Chapter 8.1 Bakeshop Basics

No small amount of time, effort, and precision go into creating delicious desserts. It is important to know the general ingredients that go into baked goods as well as how they are used and in what proportions Chapter 8 | Desserts and Baked Goods

Strengtheners Provide stability – Ensures the baked item doesn’t collapse once it is removed from the oven. – Examples include flour and eggs There are SIX types of flour and each have different properties – All-purpose flour: good for general production – Bread flour: high amounts of gluten – Cake flour: low gluten and very soft – Durum flour: even higher gluten content than regular bread flour – Pastry flour: characteristics fall in between bread and cake flours – Semolina flour: a type of durum; used for pasta Chapter 8 | Desserts and Baked Goods

Shortenings/Fats Characteristics: –Make baked goods moist –Add flavor –Keep the baked item fresh longer The more thoroughly it’s mixed in, the more it will affect the texture. –Fats that are rubbed or rolled into dough will have a flaky texture –Creamed fats will have a cake-like texture Examples: –Shortening, butter, margarine, oils, lard, shortening 4

Sweeteners Characteristics: –add flavor and color to baked goods Heat causes the sugar to turn brown and caramelize Examples: –Molasses, Brown sugar, Turbinado sugar, Granulated sugar, Confectioners sugar, Super-fine sugar, Corn syrup, maple syrup, and honey 5

Leavening Agents Characteristics: –Allows the dough or batter to rise/increase in volume –React with moisture or sweetening agents to produce carbon dioxide which causes bubbles –Measure carefully! Examples: –Baking soda, baking powder, yeast, air 6

Eggs Characteristics: – Add flavor – Yolk helps emulsify oil and liquids – Provides moisture and binds ingredients together – Aids in browning Examples: – Shelled eggs and egg products 7

Liquids Characteristics –Provides moisture that allows the gluten to develop Examples: –water, milk, cream, melted butter 8

Flavorings Characteristics: – Affect the item’s taste and color Examples: – Cocoa, spices, salt, and extracts – Common spices are cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves, ginger, caraway, cardamom, allspice Salt improves the texture of bread and controls how yeast ferments Need to be measure accurately so they do not over-power the flavor of the finished product. 9

Difference in Baking In other types of cooking, flavors can be adjusted during the cooking process. Baking is different—once the dish is prepared and placed in the oven, there is no opportunity for change. –Because of this, formulas are used instead of recipes. –A formula is a recipe format in which all ingredients are provided as baker’s percentages. –Helps ensure that measurements are performed consistently and accurately Chapter 8 | Desserts and Baked Goods

Baker’s Percentages A Baker’s Percentage is the weight of a particular ingredient expressed as a percentage based on the weight of the main ingredient in the formula. –If flour is the main ingredient in a formula, its bakers percentage is set to 100% and all other ingredients in the formula are expressed as a percentage based on the weight of the flour.

Baker’s % Example If the formula also uses sugar and the baker’s percentage for sugar is 50%, it means that no matter how much flour is used to prepare that formula, the weight of the sugar used will always be equal to 50% of the weight of the flour. THE TOTAL SUM OF BAKER’S PERCENTAGES IN A FORMULA WILL ALWAYS BE GREATER THAN 100%!!!!

Baker’s % Example Two important rules when using Baker’s Percentage: – All items must be weighed (not measured by volume). – All measurements must have the same unit of measure. IngredientsBaker’s Percentage Bread Flour (main ingredient)100% Water75% Fresh yeast2% Salt1% TOTAL178%