Baking is a science that relies on certain ingredients to achieve the desired outcome. Whether you’re making cakes, cookies, muffins or breads, there are basic components that go into every recipe. Understanding how these baking ingredients work together can help make your baking projects more successful and delicious.
Flour
Flour provides the structure of baked goods. It is made up of proteins that form gluten when mixed with water. Gluten helps dough to rise and gives it shape and texture. Different types of flour affect the outcome of a recipe, so be sure to use the type of flour specified in a recipe for best results.
Leaveners
Leaveners are ingredients that cause dough to rise. Commonly used leaveners include baking soda, baking powder and yeast. Baking soda is a basic ingredient that helps dough to rise quickly when combined with an acid such as vinegar or buttermilk. Baking powder can be either single-acting or double-acting and contains both the acid and the base needed to cause dough to rise. Yeast is a living organism that must be “fed” in order for it to produce carbon dioxide, which causes dough to rise.
Shortening
Shortening helps give baked goods their tender texture and prevents them from becoming too dry. It also adds richness and flavor. Common shortening ingredients include butter, margarine, vegetable shortening and lard.
Sugars
Sugars play a variety of roles in baking recipes, such as adding flavor and sweetness, softening gluten strands to give dough a more tender texture, helping batter to spread more evenly and aiding in browning. Common sugars used in baking include granulated sugar, brown sugar and confectioners’ sugar.
Eggs
Eggs provide structure, richness and flavor to baked goods. They also act as a leavener by trapping air bubbles which helps dough to rise.
Milk and Cream
Milk and cream are both added to dough or batter for flavor, moisture and richness. They also help to tenderize and soften gluten strands in dough.
These are just a few of the common ingredients used in baking, but understanding how they work together can be key to creating delicious treats every time. Experiment with different recipes to see how these ingredients work together and you’ll soon become an expert baker!
Happy baking!
Our products are known for their simple flavors without the overwhelming sweetness of sugar or corn syrup. We only use the highest quality ingredients with no preservatives and or mixes. We choose to make perishable products without artificial preservatives or other ingredients because we believe in the principles of purity and freshness in food. Our products are always made from scratch, blending traditional artisan baking with innovative flavor combinations. To maintain their purity and freshness, we package our products individually.
Fine Sconehenge Baking Co.
1320 Flynn Rd Suite B
Camarillo, CA 93012
(805) 389-0033
www.finesconehengebakingco.com