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1. Introduction
What is Baking?
Baking is a cooking method that uses dry heat, typically in an oven to prepare foods like bread,
cakes, cookies, pastries, and more. It’s both science (precision and chemistry) and an art
(creativity and technique)
Essential baking tools
Baking does not necessarily require fancy equipmentto start, but a few basics are essentials
although you may get to add more according to your preference along the way as you get a hang
of everything.
So the following essential baking tools include:
1. An oven- used to heat food with dry, consistent heat
2. Mixing bowls- for combining ingredients
3. Measuring cups & spoons - for accurate measuring which is critical in baking.
4. Kitchen scale- for weighing ingredients and/ or final products.
5. Rubber spatual- for scraping bowls clean
6. Baking pans & trays- for baking cakes, cookies, muffins etc.
7. Cooling rack- cools baked goods evenly.
(Insert high quality baking tools photo from Pinterest)
Also, baking requires essential dry and wet ingredients in order to achieve a particular baked
product of your choice. These ingredients and their function are as follows:
Dry Ingredients:
1. Flour- this is the fundamental ingredient that makes up for the structure of baked goods.
All purpose flour is most common and works just fine.
2. Sugar- adds sweetness, color and moisture
3. Baking soda & baking powder- leavening agents that help batter rise
4. Salt- enhances flavour
Wet Ingredients:
1. Eggs- binds, leaven, and provide richness
2. Butter/ oil- adds flavor, tenderness, and moisture
3. Milk or other liquids- hydrate and create batter or dough
4. Vanilla extract or any other extract or flavoring- adds aroma and flavor
Measuring and its significance or importance
Why do we measure ingredients?
We measure ingredients to acheive precision and attain consistent and desired outcome. And in
order to do so, the following must be done:
● Spoon and level
● Use liquid measuring cups for liquids and dry cups for dry ingredients. But you can also
used your measuring cups for liquids as well
● Weighing ingredients with a kitchen scale is most accurate
Leavening (Rising)
Leavening is the process of making baked goods rise and become light and fluffy by producing
gas bubbles that get trapped in the dough or batter.
Why is it important?
● Without leavening, baked goods would be dense, flat and heavy
● Leavening creates texture and volume, giving cakes, bread, cookies and muffins their soft,
airy crumb.
Types of Leavening Agents
1. Chemical Leavening Agents
● Baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate/ Bicarb of Soda): Reacts with acidic ingredients such
as buttermilk, yogurt, lemon juice to produce carbondioxide gas
● Baking pwder: Contains both an acid and a base, so it reacts when wet and again when
heated to release carbondioxide
2. Biological Leavening Agents
● Yeast: A living organism that ferments sugars, releasing carbondioxide slowly, often used
in bread baking
3. Mechanical Leavening
● Whipping or beating: incorporates air (e.g whipping egg whites) into the batter.
Gluten development
What is Gluten?
Gluten is a protein network formed when two proteins found in wheat flour (glutenin and gliadin)
combine with water and are kneaded or mixed.
When this happens, they create long, elastic strands that trap gas (from leavening agents like
yeast or baking powder), giving structure and chew to baked goods
(Insert gluten developed dough)
Why is it important?
● Provides structure: Gluten forms the framework that holds baked goods together
● Traps air: It creates a stretchy net that holds the gas from leavening agents, helping
dough rise
● Affects texture: More gluten = chewier (like bread). Less gluten = more tender and
crumbly (like cookies and cakes).
What affects gluten development?
1. Mixing and Kneading
● The more you mix or knead, the more gluten develops
● Bread dough is kneaded a lot for strength
● Cake batter is mixed gently to avoid toughness
2. Flour type
● Bread flour has high protein content and therefore creates strong gluten and hence chewy
● All purpose flour which is common among many communities has a moderate protein
content which can be increased or enhanced by adding protein sources such as eggs.
● Cake flour has low protein hence results into soft, tender texture
3. Water
● Water activates gluten.
● The right hydration levelis crucial for good development.
4. Resting (Autolyse)
● Letting the dough rest in a sufficient amount of time helps gluten relax and organize,
improving texture.
5. Fats and Sugars
● These inhibit gluten development. That is why rich doughs such as brioche or cake are
softer and less chewy compared to bread.