Baking Terminologies
Used to aerate
Absorb- Take in or soak up,
To absorb and retain heat.
Acid - Lemon juice (citric), vinegar,
cream of tartar.
Aerate - To incorporate air or carbon
dioxide during production to
make the product more digestible and an
increase in volume.
Albumen- A protein, the white of an egg.
Aspic - Savoury jelly.
Bacteria - A microscopic living
organism.
Bain-marie - A pan of hot water on
which a container is placed for slow
cooking/warming allowing for indirect
heat.
Bake blind - Baking an unfilled pastry
case.
Baking Parchment- A treated paper that
is non-stick and ideal for creating clean
baking surfaces. Protects baking
tins/trays etc. Enables products to
be transferred before and after baking
without handling the product. e.g. sliding
proved bread onto a baking stone.Not to
be confused with wax paper.
Baking powder - A chemical that
produces carbon dioxide ( CO2) when
moistened and heated.
bread and cakes.
Batter.- When fat, sugar, eggs and flour
are mixed together the finished product
is known as a batter.
Bay.- A well, made in the middle of dry
ingredients, to receive the liquid
ingredients for mixing.
Beat - To mix together, creaming. To
aerate by beating.
B.F.P.- Bulk Fermentation Process A
bread making process based on ancient
traditional methods of bread making.
B.F.T.- Bulk Fermentation Time. A
period of time given to a dough to allow
it to ferment and develop after mixing.
Bicarbonate of soda (Sodium
bicarbonate) also known as baking soda
used as part of baking powder to assist
aeration.
Blackjack.- Caramelised sugar syrup
used for colouring rich fruit cakes.
Blanch- A processes for removing the
skins of nuts by plunging in hot water
and then into cold water.
Blend-- Mixing together two or more
ingredients to form a single product or
for assisting in the next stage of the
production.
Bloom-- Describing the crust of a
correctly baked loaf of bread or baked
goods in general.
Book Fold- A term used in the
production of puff pastry when folding
the fat into the pastry dough.
Buttercream- A filling cream made from
butter and some form of sugar which
can be enriched by the addition of eggs
and flavouring.
Butterfat.- The natural fat that occurs in
milk and dairy products.
Bun wash-- A sugar syrup solution
brushed on to yeasted buns on removal
from the oven to impart a glaze or to
assist the dusting of sugar.
Cake-- Food made from a mixture of
flour, fat, eggs, sugar, and other
ingredients and then baked.
Cake hoop/tins-- A variety of shapes and
sizes in which cakes are baked. Until
recently these were made of tin but other
materials such as silicone are now being
used.
Caramel-- Sugar heated above its
melting point. A sugar solution boiled
above 156 C (321F) until it turns amber
brown.
Caramelize - During baking ,sugar will
change and and give colour to the crust.
Carbon dioxide (CO2 ) - The gas
produced by baking powder or yeast
during fermentation that aerates bread
and cakes.
Catalyst - A substance that helps to bring
about a change without itself being
affected.
Celsius - A temperature scale with 0
being freezing point and 100 boiling
point of water.
Chinois - A fine meshed conical strainer.
Clarify - The removal of water from
butter by gentle heating.
Coagulate - The setting of a liquid into a
solid or semi-solid state.
Collagen- The main structural protein in
animal connective tissue.
Comb scraper - A serrated edged tool
used to form a variety of finishes to a
product ,especially when using
buttercream or chocolate.
Compound fat - White in colour, made
from hydrogenated oils, it is usually
100% fat. Recent health trends have
highlighted the use and safety of this
product.
Contaminate - The introduction of an
unwanted substance. Usually used
when referring to
food hygiene problems.
Couverture - Plain or milk chocolate
made from the cocoa bean.
Cream - The word is used to (1) describe
the process of beating products together
to form a light fluffy mass such as fat
and sugar or (2) the fat content of fresh
milk. i.e dairy, clotted, whipping, double
and single creams.
Cream of tartar. Potassium hydrogen
tartrate, used as the acid component of
baking powder.
Crimp/Crimping - Usually carried out
with the thumb and fingers or with
special pincers to give a decorative edge
to pastry, shortbreads and almond paste.
Crumb - The soft inner part of a loaf of
bread. The aim of the bread baker is to
produce good crumb texture and
structure. Also used to describe the soft
inner part of a cake. A small fragment of
cake, bread and biscuits.
Croquant - Melted sugar with nuts
which can be moulded into shapes when
hot or used crushed when cold.
Crust - The outer part of a loaf of bread
(a nice crusty loaf). The outer hardened
surface of a softer product e.g. A cake
has a crust, the surface being different to
the inside. Also used to describe pastry
when used to cover a pie. (Pie crust)
Cup cakes - Small cakes baked in small
paper cases.
Curdle - The separation of an emulsion
(fat and liquid) When adding eggs/liquid
to a fat and sugar mix............Cheese is
formed by the curdling of milk with the
addition of rennet.
Cutters - Tools used to cut out various
shapes of pastry, almond paste, sugar
paste etc. Can be plain or fluted, square,
round etc.
Dead Dough- This usually refers to a
dough that has not moved (not
risen) normally caused by insufficient
yeast ,too low a water temperature,
excessive salt or even old yeast.
Decorate - The final appearance of a
product is improved by decorating. This
can be pre-baking e.g. egg or milk wash,
dusting with flour, placing on nuts or
seeds, dipping in sugar etc. or post
baking, syrup wash and sugar (chelsea
buns). or by the use of creams, chocolate,
nuts, almond paste, edible decor etc.
Deep freeze - Used to preserve food
usually at -18 C. Certain foods will
freeze better than others.
Defrosting- Returns the frozen product
back to its original state.
Baking terminologies
Develop - A dough is mixed thoroughly
to increase the extensibility and elasticity
of the gluten
Dilute - Make a liquid thinner and its
strength reduced by the addition of water
or some other solvent.
Dipping - A method used to coat a
product in a melted state such as
chocolate, fondant and jam. The product
is usually held by hand or a utensil such
as a dipping fork.
Dock - By using a fork or multi-spiked
tool products can be decorated before
baking. Also used to provide holes for
steam to escape e.g. when you do not
want puff pastry to rise to high.
Dredge - To sprinkle sugar,flour etc over
a product. e.g. Shortbread biscuits are
often dredged with sugar on removal
from the oven.
Dredger- A small container with a
perforated lid.
Drumming - A term given to the practice
of stretching greaseproof paper across
the the bottom of a cake hoop or across
the top of a cake tin. By twisting the
paper around the top or bottom rims a
tight "drum skin" is formed. Used to help
retain a fluid mixing and give protection
during baking.
Dust - Sprinkling flour or sugar to
prevent a product from sticking. e.g.
flour is used when rolling out pastry.
This term is also used when pre-bake
decoration is carried out as in dredging.
Egg wash - Beaten egg ,sometimes with
added water, used to give a golden glaze
on a baked product. (1 whole egg beaten
with 1/2 egg shell of water)
Emulsion-- Emulsify -
Emulsifier Oil and water do not
mix easily, when they do it is known as
an emulsion. To do this it needs an
emulsifier. This happens when making a
cake that contains fats and eggs. Eggs
contain lecithin which acts as the
emulsifier allowing the two ingredients
to emulsify.
Enrich - The quality of a dough or
pastries can be improved by the addition
of enriching agents such as fat, sugar,
eggs, etc .
Enrobe - Covering with icings or
chocolate usually by pouring over.
Enzyme -- A substance that acts as a
catalyst to bring about a biochemical
change without itself being affected.
Essences - Compounds used for
flavouring i.e.vanilla, lemon almond etc.
Can be either natural, synthetic, or
blends of both.
Extensibility - Usually used in
reference to the condition of the
gluten.For want of a better word.
(stretchability).
Fahrenheit - A temperature scale
where 32= freezing point .... 212 =
boiling point of water.
Ferment - Used to grow the yeast and
used as a starter for fermented goods.
Consists of water, yeast, flour and
sometimes the addition of a yeast food,
kept at a suitable temperature and
allowed to ferment.
Fermentation - Yeast, given the right
conditions and food, will reproduce and
multiply and in the process produce
carbon dioxide gas, alcohol and other by
products. The carbon dioxide gives the
aeration in the product and the alcohol
and other products help in the flavour.
Final proof - The period prior to a dough
being baked after being processed,
ideally in a prover.
Flan - An open pastry or sponge case
which, usually after baking, is filled with
either a savoury or a sweet filling.
Flash - Putting a product into a very hot
oven for a short time to impart a golden
colour.
Flock stage- Term used to describe
the appearance of a dough mixing just as
all the ingredients start to combine as it
has the same look as Flock (a soft
material used for stuffing cushions etc
made of wool refuse and torn up cloth)
Foam- Usually used to describe a
product that has been whisked such as
egg whites and sugar
Fold- Part of the layering process in the
making of puff pastry.
Fondant- Used as a decorative coating
and as an addition to butter creams.
Made from boiled sugar ,water and
glucose.
Food Hygiene - Making sure that food is
handled, stored, prepared and served so
as not to allow the food to be
contaminated.
Food poisoning- The result of bad food
hygiene leading to sickness and
diarrhoea and sometimes death.
Ganache- A mixture of fresh dairy
cream and melted chocolate.
Garnish- The use of additional products
to improve the look and presentation of a
product.
Gateau- A rich cake with layers of fruit
or cream.
Gelatine- A virtually colourless and
tasteless water-soluble protein prepared
from collagen. i.e bones ,seaweed.
Gelatinization- Starch (cornflour) cells,
when mixed with boiling water, rupture
and form a thick jelly on cooling. Ideal
for thickening stocks and sauces.
Genoese (Genoise) A plain cake or
sponge used to produce Torten, Gateau
and small fancies.
Glace cherries- A method of preserving
cherries in sugar/syrup.
Glaze- Give a product a gloss finish by
using an agent such as apricot puree
Glucose- A thick colourless syrup used
in boiling sugar preparations.
Gluten- The insoluble protein of wheat,
which ,when hydrated (mixed with a
liquid) forms the elastic
substance which helps to entrap the
Carbon Dioxide gas in a dough giving
the bread its structure.
Glycerine- A colourless and odourless
syrup with a sweet taste. It is used for its
hygroscopic property (attracts moisture).
It is used to reduce staling in
confectionery.
Greased- Applying a thin layer of fat or
oil to a baking tray , bread tin, cake tins
to allow easy release.
Greaseproof- A paper used in baking
that is impermeable to oil and grease.
Green dough- A term given to an under
ripe (under fermented) or under
developed dough.
Gross Weight- Total weight of
ingredients in a recipe.
Gum Paste- A paste made for
modelling.Contains icing sugar, starch
(cornflour). gum tragacanth.
Half Clear- A stage in the mixing
process, usually half way towards a clear
mix e.g. .."add the fruit when the batter
is half clear".
Half Turn- A term used in the
production of Puff Pastry.
Hand Up- After scaling a dough it is
usually moulded into a round ball and
allowed to rest before the next stage of
the moulding/shaping process.
High Ratio- The high level of sugar and
liquid to flour in a cake batter.
Hoop- A round, usually metal band used
for baking a product ( a tin without a
bottom or top)
Hotplate- A heated metal plate (griddle)
used for baking scones, soda breads,
crumpets, welsh cakes etc.
Hydrate - Adding a liquid, usually
water, to dry ingredients.