Baking and Quick Breads

Ingredients Used in Baking Flour The endosperm portion of the wheat kernel Provides structure to the baked product Gluten Develops when flour is mixed with liquid Long elastic strands More mixing produces stronger gluten and a product that has a strong structure

Ingredients Used in Baking Types of Flour All Purpose Flour Most commonly used Combination of hard and soft wheat Self-rising flour Contains baking powder and salt Whole Wheat Flour Contains germ and bran in addition to endosperm Bran limits gluten formation Produces heavy dense baked products Combination of both all purpose and whole wheat must be used in baking Should be stored in refrigerator

Types of Flour Bread Flour Hard wheat flour blended with barley flour High gluten Works best with yeast breads not delicate pastries Cake and Pastry Flour Soft wheat flour Produce less gluten Produces fine tender texture of baked products

Types of Flour Gluten Flour High protein flour Hard wheat with protein solids Used with other types of flour such as rye flour Bagels and hearty breads made with gluten flour Instant Flour Grains of flour are coated to provide easy mixing and no lumps Used only for sauces and gravies

Ingredients Used in Baking Liquids Necessary for gluten formation Activates the leavening qua Can be juice, sour cream, yogurt Provide moistness Proportion of liquid and flour will influence the final qualities of the baked produce

Ingredients Used in Baking Leavening Agent Leavener Creates chemical reaction causing baked product to rise Activated by liquid and heat

Leavening Agents Baking Soda Bicarbonate of Soda Not an acidic ingredient Reacts chemically with acidic ingredients in recipes Reacts instantly with liquids in recipe First mixed with dry ingredients before being mixed with liquids to trap the gas from escaping

Leavening Agents Baking Powder Combination of baking soda and an acid ingredient (cream of tartar) Does not require an acidic liquid to create a reaction Double acting Reacts once with the liquid ingredients in the recipe Reacts again with the heat during baking

Leavening Agents Yeast Fungus thrives on moisture and warmth We will focus more on yeast next semester with yeast breads

Leavening Agents Air Air is added when ingredients are beaten Trapped air expands and causes product to rise during baking time Angel food cake Steam Steam leavens when a large amount of liquid is present Baking and heat turn the liquid into steam As steam expands and rises, so does the product Cream puffs Popovers

Ingredients Used in Baking Fats Provide richness and flavor Make the crust brown and texture tender Most often you can replace one solid fat with another solid fat Don’t use whipped butter or soft margarine for baking…results will be less than desirable Common fats include: Butter Margarine Lard Oil

Ingredients Used in Baking Sweeteners Provide flavor (sweetness) tenderness and browning to baked products Common sweeteners: Sugar Granulated Sugar Brown Sugar Confectioner’s Sugar Powdered sugar Honey Molasses Corn Syrup

Ingredients Used in Baking Eggs Provide: Flavor Color Richness Tenderness Food Value Help to bind ingredients together Flavorings Enhance flavor Spices Extracts

Baking Process As product bakes: Surface absorbs heat moisture evaporates and forms a crust Heat penetrates inside activating leavening agent causing rising to occur Moisture continues to evaporate and crust begins to set as product takes on its final shape

Baking Process Oven temperature Use recommended oven temperature to avoid over or under baking Preheat oven to ensure constant and continuous oven temperature entire baking time Avoid peeking and opening oven door…this lost heat can affect the final product Using glass pans…reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees Using dark metal pans…reduce oven temperature by 10 degrees These types of pans retain more heat and can create a thick crust

Baking Process Choose specified pan size Prepare pans according to recipe guidelines Grease and flour Spray with cooking spray Line with paper

Baking Process Baking in convection oven Be aware of continuous air flow Baking in a microwave Products don’t brown or develop a crust Test for doneness Toothpick Color Touch center lightly Pulling away from sides of pan Remove product from pan If allowed to sit in the pan will become soggy

Quick Breads Quick breads are leavened by agents that allow immediate baking Yeast is not used in quick breads Specific mixing methods Muffin Method Biscuit Method

Muffin Method of Mixing Batter is produced Greater proportion of liquid ingredients to solid ingredients Liquid fat is used Dry ingredients in large mixing bowl Liquid ingredients are added to the dry and quickly stirred Lumpy batter is produced Muffins Pancakes Loaf breads

Biscuit Method of Mixing Dough is produced Greater proportion of flour to liquid ingredients Solid fat is used Fat is cut into dry ingredients using a dough blender Liquid ingredients are quickly added to produce a soft dough Biscuits Scones Shortcakes