1. Baking

2. Ingredient Basics Common ingredients in all baking:
Flour-proteins and starch in flour gives most of the structure
Liquid- Usually water or milk
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
Flavoring- extract flavors, spices, herb, vegetables, nuts

3. Flour
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

4. Leavening Agents
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

5. Continue
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).

6. Batters and Doughs
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.

7. Batters and 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

8. Quick Breads
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

9. Muffin Method
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.
Do not over mix
Mixture should be lumpy
A properly mixed muffin should have a rounded, pebbly top

10. Loaf Breads
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

11. Biscuits
Biscuits are delicate, crisp crust and peels apart in tender layers
2 kinds of biscuits:
Rolled- rolling 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.
Dropped- dough is dropped with spoon. Contain more liquid and are too sticky to roll.
- Both are made using the pastry and biscuit method of mixing

12. Pastry and Biscuit Methods
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.

13. Cookies
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

14. Cookies continued
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

15. Cookies continued 5. Pressed cookies: Are made by
pushing dough through a cookie
press, which can create a variety
of shapes. Ex: Spritz cookies
6. 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