 Common ingredients in all baking:
 Flourproteins and starch in flour gives most of the structure
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LiquidUsually water or milk
Leavening agentscauses product to rise
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Fatsadds tenderness, richness and flavor
Sweetenersprovides sweetness and flavor, makes product tender, and helps crust brown
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Eggshelp form the structure and binds
Flavoringextract flavors, spices, herb, vegetables, nuts

 When flour and liquid are mixed together, the gluten in flour develops, or becomes strong and elastic.
- Gluten is a protein that affects the texture of a baked product and helps determines the structure
- Over mixing will form too much gluten, which will lead to a tough consistency with long narrow tunnels
Gluten is like a steel bridge, it provides the support/structure for all other components of the recipe

 Leavening agent is a substance that triggers a chemical action causing a baked product to rise
 Types of leavening agents:
 Air: trapped air in mixture expands when the product is heated. Ex: Angel food is mainly leaven by beaten egg whites
 Steam: As a product bakes, temperature of the water rises and steam is formed. The steam expands which causes product to rise. Ex: Cream puffs

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Yeast: is an alive microorganism that produces carbon dioxide gas as it grows.
Yeast requires food, liquid and warm temperatures in order to act as a leavening agent
Baking soda: leavening agent used with acidic liquids, such as buttermilk, yogurt or sour milk. Baking soda produces carbon dioxide gas when activated by the acidic liquid
Baking powder: Made of baking soda and a powered acid (ex: cream of tarter).

 The amount of liquid in relation to the amount of flour determines whether a mixture is a batter or a dough. Batters have more liquid than doughs.

 Four kinds of batters and doughs are:
1. Pour batters: thin enough to pour in a steady stream. Ex: Cakes, pancakes, waffles
2. Drop batters: are thick and are usually spooned into pans. Ex: some quick breads and cookies
3. Soft doughs: are soft and sticky but can be touched and handled. Ex: rolled biscuits, yeast breads and rolls, and some cookies start with soft doughs
4. Stiff doughs: are firm to the touch, easy to work with and cut. Ex: Piecrust and some cookies

 Quick breads are quick and easy to make.
They don’t require kneading and usually use baking powder as a leavening agent.
 High in carbohydrates, protein, B vitamins and iron. Some quick breads can be high in fat
 Examples of quick breads are muffins, biscuits, pancakes, corn bread, and fruit breads

 Muffin method- Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl and make a well in the center.
Mix all liquid ingredients in separate bowl and then pour them in the dry ingredient bowl.
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Do not over mix
Mixture should be lumpy
 A properly mixed muffin should have a rounded, pebbly top

 Many quick loaf breads are mixed in the same manner as muffins.
 Usually baked in greased loaf pans
 If bread contains fruits or nuts, the bottom of the pan should be lined with parchment paper

 Biscuits are delicate, crisp crust and peels apart in tender layers
 2 kinds of biscuits:
 Rolledrolling out dough ½ inch thick and cutting with a biscuit cutter. If you do not have a biscuit cutter, use the rim of a water glass.
 Droppeddough is dropped with spoon. Contain more liquid and are too sticky to roll.
- Both are made using the pastry and biscuit method of mixing

 In the pastry and biscuit method the fat is cut into the flour. To cut in means to mix solid fat and flour using a pastry blender or 2 knives in a cutting direction.

 Cookies vary in texture, shapes, and sizes. There are six basic kinds of cookies:
1. Bar Cookies: Are baked in square or rectangular pans and then cut into bars, squares or diamonds. Textures vary from cakelike to chewy. Ex: Brownies
2. Drop cookies: Made from soft dough that is dropped from teaspoon onto cookie sheet.
Ex: Chocolate chip cookie

3. Rolled cookies: Also called cut-out cookie.
Are made from stiff dough that is rolled out and cut out.
Ex: Sugar cookies
4. Molded cookies: Are formed by shaping the dough by hand into balls. Can be rolled in nuts or can be flatten with a fork before baking. Ex:
Peanut butter cookies

5. Pressed cookies: Are made by pushing dough through a cookie press, which can create a variety of shapes. Ex: Spritz cookies
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Sliced cookies: Also called refrigerator cookies. They are made by forming a soft dough into a long roll and refrigerating it. When roll is chilled and firm, cookies are sliced and baked