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Fig Cake in oven(iStock) Fig: Cookies in oven(iStock) Fig: Bread in oven(Serious Eats)
Baked goods are, undoubtedly, culinary staples in everyday life. It’s where chemistry and creativity comes to fusion with precision, control and chemical reactions taking place to create some of the most delectable and mouth-watering culinary delights ever.
That is why we’re here today to give you a basics insight into the world of baking, and some of the fundamental reactions that brings the culinary masterpieces to life. These include leavening agents such as yeast, baking powder, and baking soda which work their magic to create the baked goods we all love!
Fig: The Chemistry of Baking (CompoundChem)
Fig: Yeast Fermentation in Different Culinary Applications. (collected)
Let’s dive in to discover some of the fundamental chemical processes that occur in baking!
Yeast Fermentation
Yeast Fermentation
Yeast is a microorganism that ferments sugars present in the dough. It is a plant that feeds on starch and sugars, releasing CO2, alcohol and sugar. The CO2 bubbles give the dough a light, airy texture.
Yeast is made up of many tiny, single-celled plants, and various conditions are required to ensure proper growth and usage. When yeast is used in baking, the conditions and the utensils should be kept lukewarm to obtain the best results. As soon as the yeast has been added to the dough or batter, the yeast begins to feed on the starch in the mixture, forming sugar, alcohol and carbon dioxide. The bubbles of CO2 cause the dough to expand and rise. The bubbles of CO2 must be properly distributed throughout the dough, which is why the process of kneading the dough is
crucial when baking. The dough is usually left at rest again after kneading, to ensure the yeast fully ferments the sugar, to create the airy and fluffy texture of bread. However, if the mixture is left too long, acid produced by the oxidation of the alcohol causes the product to taste sour.
Fig: Different Types of Yeast (Longbourn Farm)
However, not all types of yeast are the same.
Yeast is an essential ingredient that helps dough rise and creates that beloved airy texture in baked goods. But not all yeasts are the same, and achieving the perfect rise requires the right combination of yeast, flour, water, sugar, and salt. The type and quality of yeast significantly impact the bread's final texture and flavor, while flour and sugar provides the necessary gluten to trap the CO2 bubbles created by yeast during fermentation.
This is why understanding and mastering the chemistry behind these processes will enable the baker to harness the full power of yeast, and achieve that delicate balance between ingredients to create culinary masterpieces!
Baking Powder and Baking Soda:
Have you ever wondered how the cake that comes out the oven is fluffier and taller than when it goes in? Well, it’s all thanks to baking powder! Baking powder is a leavening agent. It is a mixture of powdered carbonate, starch, and a weak acid. The starch dissolves when the baking power is mixed with water. The carbonate and the acid react to each other, producing bubbles of carbon dioxide gas. These bubbles of carbon dioxide get trapped in the batter as you stir. Then, as the batter absorbs heat inside the oven, the bubbles of carbon dioxide gas heat up and spread out. The expanding bubbles of gas push the batter up and out, causing the cake to expand.
However, to fully understand baking powder we have to learn about baking soda.
Baking soda, or Sodium Bicarbonate, is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cation (Na+) and a bicarbonate anion (HCO3−). Sodium bicarbonate is a white solid that is crystalline but often appears as a fine powder.
Baking soda is primarily used in baking as a leavening agent. When it reacts with acid or is heated, carbon dioxide is released, which causes expansion of the batter and forms the characteristic texture of cakes, breads and other forms of baked or fried foods.
Baking soda, or Sodium Bicarbonate, is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cation (Na+) and a bicarbonate anion (HCO3−). Sodium bicarbonate is a white solid that is crystalline but often appears as a fine powder.
Baking soda is primarily used in baking as a leavening agent. When it reacts with acid or is heated, carbon dioxide is released, which causes expansion of the batter and forms the characteristic texture of cakes, breads and other forms of baked or fried foods.
In fact, baking powder is just baking soda, with an added acid!
Baking soda requires an acid and a liquid to rise, whereas baking powder requires only a liquid. When an acid is used, an acid–base reaction occurs.
Acidic materials that induce this reaction include hydrogen phosphates, cream of tartar, lemon juice, yogurt, buttermilk, cocoa, vinegar and others. Baking soda may be used together with sourdough, which is acidic, making a lighter product with a less acidic taste. Since the reaction occurs slowly at room temperature, mixtures (cake batter, etc.) can be allowed to stand without rising until they are heated in the oven.
Baking powder and baking soda may be substituted, but this will require accurate and precise measurements to ensure the chemical reactions occur smoothly, so they are not deemed as interchangeable. That is why on most recipes, bakers use both of these.
Chemical Reactions:
Baking involves various chemical reactions that take place to give us the delicious end product. Let’s break it down!
Some of the key reactions occur because of Sugar :
Sugar is most commonly thought of only as a sweetener, but in baking it aids in several reactions. Sugar provides a direct food source for the yeast, which in turn ferments it and produces CO2 bubbles for the dough. Sugar is also involved in other processes which gives the baked goods its distinct and mouth-watering flavors, such as the Maillard reaction, Caramelisation (you can find out more about these in our other articles!)
In the Maillard reaction, the sugar undergoes a series of complex browning reactions in high heat. The products of these reactions form the delectable brown crust of many baked goods. The reactions are essentially amino acid-catalysed caramelisation reactions in which a sugar aldehyde or ketone is converted to an unsaturated aldehyde or ketone.
Some of the other reactions involve primarily baking soda or baking powder. Once baking soda is added, the following reaction occurs in high heat:
2NaHCO3 → Na2CO3 + CO2 + H2O
However, we can see this reaction creates a very strong base, that is why an acid is added whenever baking soda is used, to neutralize it. We can also see this reaction is not as efficient as bakers would like them to be, as it produces, as only half of the available CO2 is released.
That is why usually in baking, baking powder is preferred more than using baking soda alone.
Baking powder is essentially a mixture of NaHCO3 and a weak solid acid or acid salt. When the mixture dissolves in water and the temperature is raised, CO2 is released according to the equation:
NaHCO3 + H+ (from the acid) → Na+ + H2O + CO2
Conclusion:
Undoubtedly, Baking is more than just mixing and stirring random ingredients together. Baking is a form of art, one that elevates the culinary experience up by bounds. It is a process that can be mastered and taught by the deep understanding of how chemistry works behind it, why and how each ingredient performs its role during the process, how it affects the end results. The intricate and precise details may discourage many to try baking, but once mixed with passion, creativity, and the understanding of the fascinating science behind it, a baker is sure to create culinary pieces that will make everyone salivate. So don’t be afraid to try baking, now with a deeper understanding of the chemistry behind it. Happy Baking!
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