Baking Ingredients: Properties and Uses
Produced from the milling and sifting of cleaned wheat.
Gluten – tough, rubbery substance created when wheat flour is mixed with water. It is composed of glutenin and gliadin. It is plastic and elastic which can change shape under pressure. It is responsible for the volume, texture and appearance of baked goods.
Classifications of Wheat Flour:
Also known as: Strong or hard flour, “Primera”, or “Superior”
High protein content: 12-14% high gluten strength
Family flour, general flour, or pastry flour
Protein content: 10-11% medium gluten strength
For: General Baking; Biscuits, Pie Crust, Cookies
Weak or soft flour from soft wheat and made from the most refined white flour
Lower protein content: 7-9% (weak gluten strength)
COMPOSITE FLOURS Flours produced not from wheat which include the following:
Produces a richer crust and increases dough development and tenderness.
It also acts as preserving agent.
Classifications of Sugar:
Crystalline or granulated sugar – Table sugar, “refined” or white sugar
Brown or yellow sugar – Partially purified sugar, from light medium to very dark brown. It is used when the flavor and color of the brown sugar is desired for some products.
Superfine or Caster sugar – granulated sugar with a smaller-sized crystal. Dissolves quickly in liquids and produces light and tender cakes.
Powdered or confectioner’s sugar – Smoothest and whitest form of sugar. Contains approx. 3% cornstarch to prevent caking. For making icings, frostings, candies, and other mixes that require fineness of sugar
To hydrate flour to form gluten
Control dough consistency and temperature
Provide leavening action in the form of steam
Increases dough strength, improves texture of bread, contributes golden brown color, add nutrition, flavor and aroma.
Fresh whole milk - Pasteurized whole milk which has been heated at 140°F for 30 min and then quickly cooled to 50° or lower
Sterilized – canned whole milk which has been heated at 100°C (212°F)
Evaporated – full cream milk which 40% of water has been removed by evaporation
Rich, liquid milk product containing at least 18% fat.
Half-and-Half cream – a mixture of whole milk and pasteurized cream containing 10%-18% milkfat.
Light cream – more than 18% milkfat but less than 30%.
Light whipping cream or Whipping Cream – contains 30% to 36% milkfat. This can be whipped into a foam.
Heavy whipping cream or Heavy cream – should contain not less than 36% milkfat; can be whipped into a foam.
Produced by adding bacteria to convert the lactose into lactic acid.
Butter milk – produced by adding Streptococcus lactis to skim or low-fat milk
Sour cream – produced by adding Streptococcus lactis to homogenized light cream.
Crème fraiche – cultured cream popular in French cuisine. Thinner and richer than sour cream
Yogurt – produced when milk is cultured with Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus
Corn syrup –It is hygroscopic and keeps products moist like brownies and fondant.
Honey – created by honey bees from nectar collected from flowers. It is highly hygroscopic.
Maple syrup – made from the sap of sugar maple trees.
Molasses – the liquid by-product of sugar refining (made only from sugarcane).
Eggs serve as thickening, binding and leavening agents.
They contribute color, richness in flavor and aroma to baked products.
Use LARGE eggs in any baking recipe.
LEAVENING AGENTS They help increase the volume of a batter or dough through gas produced during mixing or baking.Kinds of Leavening Agents:
Air - produced during whipping eggs into a foam.
Steam – produced when water in the dough or batter is heated
Yeast – a type of fungus used to leaven breads. Converts sugar to alcohol and carbon dioxide – known as fermentation.
Baking soda – sodium bicarbonate. It reacts with the acid which creates carbon dioxide that leavens the product.
Baking powder – mixture of baking soda and cream of tartar. There are two kinds: single acting (creates gas when heated) and double acting (creates gas before and during heating).
Cream of tartar - slow acting powder w/c retains a bigger amount of the gas until the mixture has been heated. Used in meringues as a stabilizer.
Fresh or compressed yeast – soft and brick-type, needs to be dissolved in water.
Active dry yeast – comes in the form of tiny pellets or granules. It requires lukewarm water to soften the yeast and make it “alive”.
Instant active dry yeast – developed by LeSaffre in 1970s. It absorbs water instantly and makes the dough rise quickly.
FATS or SHORTENING Shortening refers to any fat that, when added to flour mixtures, increases the tenderness or softness of a product. It also improves flavor and gives better volume and crust.
Market Forms of Shortening:
Vegetable oil – from coconut, corn, olive and peanut. Difficult to handle and its efficiency in doughs is limited.
Lard – comes from pork fat of highest quality. Best used in pie crusts but rarely used commercially.
Hydrogenated vegetable shortening or Emulsified shortening – used in breads and pie crusts
Butter – made from cow’s milk fat and cream or milk. It gives the product the best flavor and aroma. Unsalted butter is preferred.
Margarine – product made from vegetable fat emulsified or churned with milk or cream. Primarily used as pastry shortening because it melts at a slightly higher temperature than butter. It is a healthier substitute to butter.
MINOR INGREDIENTS OF BAKED PRODUCTS Ingredients in baked products which are used in small quantities are termed as minor ingredients. They also play an important role in the making of the finished products.
SALT – available in rock, refined or iodized. It is the most common seasoning that accentuates the flavor of other ingredients, removes the flatness in the flavor of other ingredients, controls the action of yeast
HERBS & SPICES – pungent or aromatic products in a finely ground state. Example: allspice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and mace.
SEEDS & other GRAIN PRODUCTS – Rolled instant oats, sesame seeds, poppy, sunflower, and mungbeans
NUTS – Peanuts, brazil nuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, hazel nuts, walnuts, pili, cashew nut, pistachio, almonds
FRESH FRUITS – For making pies and pastries, or decors on cakes.
DRIED FRUITS – dried figs, apricots, mangoes, cherries, pears, prunes, raisins that are used to decorate bread products like raisin breads or Christmas fruit cake
ARTIFICIAL LIQUID FLAVORINGS – Modifies the taste and aroma of baked products: coffee, vanilla, imitation fruit flavors or extracts, liqueurs and spirits.
CHOCOLATE AND COCOA – commonly used in cake finishing such as frosting or toppings and fillings for pastries, pies, and cookies.
ARTIFICIAL FOOD COLORING – liquid or powder form; only BFAD approved AFC should be used.
