Home Baking Flashcards
(17 cards)
What are the advantages of home baking?
Better,fresher flavour and aroma
No artificial preservatives used
Recipes can be modified to suit special dietary needs e.g. gluten free flour for someone who has celiac disease
Control over ingredients used e.g amount of sugar
More sustainable than buying commercially produced baked goods e.g. less packaging
What are the basic ingredients used in home baking?
Flour - wheat flour is generally used , as it contains gluten
Fat - this keeps baked goods fresh for longer e.g butter
Sugar - caster , granulated (table), brown , icing sugar are used to sweeten or decorate
Eggs - eggs bind dry ingredients together and trap air in the mixture
Liquid - milk , buttermilk or water are added to bind dry ingredients. Alternatives to dairy milk work well in baking recipes e.g soya milk , oat milk.
Raising agents - these are added to make cakes and bread rise.
What are the guide lines for home baking?
Collect ingredients, check use-by or best-before dates and weigh them accurately
Collect all equipment and prepare tins
Arrange oven shelves, set oven temperature and preheat fully
Follow the recipe step by step
Take care to not make the mixture too wet
Avoid overhandling ingredients
Time cooking accurately
Do not open the oven door unnecessarily
Remove from tine and cool on a wire tray
What are the 4 raising agents ?
Air , bread soda , baking powder , yeast
How do you know if bread is cooked?
There should be a hallow sound when tapped underneath
How do you know if sponges are cooked?
Surface should be golden brown and spring back when pressed lightly with fingers
How do you know if cakes are cooked?
Skewer remains dry after being inserted into the centre of the cake
How is air a raising agent?
Air is introduced into the mixture by sieving,rubbing in, creaming or whisking. Once the mixture is heated , the hot air rises , pushing the mixture up. A crust forms on top preventing the mixture to collapse when cool
How is bread soda and baking powder raising agents?
These raising agents cause chemical reaction in the mixture.
Bread soda is an alkali, when mixed with an acid liquid (e.g. buttermilk), it produces carbon dioxide (CO2)
Baking powder contains both an acid and alkali. When liquid is added (e.g. egg) , CO2 is produced.
CO2 rises and expands , pushing the mixture up. It is important to get the mixture into the oven quickly, or the CO2 will escape before the crust forms and the mixture will not rise properly
How is Yeasts a raising agent?
Yeasts are living organisms. To grow they need food, warmth, moisture, oxygen, time and a slight acidic pH.
What is gluten?
Gluten is a protein found in wheat and other cereals . When gluten is moistened , it becomes stretchy and elastic.
What are the methods of making bread and cakes?
Rubbing in - fat is rubbed into flour with the tips of the fingers until it looks like breadcrumbs - scones
Creaming - fats and sugar are beaten together until creamy and pale - cupcakes / fruitcakes
All-in-one - all ingredients are added at once and mixed thoroughly by hand or using and electric food mixer or processor - cupcakes
Whisking - eggs and sugar are whisked until think and creamy - sponge cakes
Melting all ingredients the melt and melted together , e,g fat , sugar , syrup - brownies
What are the advantages and disadvantages of commercial cake mixes?
Advantages -
Ingredients are already weighed out
Quick and easy , great for beginners and children
Avoids waste
Not much equipment needed
Disadvantages -
Appearance and taste are usually not as good as reduction made from fresh ingredients
May be high in sugar , fat and additives
The photo on the front of the packet can be deceptive (finished product may not look as good)
What are the types and uses of pastry ?
Shortcrust - half the amount of fat to flour - apple tart / sausage rolls
Rich shortcrust - additional ingredients are added , e,g, eggs and sugar - mice pies
Flaky , puff and rough puff - special rolling and folding techniques ar used to introduce air into the pastry. High in fat. Time-consuming - cream slices
Choux - a wet pastry made by melting fat in water and then adding flour and eggs - éclairs
Filo - very thin pastry , usually only made by specialist bakers - spring rolls
What are the guidelines for making a pastry?
Keeps ingredients and utensils cold. If fat melts during preparation, it will result in a heavy greasy pastry
Introduce air e.g. by sieving , rubbing in , rolling and folding , so that the pastry will be light when cooked
Do not make the pastry wet, as it will stick to the table and by impossible to roll.
Allow pastry to relax in the fridge before rolling. This will harden the fat and relax the gluten , making the pastry easier to roll and less likely to shrink in the oven
Roll gently on a lightly floured board and turn frequently while rolling. Do not stretch or over rolls the pastry , as it will shrink when cooking
What and why is baking blind used ?
Baking blind mean baking a pastry case without any filling. This is done to :
Seal the pastry , so that it will not absorb the juices of the filling and becoming soggy.
Ensure that the pastry is fully cooked when using filling ingredients with a short cooking time
What is the baking blind technique ?
1.Prod the base of the pastry case with a fork
2. Place a sheet of greaseproof paper on the base and cover with a layer or rice or baking beans
3. Bake for 15 minutes at 200 dregress C.
4. Remove the paper and rice or baking beans and cook for a further 5 minutes.
