1. Chocolate & flavorings
BAKING INGREDIENTS
Flour
Fats
Sugars
Eggs
Liquids
Leavening agents
Chocolate & flavorings
Salt

2. Flours White wheat flour Whole Wheat flour Rye flour
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
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
Does not contain gluten and so cannot make a crisp or chewy product. Usually some wheat flour must be added.

3. 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…

4. …Fats
Shortening
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
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.

5. 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…

6. …Sugars Refined sugar Molasses and brown sugar Corn syrup
Granulated sugar is the most commonly used.
Very fine sugars are used in cakes and cookies.
3. Coarse sugars are called sanding sugars, for topping baked goods
4. Icing sugar is very fine and is used in icings or for dusting finished products.
Molasses and brown sugar
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.

7. 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
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

8. 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.

9. For example, bread dough rises when proofed because of the gas CO2.
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
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.

10. …Leavening agents Baking soda Baking powder 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
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.

11. …Leavening agents Baking ammonia Air Steam A chemical leavener
Usually used only in large-scale commercial cookie baking.
The ammonia evaporates when the cookies bake.
Air
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
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.

12. 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.

13. 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

14. 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

15. Extracts and emulsions
Extracts are oils dissolved in alcohol
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
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

16. Most baked goods are made from only a very few ingredients.
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

17. …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

18. …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

19. …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

20. …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

21. …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

22. …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

23. …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

24. …Salt …Spices …Extracts and emulsions
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