LESSON 4

BAKING INGREDIENTS
The main ingredient among all other ingredients.
It is a powdery product obtained from milled
cereals, foremost of which is wheat. Flour
provides the structure of baked products, and it
also contributes to the color, texture, and flavor.
1. Whole-wheat flour – also called graham or entire-wheat flour.
It contains the compact of wheat kernel in its original proportion.

2. Bread flour – also known as strong or hard flour; it has 12-

14% gluten content. It has a course texture – gritty, sandy, dry,
and granular. It has a creamy color and does not usually lump
when pressed together. This type of flour is ideal for making
breads, rolls, and other sweet yeast-raised products.
3. All-purpose flour – widely known as general flour or pastry flour; it
contains 10-11% gluten content. It is a combination of bread and cake
flour. Hence, it is used as a substitute for making breads, and pastries.
For bread making, it requires more kneading to develop gluten. In
cakes, it requires less mixing to control gluten development.

4. Cake flour – also refers to soft flour; it has 7-9% gluten content. It is
ideal for cakes, cookies, and pastries. This flour has a velvety and
smooth texture, is whiter than bread flour and all purpose flour, and
tends to hold shape when lumped together.
1. Enriched flour – composed of white flour and specified
amounts of nutrients that are required by law. (In the
Philippines, flour is enriched with thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, and
iron, which is a standard practice).

2. Self-rising flour – is composed of white flour in which

sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) plus an acid salt (usually
calcium phosphate), are added as leavening. This type of flour
is convenient for those who wish to prepare products that use
baking powder.
3. Quick-mixing flour – it is white flour that has been
moistened then re-dried. When used, it does not lump or
pack, and blends smoothly with liquid ingredients.

4. Non-wheat flour – refers to the group of flour that uses

root crops and legumes instead of wheat. In the Philippines,
the common ones available in the market are potato flour,
corn flour, rice flour, kamote (sweet potato) flour, malagkit
(waxy rice) flour, ube flour, and several others.
 SUGAR
This is a sweet, crystalline, soluble compound that comes from the
processing of sugar cane and sugar beets.

1. Brown Sugar – comes in different shades of brown depending on

how well it has been processed. Unlike white sugar, it contains some
caramel, mineral water, and has more moisture.
2. White, granulated sugar – commonly used by bakers in
practically all baked products and in preparing varieties of
icings, fillings, etc. it varies in texture – from coarse to sandy,
to fine to smooth.

3. Confectioners’ sugar – the finest in texture compared

with brown or white sugar. It contains 3% cornstarch. This
type of sugar is used mostly for icing and in cake mixes
where a blending of flour and sugar is done and then added
in the final stages of mixing.
1. Panutsa – a solid mass of crude sugar usually in half
coco shell shape

2. Lump sugar – cube-shaped when sold in markets. It

is white and porous.

3. Molasses – unrefined sugar that is liquid in form,

black in color, and very thick in consistency.
 LEAVENING AGENTS
These are the substances that produce gas while mixing or
heating the dough or the batter. When gas is produced, the
product increases its volume and becomes light and porous.

1. Air – is incorporated in several ways:

• When one creams butter and sugar;

• When eggs are added one at a time while mixing;

• When the batter is folded into whipped egg whites;

• Or when egg whites are beaten with a whisk beater.

 2. Steam or hot water vapor – causes the mixture to rise as in
steamed puto or siopao.
3. Carbon dioxide – is produced through the use of yeast (a biological
leavener) or baking powder and baking soda (chemical leaveners).

Yeast – a unicellular plant that reproduces by budding. It is available in the

market in dry and granular form, and as cake or compressed yeast.

Baking powder – a chemical leavening agent that is produced by mixing

baking soda and acid salt.

Baking soda – another chemical leavening agent, which is also called

sodium bicarbonate or bicarbonate of soda.
 LIQUID INGREDIENTS
Liquid ingredients include water, milk or cream, and fruit juices. In
baking it is added to flour to develop the gluten. The amount of water
on the flour influences its consistency.
Liquid ingredients are important in baking for the following reasons:

1. They are integral components in the preparation of batters and dough.

2. They add flavors as in milk and juices.

3. They contribute to the volume and texture of the product.

They promote the growth of leavening agents like yeast in lukewarm

water.
 FATS AND OILS
1. Butter – it is ripened cream of milk. It contains 80%
butterfat. It is used in dough to improve the taste and flavor of
the baked product.

2. Butter Compounds – it is made by mixing 40% melted fat,

and the rest coming from vegetable oil such as coconut oil,
peanut oil, corn oil etc. it is less expensive than butter and
are used mostly in bread.
3. Margarine – is fat emulsified with cultured milk. It contains
about 80% fat and about 16% water. Margarine is widely used in
bread, cakes and cookies.

4. Hydrogenated Fat – is plastic fat or shortening. This made

from deodorized vegetable oil such as coconut, corn, soybeans,
cottonseed oil, etc.

5. Hog Fat or Lard – it comes from the back or sides of hogs and
it is solid at room temperature. It has a soft texture, adds more
flavor, and is easy to handle. It is excellent in making bread, crust
and biscuits and makes the product tender, light and flaky.
6. Vegetable Oils – are liquid fats used in cakes and breads.

The following are the uses of fats for all types of yeast bread:

1. It contributes to the tenderness of the product.

2. It improves the flavor of the bread.

3. It helps in retaining air in the dough, thus, giving it a better

volume and crust.

4. It lubricates the gluten strands, producing better layer.

 EGGS
Eggs contribute a lot to a baked product. It acts as leavener, gives color,
richness, flavor, and nutritive value to breads and pastries. Using good
quality eggs provides a better-flavored product. Quality of eggs refers to
the condition of the shell, air sac, white, and yolk. A fresh egg has a
clean, unbroken shell and an air sac with depth of about 3/8 inch; the
white is thick and the yolk is rounded and standing. Fresh eggs last for 7
days at room temperature. Store them in the refrigerator for longer
storage. Never wash the eggs with water; just wipe them using a clean,
damp cloth. Then put the rounded end facing up inside the refrigerator.
 OTHER INGREDIENTS

1. Salt – also known as sodium chloride. It is used to bring out the

flavor of an otherwise bland, too sweet, or too sour taste.

2. Spices or Seeds – are used in baking mainly due to the aroma

and flavor they impart to the baked products. They provide accent to
the flavor and usually originate from the plant sources like seeds,
flowers, barks of trees, roots and fruits.

3. Flavorings – flavor extracts, whether synthetic or natural, are

widely used in cakes, cookies, pastries, breads and pies. They are
essential oils extracted mostly from fruits, leaves, beans, or imitations
of the same.
 GENERAL GUIDELINES AND PRINCIPLES IN BAKING

1. Be familiar with the kinds of flour and their specific uses. Cake flour is ideal
for cakes, bread flour for practically all breads, and all-purpose flour for
cookies and pastries. While substitution can be made in the absence of one
type, it is always best to use the ideal type.

2. The frequency and intensity of mixing flour with other ingredients differ from
each product. As a general rule, breads need thorough kneading for highly
developed gluten. Cakes need just enough mixing for a well-blended batter,
while pastries require a special technique in mixing such that some amount of
gluten is developed but the dough retains its characteristics of flakiness and
tenderness.
3. Ingredients combined in a product react differently at various
temperatures. At higher temperature, sugar becomes soluble, fat spreads
faster, and flour absorbs water rapidly.

4. The rate at which the boiling temperature inside the product is reached
depends on oven temperature, ingredients, size, and shapes of baking pans.

5. Baked products that are crisp or brittle require higher temperature than
boiling point, while those that are soft and spongy, like breads, cakes, or
muffins, do not require above boiling point temperature.

6. When the oven temperature is too high, crust is formed too fast, limiting its
expansion, thus, producing a product that is cracked and lower in volume.
But when the oven temperature is too low, the product falls and does not rise
in volume. Good quality product is a result of the right baking temperature.
7. To start right, check all ingredients (with their prescribe kinds and amount),
baking procedure, tools, and equipment needed. Assemble all these within easy
reach. Pre-heat your oven while working on your ingredients. Set the thermostat
at the right temperature as prescribed in the recipe.

8. Do all preparation activities like measuring, sifting, greasing, peeling, paring,

mashing, chopping, thawing, etc. before mixing.

9. Follow carefully the procedures and techniques in correct measurements for

dry and liquid ingredients.
 10. Know how to execute properly the different processes involved in
baking. The most common processes are the following:

• Beat – to make the mixture smooth using a hand or electric mixer.

• Blend – to combine thoroughly

• Caramelize – to melt sugar to a golden-brown syrup

• Cream – to rub one or two ingredients with a wooden spoon or mixer

until their light and fluffy
• Cut and Fold – combination of two motions: one that cuts vertically through the
mixture, then turning it over by gliding the rubber scraper across the bottom of the
bowl at each turn

• Dredge – to lightly coat or sprinkle with flour, cornmeal, or sugar, (e.g., dredge the
grease pan with flour)

• Glaze – to coat with syrup that is cooked to the cracked stage

• Knead - to mix the dough with a pressing motion accompanied by folding and
stretching

• Mash – to soften by pressing or mixing

• Preheat – to turn the oven at the required temperature before baking

 • Scald – to heat below boiling point in a double broiler

• Sift – to pass through a sifter

• Stir – to blend ingredients with a circular motion

• Whip – to beat rapidly with a hand or electric mixer to incorporate air

11. Using the right size of baking pan needed for the recipe. Using
the correct pan gives your baked product a good size, good shape,
and good contour. Baking pan with straight sides gives cake a very
fine texture. It is advisable to use aluminum pans as they distribute
the heat evenly, resulting to a delicate golden brown crust.