on hot stones.
Just about anything can be baked including fish, poultry, meat, fruits, and vegetables.
The key to proper baking:
Getting the proper ratio between the oven temperature and the baking time is crucial to successful baking. It is determined by the size or weight of the item to be baked. The larger and more dense the item, the longer it will take to cook; the smaller and less dense, the less time.
Baking is a little bit like a science project going on in the kitchen with all kinds of fun and interesting chemical reactions taking place. Most baked goods are nothing more than flour, sugar, a fat (like butter or oil), eggs, a moistener (like water or milk), and leavenings (like baking soda, baking powder, or yeast). But just think about the endless possibilities you can create with these few ingredients! The more you understand the chemical reactions that take place with these ingredients when you add heat and the more prepared you are, the better at baking you will be.
Flour has a protein called gluten that gives structure and strength to the baked good. The more you stir or mix the flour with other ingredients, the more you develop the gluten.
Sugar gives sweetness and flavor, tenderness, moisture, and color (think of a browned crust).
Fats like butter or oil are tenderizers. They also give flavor.
Liquids add moisture and are needed to develop the gluten in the flour. The more liquid, the more the gluten develops and the tougher the product; the less liquid, the less gluten and more tender the product.
Leavenings like baking soda, baking powder, and yeast give structure, shape, and texture to baked products.
Eggs have lots of different roles in baking. Like flour, they provide structure; like sugar, they provide moisture and flavor; like fats, they act as tenderizers; like liquids, they give moisture; like leavenings they give structure, texture, and shape.
Why is it important to understand the techniques the recipe says to use and to use them in the order given?
The product may not turn out as planned if you fail to follow the technique. For example, there is a big difference between kneading and folding! If you are making bread and just fold your flour into the other ingredients instead of kneading the dough, you will not end up with a very desirable loaf of bread.
Most recipes for baked goods have you add ingredients in a certain order and in a certain way. For instance, most cake and cookie recipes tell you to ‘cream’ the butter and sugar together before adding the other ingredients. This is necessary for the product to rise, giving it a light and delicate texture. If you skip this step, you could end up with a coarse and dense product. It won’t necessarily be ruined but it won’t be the masterpiece you could make by following the instructions.
After reading through the recipe, gather all ingredients and equipment. For best results, use the pan size the recipe specifies.
Use the correct measuring tools.
Use standard dry measures for dry ingredients such as flour, sugar, cocoa, brown sugar, cornmeal, etc.
Use standard measuring spoons for amounts less than ¼ cup (4 tablespoons).5
Use a standard liquid measuring cup for liquids such as water, oil, milk, honey or corn syrup.
Before preheating the oven, make sure the racks are in the right place for the pans and recipe. It is usually preferable to place the item in the center of the oven to allow even distribution of heat.
Preheat the oven as the recipe directs—allow 10 minutes for your oven to reach the temperature specified.
Measure the ingredients accurately (next section will cover proper measuring techniques for ingredients).
Finish each step and double check to be sure nothing was omitted.
Place pan(s) in the oven so they do not touch each other or the oven sides. Do not place pans on racks directly below or above another pan.
Do not open oven door to check product during baking. Use the oven light and window to see how things are going.
Set out cooling racks to cool the pans and product when it is ready to come out of the oven.
Clean up the kitchen while the product bakes.
When the product is finished baking, remove the pan(s) carefully from the oven using oven mitts or hot pads.
Follow the recipe directions for cooling before removing the product from the pans. •
Why do you think it is important not to open the oven door and peek inside while the product is baking?
You lose about 25° of heat every time you open the oven door.
Keep the oven window clean so you can see what is happening without having to open the door.
When you open the door you could cause some items, such as cakes, to fall or sink in the middle.
Did you know that professional bakers don’t measure their flour and sugar when baking?
If bakers don’t measure their ingredients, how do they get their products to turn out so well every single time? How do they know how much flour and sugar to use?
They actually weigh the ingredients rather than measure them. This gives them the most precise amount of ingredients to use so that their products turn out the same each time. • Almost all home recipes call for measuring dry ingredients instead of weighing them. Measuring accurately will help you improve your baking skills so that you can create beautifully baked products that will impress!
Dry measuring cups allow you to measure to the rim of the cup.
Graduated dry measuring cups are made in at least ¼ cup, ⅓ cup, ½ cup, and 1 cup sizes.
Measuring spoons usually range from ⅛ teaspoon, ¼ teaspoon, ½ teaspoon, 1 teaspoon, and 1 tablespoon. •
Liquid measuring cups are transparent and have extra space at the top to allow the liquid to be measured without spilling.
Clear glass or plastic with measurement markings on side so measuring can be accurately done at eye level.
