BAKING INGREDIENTS
Flour
Fats
Sugars
Eggs
Liquids
Leavening agents
Chocolate & flavorings
Salt
Flours
White wheat flour
1.
2.
3.
4.
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
1.
2.
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
1.
Does not contain gluten and so cannot make a crisp or chewy
product. Usually some wheat flour must be added.
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
Shortening
1.
2.
3.
4.
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
1.
2.
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.
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…
…Sugars
Refined sugar
1.
2.
3.
4.
Granulated sugar is the most commonly used.
Very fine sugars are used in cakes and cookies.
Coarse sugars are called sanding sugars, for topping baked
goods
Icing sugar is very fine and is used in icings or for dusting
finished products.
Molasses and brown sugar
1.
2.
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.
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
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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
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.
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
1.
2.
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.
…Leavening agents
Baking soda
1.
2.
3.
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
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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.
…Leavening agents
Baking ammonia
1.
2.
3.
A chemical leavener
Usually used only in large-scale commercial cookie baking.
The ammonia evaporates when the cookies bake.
Air
1.
2.
3.
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
1.
2.
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.
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.
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
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
Extracts and emulsions

Extracts are oils dissolved in alcohol
1.
2.

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
1.
2.
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
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
…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
…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
…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
…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
…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
…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
…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
…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