1.1 Bakery Products
Nearly all bakery products are prepared using a common list of ingredients that fall into•
six categories:
1. Strengtheners, such as flour and eggs
2. Chemical, organic, and physical leaveners, such
as baking powder, baking soda, yeast, and steam
3. Shortenings, such as butter and oil
4. Sweeteners, such as sugars and syrups
5. Flavorings, such as vanilla and nuts
6. Liquids, such as water, milk, cream, eggs,
honey, molasses, and butter
1. Strengtheners
In baking, strengtheners provide stability and ensure that the baked item doesn't
collapse once it is removed from the oven. Flour is a main ingredient used in baking.
There are four basic types of wheat flour: bread flour, all-purpose flour, cake flour,
and pastry flour.
1. Bread flour contains 11.5 to 13.5 % protein and is used for making breads,
hard rolls, and any product that needs high gluten for a strong texture. Gluten
(GLOO-ten) is a protein found in bread flour. The more yeast doughs are
mixed, worked, and kneaded, the more the gluten becomes elastic and stretchy.
When baked, it helps provide the firm structure and a light, even texture,
needed in bread production. ·
2. Cake flour has a low-gluten content (7-8% protein) and has a very soft, smooth
texture and a pure white color. Cake flour is used for cakes and other delicate
baked goods. Pastry flour is not as strong as bread flour and not as delicate as
cake flour. Pastry flour is used for baking cookies, pie pastry, some sweet yeast
doughs, biscuits, and muffins. It feels like cake flour, but has the creamy color
of bread flour.
3. All-purpose flour contains 10-12% protein which falls between pastry and
bread flour, and is good to use in cookies, biscuits, and general production
work.
4. Hi-gluten flour contains 13.5 to 14.5 % protein which means it can produce more
gluten. It is generally used as:
 an additive to doughs made of low-gluten flours, such as rye flour
 or recipes that contains a high proportion of grains, to give them the elasticity
that they can’t muster on their own.
2. Leaveners
… are necessary in baking because they allow the dough, or batter, to rise.
Leaveners fall into three categories: chemical, organic, and physical.
1. Chemical Leavener: Baking soda and baking powder are the main chemical
leaveners
 Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) releases
carbon dioxide gas when mixed with a liquid and
an acid. For example, baking soda will leaven a
batter when mixed with an acid such as lemon
juice or buttermilk. Other, less reliable reactants
are honey, molasses, cocoa, or chocolate.
Because heat is not necessary for the leavening
process to occur, the item must be baked right
away to prevent the gases from escaping and
leavening the item too soon.
 Baking powder is a very versatile leavener. It is
a mixture of baking soda and an acid, and an
inactive material, like starch. Because there is acid in the baking powder, there
does not need to be any acid in the batter for leavening to take place. Leavening
occurs when liquid and heat are added.
2. Yeast,
 … an organic leavener, is a microscopic plant used often in baking. When yeast
is mixed with carbohydrates (such as sugar and flour) results in fermentation,
or produces carbon dioxide gas and alcohol.
 The three most commonly used yeasts in baking are compressed yeast, active
dry yeast, and quick-rise dry yeast.
Because of convenience we use active
dry yeast and quick –rise dry yeast. All
yeast is sensitive to temperature. Yeast
growth slows down at temperatures
below 34°F. Temperatures above 138°F
kill yeast cells. The ideal temperature
range for yeast fermentation is 78°F82°F.
3. Air and Steam
…are the basic physical leaveners. Introducing air into the batter is a way to
leaven the baked item. The air expands during
baking and leavens (or raises) the product. There are
two methods used to introduce air into batter:
creaming and foaming.
 In the creaming method, fat and sugar are
beaten together. Creaming is most often used in
cake and cookie making.
 In the foaming method, eggs are beaten, with or
without sugar. Whole egg foams are used in
sponge cakes, while egg white foams are used in
angel food cakes, meringues, and soufflés.
3. Shortening
… is another necessary baking ingredient that makes baked goods moist, adds flavor, and
keeps the baked item fresh longer. Any fat, such as oil or butter, acts as a shortening in
baking. The more thoroughly mixed the fat, the more it will affect the item's overall
texture.
 Fats that are rubbed or rolled into doughs tend to separate the dough into large
layers, creating a flaky texture.
 When the fat is thoroughly creamed together with the other ingredients, the
resulting texture of the baked item will be smooth, soft, and more cake-like.
4. Sweeteners
… include refined sugars, molasses, brown sugar, corn syrup, honey, and malt syrup
(usually used in yeast breads). Sweeteners add flavor to baked goods. They also help the
shortening blend with other ingredients, and make the product soft and tender. When the
product is baked, the heat causes the sugar to turn a light brown color. This process is
called caramelization, and occurs whenever sugar is used as an ingredient in baked items.
5. Flavorings
Flavorings, such as spices, salt, and extracts, affect a baked item's taste and color.
 Spices used most often in baking are cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves, ginger,
caraway, cardamom, allspice, anise, and poppy seeds.
 Salt plays an important role in baking. It improves the texture of breads and
controls how yeast acts (ferments) in bread doughs.
 Extracts are flavorful oils taken from such foods as vanilla, lemon, and almond. A
few drops of extract will greatly enhance the flavor of baked goods. Flavorings
need to be measured accurately so that the flavor of the spice or extract will not
overwhelm the flavor of the finished baked product.
6. Liquids
One of the most important elements used in baking is liquid. The liquid used in baking
can be water, milk, cream, molasses, honey, or butter. Liquid is used in baking to provide
moisture to the product and to allow the gluten to properly develop.
 Water is the most basic and common form of liquid used in baking.
 Often, milk products such as whole milk, buttermilk, cream, or dried milk, are
used. Milk provides the baked product with flavor, nutritional value, and texture.
 Honey, molasses, eggs, and butter also act as a liquid in baking by contributing
moisture to the baked item, as well as a unique taste and texture