Bakeshop
Ingredient Basics
Common ingredients in all baking:
 Flour-protein (gluten) and starch in flour gives most of the
structure
 Liquid- Usually water or milk for moistness
 Leavening agents- causes product to rise
 Fats- adds tenderness, richness and flavor
 Sweeteners-provides sweetness and flavor, makes product
tender, and helps crust brown
 Eggs- help form the structure and binds ingredients together
 Flavoring- extract flavors, spices, herb, vegetables, nuts
Leavening Agents
Leavening agent is a substance that triggers a
reaction 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 leavened 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
Leavening Agents (cont.)
 Yeast: is a living microorganism that
produces carbon dioxide gas as it feeds.
Yeast requires food, liquid and warm
temperatures.
Leavening Agents (cont.)
 Baking soda: Leavening agent used with acidic
liquids, such as buttermilk, yogurt, brown sugar, or
chocolate.
 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) and filler (corn
starch). When it gets wet it activates the acid and
baking soda, causing the reaction.
 Double Acting Baking Powder: Produces
bubbles when it gets wet, and again when it gets
hot.
 Used in recipes with no acid, because it already
contains the acid.
 Now that you understand how baking powder works,
you can understand two things you often see in
recipes:
 Many recipes instruct you to mix all of the dry
ingredients together and then add the liquid. That
keeps the baking powder from reacting until the end of
the mixing process.
 Many recipes tell you to mix only briefly -- just until the
ingredients are moistened. That minimizes the escape
of the gas from the batter. If you were to stir for a long
time, the reaction would end and the stirring would
have allowed the bubbles to escape.
Batters and
Dough
 The amount of liquid in
relation to the amount of
flour determines whether a
mixture is a batter or a
dough.
 A batter will have more
liquid than dough.
Batters and Dough's
Four kinds of batter and dough:

1.
Pour batter: thin enough to pour in a steady
stream. Ex: Cakes, pancakes, waffles
2. Drop batter: are thick and are usually spooned
into pans. Ex: Cookies and some quick breads
3. Soft dough: are soft and sticky but can be
touched and handled. Ex: rolled biscuits, yeast
breads and rolls, and some cookies start with
soft dough
4. Stiff dough: are firm to the touch, easy to work
with and cut. Ex: Piecrust and some cookies
Quick Breads
Baked products that are made with
chemical leavening agents, such as
baking soda and baking powder.
Examples: muffins, banana bread,
scones, biscuits, pancakes.
Muffin Method of Mixing
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.
 Do not over mix
 Mixture should be lumpy
 A properly mixed muffin should have a rounded,
pebbly top