Bread and Pastry Production
Glenda J. Maglonso, MAEd, LPT
Identifying Tools, Equipment and Utensils Needed in Baking
Below are the recommended tools, equipment and utensils in baking:
Measuring tools
Mixing tools
Baking pans
Cutting tools
Miscellaneous tools
Oven
Measuring Tools -these refer to the tools used in measuring ingredients. Remember that measurement in baking plays a vital role.
Measuring cups has two types:
Graduated or liquid measuring cup used for measuring liquid
Individualized or dry measuring cup series of cups indicating fractional parts used in measuring dry ingredients
o Measuring spoons used in measuring small quantities of dry and liquid ingredients such as baking powder, salt,
vanilla extract etc.
o Weighing scale used in measuring large quantities of ingredients. A dietetic or spring form scale is used for baking
purposes. Example is the spring type and digital scale.
o Kitchen Scale used to measure dry, liquid or chopped ingredients. It is more accurate than measuring cups. This is
the preferred kitchen tool used to measure small quantities of ingredients
o Timer monitors the rising of the yeast and the baking time.
o Oven thermometer varies from top to bottom and side to side. This is placed inside the oven to monitor the
temperature while baking.
o Candy thermometer used to measure the temperature of boiled sugar.
Mixing Tools used to mix ingredients
Mixing bowls can be made from pottery, glass, metal or plastic. The best bowl to be used in baking is stainless steel bowl
to prevent discoloration of the batter. This can be used not only in mixing, but also as a container when sifting ingredients.
Wooden spoon is used as mixing spoon. Using wooden spoon is preferred by bakers since it does not transfer bodily
heat and it can be used without scratching the bottom of the saucepan.
Whisk is a long, narrow handle with series of wire loops joined at the end. It us commonly used to whip cream to make
whipped cream and whip egg whites to make meringue.
Rubber scrapper is a bendable rubber used to scrape remaining ingredients from the sides of the mixing bowl. Also
known as rubber spatula.
Electric Mixer is used to mix, fold, beat and whip food ingredients. It comes into two variations namely hand mixer and
stand mixer.
Attachments:
The paddle is a flat blade used for general mixing such as creaming method.
The wire whip is used for beating cream, egg whites for making meringue and emulsifying mayonnaise.
The dough arm or dough hook is used for mixing and kneading yeast dough until it becomes smooth and shiny.
Rotary egg beater can be used to beat eggs or whip cream manually.
Flour sifter is used to sift and to add air to the flour or other dry ingredients.
Baking Pans It is where the batter is placed before baking in an oven. It is recommended to use the suggested pan in a recipe. If
the pan is not available, check for other pans that can be used as a substitute. Each pan has the recommended cups of batter and
can be replaced with another pan that has the same volume. Remember that the round pan cannot be change to a square pan
having the same pan size. If in a recipe, a 9-inch square pan is recommended, changing it to a round pan is possible if it is one
inch wider than the recommended size, which is 10-inches.
Examples of baking pans that can be used:
Tube center pan is a deep pan with removable bottom. It is commonly used to bake chiffon cake.
Muffin pan has 12 formed cups used for baking muffins and cupcakes. This is also used for mini quiches, mini
cheesecakes, mini pies and more. It can be lined with muffin paper or baking paper or can be greased with oil or butter.
Bread and Pastry Production
Glenda J. Maglonso, MAEd, LPT
Cake pans can be round, square, rectangle, or heart in shape and comes in different sizes. The most popular cake pan is
the 9 x 13 x 3-inch rectangular pan used to bake cakes, bars and savory dishes such as lasagna.
Jelly roll pan is a shallow pan used to bake cake rolls.
Bundt pan is a round pan with scalloped sides. It is used for baking individual custard.
Baking sheet is a flat rectangular metal pan about ½ inch thick or less that is used in an oven. Bread roll, cookies, bread,
sheet cakes and Swiss roll can be baked using this pan.
Sheet pans are flat rimmed baking pan used to bake cookies and sheet cakes.
Loaf pan is a rectangular shaped tin pan used to bake pound cakes, as well as yeast-raised bread.
Slice Tray is an 18cm wide x 28cm long baking pan used in baking brownies, vanilla slices and zucchini slices.
TIN PREPARATION
Greasing:
Butter or Margarine: Spread a thin layer using a paper towel or your fingers.
Oil: Brush or wipe on with a paper towel.
Non-stick Spray: Evenly coat the pan.
Flouring:
After greasing, add a small amount of flour.
Tilt and tap the pan to cover all greased areas, then tap out excess flour.
Parchment Paper:
Cut to fit the bottom of the pan (and sides if necessary).
Lay the paper in the pan and grease if the recipe calls for it.
Foil Lining:
Line the pan with foil, leaving extra over the edges to lift out baked goods easily.
Grease the foil if needed.
Silicone Baking Mats:
Place the mat in the bottom of the pan. No greasing is typically needed.
Baking Spray with Flour:
A combination of oil and flour in one spray. Shake well and coat the pan evenly.
It is advisable to use the same fat for greasing to retain the best possible flavor. Note that torte or Gateau rings are not to
be greased because the center of the sponge would be higher than the sides and the product will shrink. Its base should only be
covered with greaseproof paper.
Cutting Tools
There are the tools used for cutting. Example of which are the following:
Pastry blender is equipment that consists of a handle and wire used for cutting fat and shortening in the preparation of
pies, biscuits or doughnuts.
Pastry wheel is a blade knife used to cut dough.
Kitchen shears can be used to slice rolls and delicate cakes.
Chopping board is a durable firm board for cutting food. It is often made of wood and plastic.
Paring knife is a knife with a plain edge blade used to pare or cut fruits and vegetables.
Chef’s or French knife (also known as Cook’s Knife) is an 8- to 10-inch-long multi-purpose kitchen knife commonly used
in chopping, dicing and slicing.
Utility knife is smaller than chef’s knife but larger than the paring knife used in peeling, trimming and slicing small
ingredients. It usually has a blade that is 4 to 7 inches long.
Bread knife is a long knife with a serrated edge used in slicing bread.
Peeler is a tool with a metal blade attached to the handle.
Grater and shredder used to grate cheese, chocolate and other fresh fruits.
Flour sifter used to sift flour.
Bread and Pastry Production
Glenda J. Maglonso, MAEd, LPT
Pastry brush used in greasing pans or surface of pastries and breads.
Spatula comes from different sizes. Small spatula is used to remove muffins and molded cookies from pans, large spatula
for icing or frosting cakes, flexible blade is used for various purposes.
Rolling pin is used to flatten or roll the dough.
Pastry tips is used to decorate cake with frosting. It has many sizes and shapes.
Utility tray is used to hold the ingredients together.
Parchment paper (also known as baking paper or bakery paper) is a heavy-duty grease resistant, waterproof, non-stick
paper used in baking. It is different from wax paper.
Wire cooling racks (simply known as wire rack) is a flat grid made of stainless steel used to cool the cake quickly and
evenly after baking. This is also used to let the air circulate freely on the baked goods to prevent it from getting soggy from
condensation.
Other Baking Equipment
Double broiler is commonly used in melting chocolate.
Dutch oven is an old-style cooking vessel used for hundreds of years. This cooking pot is usually made out of cast iron
with a tight-fitting lid.
Oven This is one of the most important equipment in baking. Purchasing or owning an oven is a good investment
especially if you are really interested in baking. Remember that the temperature or the heat inside the oven takes a big
role in the chemical process of the ingredients. Unstable temperature can lead to cakes that are stalled.
Different types of ovens that can be used are:
Deck or cabinet oven refers to a large oven that has multiple racks full of sheet pans. The other term for this type of oven
is ‘Stack Oven’. This type of oven is equipped with steam ejector.
Convection oven is an oven that allows heat to circulate rapidly throughout the interior. Strong air inside the oven can
distort the shape products made with batter and soft dough.
Rotary oven is a type of oven that rotates the pan inside, baking the cake evenly.
Microwave oven can also be used to bake cake. It is an electrically operated oven that produces heat using
electromagnetic waves. Note that the recipe in this courseware cannot be used in this type of oven.