ADVANCE BAKING MODULE - Baking Terms

LESSON 1.3

Alternately-add

To add a little of the dry ingredients into the batter first then a little of the liquid ingredients before beating until smooth.

All-purpose flour

A wheat flour with a medium gluten content of around 12 percent or so. Can be used for a whole range of baking, from crusty bread to cookies to fine cakes and pastries.

Autolyse

In bread baking, combining the flour and water before adding other ingredients and before kneading.

Bake

Cook with dry, radiant heat in an oven.

Batter

A mixture of flour, eggs, dairy, or other ingredients that is liquid enough to pour.

Bake blind

Baking the crust of a pie/tart without the filling. It can be done with a variety of methods. One would be to prick the bottom of the crust before filling it with pie weights, rice, pulses, or beans prior to baking.

Bain-marie

Also known as a hot water bath, it is usually used to melt chocolate and butter gently and gradually over a pot of simmering water.

Beat

Stir together very rapidly in order to incorporate air. This can be achieved with a fork, whisk, electric mixer, or food processor.

Biscuit method

Technique for blending cold fat into flour so that it achieves a flaky texture, like biscuits and scones.

Blend

Stir ingredients together until well mixed.

Bread flour

Wheat flour with a relatively high gluten content, usually around 13 to 14 percent, and used for making crusty bread and rolls, pizza doughs and similar products.

Butter

To spread/add butter onto something

Buttercream

The most common type of frosting, made by combining a type of fat (usually butter) with sugar.

Cake flour

A wheat flour with a lower gluten content, around 7.5 to 9 percent. Its fine, soft texture makes it preferable for tender cakes and pastries.

Caramelization

The chemical process that causes sugars and starches to turn brown when heated.

Chemical leavener

An ingredient such as baking powder or baking soda that uses a chemical reaction to produce gas that causes baked goods to rise.

Combine

Stir ingredients together just until mixed.

Chop

Using a knife or sharp object to repeatedly cut something into small pieces.

Coat

To cover something with a wet or dry substance. For example, after baking, bread loaves are usually coated with a layer of butter

Consistency

The texture and thickness of a substance.

Cool

Allowing something to reduce in temperature.

Cream

Beat together sugar and butter until a light, creamy texture and color have been achieved. This method adds air to the batter, which helps the leavening process. Sometimes eggs are also added during the creaming step.

Crimp

The technique of pinching the sides and tops of pie or tart crusts.

Crumb

The pattern of air holes in the structure of baked bread or cake.

Cut-In

Incorporating butter (or another solid fat) into flour just until the fat is in small, granular pieces resembling coarse sand. This is achieved by using two knives in a cross-cutting motion, forks, or a special pastry cutter.

Defrost

To remove the ice or frost from something frozen by increasing its temperature.

Dough

A thick mixture is made by combining flour/meal with a liquid. Usually refers to bread or pastry dough and it is stiff enough to be kneaded and rolled.

Dry Ingredients

Ingredients that are dry and don’t contain any water, usually in solid form. Some recipes require mixing dry ingredients before adding them to another mixture. Dry ingredients include flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.

Drizzle

Pour a thin stream of a liquid on top of something.

Dust

Coat the surface of something with a light sprinkling of a dry substance (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, etc.).

Egg Wash

Beaten eggs. Sometimes additional liquid such as milk and water are added. (verb) To brush a layer of beaten egg mixture over the surface of food, typically to add color after it is baked.

Emulsion

A mixture containing liquids that are immiscible such as oil and water

Essence

For baking flavorings: an artificial substance. For example, vanilla essence is made synthetically unlike vanilla extract. Hence, it is cheaper and less fragrant.

Extract

Refers to the natural substance that has been extracted straight from its source. For example, vanilla extract is the substance that has been retrieved straight from vanilla pods.

Fermentation

A process that converts the sugars and starches in bread dough into simpler substances such as carbon dioxide, which causes dough to rise, producing the holey texture you see in bread. Most bread recipes require two periods of rising.

Fold

Gently combine two substances in an effort to not deflate a delicate, lofty texture. Using a spatula, fold the bottom of the bowl up and over the top, turn the bowl 90 degrees, fold again, and repeat the process until combined.

Flaky pie dough

Pie dough made with bigger globs of shortening, usually around the size of peas or hazelnuts, used for top crusts and prebaked pie shells.

Firm peaks

Refers to a stage in whipping. When you lift up your beaters/whisk, the peaks should hold their shape better than soft peaks. Firm peaks have more distinct ridges, but with tips that are slightly bent.

Fondant

A candy paste that can be used to make candies and for covering cakes.

Ganache

A type of frosting made from melted chocolate and heavy cream.

Gelatinization

The chemical process causes starches to expand and absorb water when heated.

Germ

The embryo of a seed of cereal grain, containing protein, nutrients and fats.

Glaze

Coat with a thick, sugar-based sauce. Glossy coating.

Gluten

Proteins in wheat flour that give baked goods their structure and texture.

Grease

Coat the inside of a baking dish or pan with a fatty substance (oil, butter, lard) to prevent sticking.

Grease and flour

To brush a pan with fat or oil before dusting it with flour.

Grease and line

To brush a pan with fat or oil before dusting it is line with wax paper or greaseproof paper.

Hydration

The ratio of water to flour in bread. Higher or lower hydration results in different dough consistencies.

Icing/Frosting

A sweet glaze is used to cover or decorate food such as cakes, pastries, and cookies

Knead

Combine dough by hand on a hard surface. This involves folding the dough over, pressing down, turning 90 degrees, and then repeating the process. Kneading mixes the dough as well as developing gluten strands that give strength to bread and other baked goods.

Laminate

The process of alternating layers of dough with butter. The butter between the thin layers of dough let out steam during baking, helping the pastry puff up and rise, giving pastries such as croissants their delicate, airy and layered texture.

Let rise

To allow the yeast dough to ferment and double its volume.

Levain

A mixture of flour and water that is allowed to ferment before adding it to the main dough. Also known as sourdough starter.

Leavening

An ingredient such as yeast, baking powder, or baking soda that produces gas causes baked goods to rise.

Lumpy

Used to describe the texture of a substance - not smooth, has lumps.

Mealy pie dough

Pie dough made using smaller globs of shortening, resembling cornmeal. Mealy crusts are used for the bottoms of fruit or custard pies since they don't get as soggy as flaky ones.

Milk chocolate

A type of chocolate made from cocoa butter, sugar and milk solids.

Muffin method

A mixing technique where dry ingredients are combined with liquid ones, including liquid fats.

Oven spring

The quick initial rise of baked goods is triggered by the heat of the oven.

Parchment

Used to line baking pans to prevent food from sticking to them.

Pastry flour

Soft wheat flour with around 9 to 10 percent gluten, used for biscuits, muffins, cookies, pie doughs, and softer yeast doughs.

Pipe-out

To squeeze a liquid substance (usually a frosting) through a piping bag for decorating purposes.

Pre-baked

To bake a crust without the filling or to half-bake.

Punch down

Deflating bread dough, eliminating air bubbles so that it can be easily kneaded and shaped after its first rise. Contrary to its name, this process should be carried out gently.

Pre-heat.

To light the oven about 10 mins. in advance to allow the oven temperature to reached a desired degree of heat before the cake is baked.

Prick

To bore a hole in a cake to test if it is already done. It can also mean making a hole on an unbaked pastry using a fork to prevent ballooning.

Proof

Allowing bread dough to rise or yeast to activate.

Retarding

Chilling dough to slow its fermentation, for the purpose of increasing flavor and color.

Reroll

To roll again after the filling has been spread.

Roll

To shape a rectangular dough or cake into a cylinder.

Roll-out

To flaten dough to the desired thickness.

Royal icing

A hard, brittle icing used for decorating cakes and cookies.

Scald

To heat a liquid such as milk to near-boiling.

Scraggly

Typically used to describe dough which is too dry, hasn’t been fully kneaded, rough, and irregular in texture.

Scrape

Using a sharp-edged instrument to remove something from a surface. For example, scraping bread dough from a work table.

Shortening

Any type of fat added to a baking recipe. Fat interferes with the formation of long gluten strands, literally shortening the strands and producing a crumbly texture.

Sieve

Putting food through a sieve to separate solids from liquids, or lumps from powdered material.

Soft Peaks

Egg whites or cream that has been whipped to the point at which a peak will bend or slump over to one side. To create a peak, pull the whisk or beater straight up and out of the foam.

Stiff Peaks

Egg whites or cream that has been whipped to the point at which a peak will stand completely erect. To create a peak, pull the whisk or beater straight up and out of the foam.

Sourdough.

A bread leavened by a natural starter.

Sourdough starter

A natural starter, aka levain or pre-ferment.

Sour Milk

Milk to which vinegar, lemon or kalamansi juice has been added.

Sprinkle

To lightly scatter something (sugar, toppings, etc) over a food.

Thread-like

A stage where sugar syrup when drop from a spoon spins a thread.

Tint

To add color

Sponge

Refers to the sponge and dough method for making bread, consisting of two steps. The first step is the making of a yeast starter or yeast pre-ferment (aka sponge). After the sponge is left to ferment, it will be added to the final dough.

Tunneling

A large air gap between the crust and the crumb of a loaf of bread, usually caused by letting the dough rise for too long before baking.

Whisk

A kitchen tool made of wire loops that tends to add air as it mixes substances together.

Whip

Beating liquid ingredients such as heavy cream and egg whites using a whisk or mixer to produce volume. Air is incorporated into the liquid in this process, making it light, voluminous, and frothy.