Baking Terms

Submitted by:
Amilia Nicole L. Andres
X – Bonifacio
Submitted to:
Mrs. Rivera
Abaissage – A French term meaning the rolling out of pastry dough

Acid – The Latin term for sour. Acids are used to prevent fruit from oxidizing and are used in making
meringue because they help strengthen the egg white proteins. Common food acids are found in vinegar,
wine, lemon juice, sour milk, and apples

Aebleskiver – A small Danish doughnut made on the stovetop with a special pan called an aebleskiver
pandle. The doughnut is made with a beer batter flavored with spices and citrus zest. The baked
doughnut may have a slice of apple or jam inserted in the middle, or simply dusted with confectioner’s
sugar.
Airbrush – a small, air-operated tool used to spray edible color to decorate cakes and cookies.

Air pump – a small tool used to blow air into cooked sugar, so the sugar can be formed into shapes. A
ball of cooked sugar is placed over the long tapered nozzle of the pump, and then air is blown into the
sugar by hand-squeezing an attached hand pump.

Babovka – A cake originating from the Czech Republic that has alternating layers of chocolate and
vanilla flavored batters, includes rum and nuts, and is baked in a tall round pan.
Bagatelle – This is a French version of American strawberry shortcake. Bagatelle starts with a genoise
cake split in half and filled with pastry cream and sweetened whipped cream and strawberries.

Bake – Cooking food in a heated oven, with dry heat. Most pastry items are baked uncovered.

Baker’s rack – a portable rack that holds several full and half-sheet pans.
Bakewell tart – An English tart made with a puff pastry crust that is first brushed with jam, then filled with
a mixture of eggs, butter, and sugar. After baking the tart is dusted with confectioner’s sugar or glazed
with icing.

Cake comb – A cake comb is a fun tool to use to make thin, parallel lines around the outside edge of a
layer cake for a professional finish. After the cake is frosted, the comb is placed against the side of the
cake, and then the cake is turned, or spun around on a cake turntable to make the lines all around. A
kitchen fork or serrated knife can do the same job.

Cake leveler – A cake leveler is used to slice cakes into even, horizontal layers. It is a wide, low, U-
shaped metal frame that sits on plastic feet, and a thin, sharp serrated cutting blade sits horizontally
between the sides of the frame. The height of the blade is adjustable so that cakes of different heights
can be cut. The cake is pushed against the cutting blade to cut the layers.
Cake strips – Cake strips are heat-resistant metallic fabric strips that is moistened, then wrapped around
the outsides of a round cake pan before the cake is baked. They insulate the pan, keeping the edges of
the cake pan from heating more rapidly than the center, to produce a more evenly baked, level cake. The
strips come in several lengths and are reusable.

Cake tester – A cake tester is a fun little tool to have if you bake lots of cakes, made of thin metal and a
decorative top, and used to pierce a baked cake to test for doneness. Of course the age-old substitute for
testing the doneness of cakes is a long toothpick, or long wooden skewer. In a pinch, you can still use the
method of olden days and pull a straw out of the kitchen broom to test your cake (but don’t use this
unless you’ve cleaned it first.)

Candied fruit – Fruit or fruit peel that is preserved by cooking in sugar syrup. After cooking the fruit is
normally dried and coated with granulated sugar
Danish – A breakfast pastry made with a rich sweet dough and filled with fruit, cheese, jam, or nuts, and
often brushed with an apricot jam glaze.

Dash – A very small amount of an ingredient, usually salt or other spices. This is a measurement that
does not use a measuring spoon, therefore is not accurate or consistent, and is less than 1/8 teaspoon.
For example, a couple shakes of a salt shaker.

Decorating stencils – Stencils are flat, round pieces of plastic, about 9 inches in diameter. Designs,
such as hearts and flowers are cut out of the center of the stencil. The stencil is placed over the top of a
cake, confectioner’s sugar or cocoa is dusted over the top, and then the stencil is removed leaving a
beautiful design on the cake.
Depression cake – A cake popular during the Great Depression made with easy to find ingredients such
as shortening instead of butter and brown sugar and water instead of milk and eggs.

Desdemona – Two ladyfingers sandwiched together with vanilla flavored whipping cream, brushed with
apricot glaze, and covered with kirsch flavored white fondant. The cake is named for the wife of Othello in
Shakespeare’s Othello.

Eclair – A pastry made by piping pate a choux pastry into a long finger shape. The pastry may be piped
onto a baking sheet or onto an éclair pan. After baking the pastry is split open horizontally and normally
filled with a vanilla cream and then topped with a chocolate glaze. Other fillings may be used such as
chocolate cream or whipped cream.
Eclair pan – A flat pan with twelve 3-inch long and 1-inch wide indentations. The pastry for éclairs is
piped into the indentations, and then baked. The pan can also be used to form ladyfinger cookies.

Egg cream – A beverage popular in New York since the 1930’s, made with milk, chocolate syrup, and
seltzer water. There are no eggs used in this beverage, the name comes from the frothy white top that
resembles beaten egg whites.

Egg wash – An egg wash is made from a whole egg, egg yolk, or egg white and normally beaten with
milk or water. The egg wash is brushed over baked goods before baking with a pastry brush. The egg
wash aids in browning and provides a crisp shiny surface, and acts as a moisture barrier. An egg wash
also helps to hold toppings, such as nuts or seeds in place while baking.
Electric mixer – A good electric stand mixer is the heart and soul of a baker’s kitchen and worth the price
if you love to bake. I love my Kitchen Aid mixer, and except for pies and tarts, it is used for most of my
baking projects. Stand mixers range in size from 4 quart to 7 quart. The smaller models will serve most
home baking needs. But if you like to bake double batches of cookies or bread dough’s, then you’ll want
the larger size mixers. Most mixers come with a whip, and dough hook, and paddle attachments, which
are used to knead dough, beat meringues, and fold batters smoothly together.

Flour — The major ingredient in the vast majority of baked goods, flour can be made from many different
kinds of grains and other substances like beans, legumes, seeds, corn, oats, soybeans, teff, quinoa,
amaranth, buckwheat, rye, spelt, and more. Wheat flours, however, are by far the most common flours
used in baking.

Focaccia — Focaccia is an Italian bakers’ snack whose name comes from the Latin term focus or hearth.
Originally, focaccia was baked on a stone hearth.
Fagioli – The Italian term for beans, most often white kidney beans

File Powder – An American seasoning made of sassafras leaves and used to flavor and thicken Creole
dishes, such as gumbo.

Foil, Aluminum Foil – A thin pliable sheet of aluminum; easily molded, conducts heat well, can withstand
temperature extremes and is impervious to odors, moisture and air; used to cover foods for cooking and
storage.
Gaeta Olive – Mild-flavored Italian black olives; usually dry-salt cured, giving them a wrinkled
appearance, then rubbed with olive oil and packed with rosemary and other herbs.

Galette - pancake; usually sweet, made of batters, doughs, or potatoes. Brioche-type dough or puff
pastry are often used.

Garlic Powder – Dehydrated garlic that is finely ground into a powder and used as a seasoning.
Gelatin – A protein produced from animals, used to gel liquids. It is odorless, flavorless, and colorless. It
is found in granular and sheet form. It is found available also in fruit flavored form. Fruit flavor gelatin has
sugar and flavors added.

Glaze – Coat with a thick, sugar based sauce.

Half and Half - A mixture of half cream and half milk (fat content is 10- 12%).
Hard cheese - Cooked, pressed and long-aged (parmigiano reggiano, pecorino).

Hardtack - hard biscuit or bread made with flour and water only.

Havarti Cheese - A mild, semisoft Danish cheese that is pale yellow and has small irregular holes. It
becomes sharper as it matures.
Hazelnuts - Also called filberts, hazelnuts are rich, sweet nuts that are often ground or roasted in
pastries, cookies, and other desserts.

Ice - To chill by placing a glass or serving dish in a freezer so that a coat of frost forms on its surface.

Icing Syringe - A cake-decorating tool. The icing syringe is composed of a tube, plunger and various tips.
The tips can be quickly exchanged to form a multitude of patterns with the same icing color.
Icing - Sweet coating for cakes and pasties - most often sugar-based and flavored.

Infusion Coffee Maker - This type of coffee maker consists of a glass pot with a mesh covered plunger
that is pressed downward to trap the coffee grounds after steeping. Also known as cafetiere or French
press.

Instant Yeast - A specially processed form of active dry yeast; can be mixed into a dough dry (rather than
dissolved) and reduces rising time by up to 50 percent.
Jam - Thick syrupy mixture of fruit and sugar.

Jelly - A clear, cooked mixture of fruit juice, sugar, and usually pectin.

Jigger - A liquid measure equal to 1 1/2 fluid ounces.

Juice - The liquid extracted from any raw food, usually fruit.

Kasha - Buckwheat groats.

Knead - To work dough with the heels of your hands in a pressing and folding motion until it becomes
smooth and elastic.
Kasseri Cheese - Greek cheese made from sheep's or goat's milk, with a sharp, salty flavor. As it
matures, it develops a hard texture that is perfect for grating.

Ketchup - Also spelled "catsup." A term derived from Asian cookery, this sauce is known to be a sweet
sauce made from tomatoes. Other forms of ketchup are made from walnuts, mushrooms, and grapes.

Kettle - A large metal pot, usually made of iron, with a looped handle and a lid.
Ladle - A utensil with a cup-like bowl and a long hooked or pierced handle used to pour sauces and
liquids.

Lattice topping - A topping consisting of strips of dough crisscrossed atop a pie.

Leaven - To insert gas into a dough or batter by adding an ingredient, such as yeast, baking powder or
baking soda, causing it to expand, or rise, lightening the texture of the baked product.
Lemon grass - Pale green stalk about 18 inches long, resembling a scallion or green onion.

Lemon zest - The outer part of the lemon skin (yellow part of the peel only), grated fine and used as a
flavoring agent or garnish.

Macadamia Nut - An oily, marble size, white nut with a buttery rich flavor.
Macerate - To soak fruit or other food in liquid to infuse it with the flavor of the liquid.

Malt - A grain like barley that has been sprouted, kiln-dried and ground into sweet-flavored powder.

Maltagliati - Irregular, triangle- or diamond-shaped pasta pieces, half the size of a postage stamp, often
used as an ingredient in soups.
Maple syrup - Thick and sweet syrup used on pancakes and waffles or as an ice cream topping. Pure
maple syrup is made by the evaporation of the sap from maple trees.

Nicoise and Gaeta Olives - Small black olives from the south of France and from Italy. They have a pure
olive taste and come packed with their pits. Green Nicoise olives come already pitted.

Non-Reactive Pan - A non-porous pan which does not produce a chemical reaction when it comes into
contact with acidic foods.
Nonstick Pan - A coating which is either applied through a high temperature process called coil-coating
on metal before the pan is formed, or spray coated on after the pan is formed.

Nougat - A candy made from sugar and honey mixed with nuts. This mixture is then formed into slabs
and sliced.

Nutella - This is a creamy paste of chocolate and hazelnuts treasured in Italy.

Oat bran - The outer layers of the oat kernel that are particularly high in soluble fiber; good added to
baked goods.

Oils - The liquid fat pressed from plants and their nuts or seeds. The oil is extracted either by solvent-
extraction or cold-pressed. Common types used in home baking are soybean, safflower, corn, sunflower,
canola, and olive oils.

Oven - An oven may be defined as an enclosed area with parts which supply heat and air flow in order to
cook food. Conventional/thermal ovens use electric elements or gas burners to bake, roast, or broil;
convention ovens use electric elements or gas burners plus the addition of a fan to circulate heated air
over, under, and around the food.
Parmesan cheese - A cow's milk cheese whose taste ranges from sweet to sharp. It is a hard cheese,
most suitable for grating. Most often served with Italian food.

Parsley - Whether curly or flat leafed and indispensable herb in cooking and garnishing.

Pastry Brush - A brush used to apply glaze or egg wash to breads and other baked goods either before
or after baking.
Pastry Blender - A kitchen utensil with several u-shaped wires attached to a handle. It's used to cut solid
fat (like shortening or butter) into flour and other dry ingredients in order to evenly distribute the fat
particles.

Pastry Wheel - A utensil with a cutting wheel attached to a handle. It's used to mark and cut rolled-out
dough, and may have a plain or decorative edge.

Quark cheese – Quark cheese is a soft, unripened cheese with the texture and flavor of sour
cream. Quark can be used as a sour cream substitute to top baked potatoes and as an ingredient in a
variety of dishes including cheesecakes, dips, salads, and sauces.
Queso fresco - Usually made from a combination of cow's milk and goat's milk, it tastes like a mild feta
cheese.

Quick bread - Bread that is quick to make because it doesn't require kneading or rising time.

Quinoa flour - A gluten-free flour made from grinding quinoa grain. It is highly nutritious and yields a
tender, moist crumb in cookies, pancakes, waffles, and fruitcakes.
Raw Chip Coconut - Unsweetened coconut in wide strips, used to make excellent brittle.

Ribbon Stage - A term in baking that describes a certain stage that is reached when beating eggs
together with sugar.

Rolling Pin - A long, smooth cylindrical roller mainly used to roll out pastry.
Royal Icing Flowers - Decorated flowers made of royal icing. When dry, the texture is hard and brittle
and keeps virtually indefinitely. Do not refrigerate dried decorations.

Rub - A combination of spices, seasonings and herbs that add flavor and texture to meats.

Self-Rising Flour - All-purpose flour with added salt and leavening (baking powder).
Semi-sweet Chocolate - A combination of chocolate liquor, added cocoa butter and sugar. It must
contain at least 35% chocolate liquor. Most commonly known in the form of semisweet chocolate chips.

Separate - To divide an egg into its two distinct components - the egg yolk and the egg white.

Simmer - Cook just below boiling point—about 185°F (85°C). at sea level when small bubbles will rise
slowly to the surface. A mixture simmers before it boils.
Slice - To cut into even-sized thin pieces using a sharp knife or food processor.

Tart Pan - This pan is distinguished by its short (about 1") fluted sides and removable bottom. Various
shapes and sizes are available.

Tempering - The process of melting and cooling chocolate to specific temperatures in order to prepare it
for dipping, coating, or molding.
Texturizing - A procedure for putting a finish onto the surface of the cake

Thermometer - Use to measure the temperature of food that is cooking or cooked, two main types of
thermometer are used in cookery, a sugar (candy) thermometer and a meat thermometer.

Ultragrain flour - 100% whole wheat flour made by using a special flour milling process developed to
produce a lighter-colored, ultra smooth texture whole grain wheat flour with the texture of white flour.
Unleavened - A word to describe breads, cakes, or other baked goods that do not use a leavening agent,
such as baking powder, baking soda, yeast, or cream of tartar.

Unsalted Butter - Butter which contains no salt. Unsalted butter is more perishable than butter with salt.

Vanilla Extract - A vanilla-flavored product made by macerating chopped vanilla beans in a water-alcohol
solution to extract the flavor; its strength is measured in folds.
Vanilla Sugar - A flavored sugar made by burying vanilla beans in granulated or confectioners' sugar.
Vanilla sugar can be used as an ingredient or decoration for baked goods, fruit, and desserts.

Vegetable oil - A general term describing blends of different vegetable oils such as corn, safflower,
rapeseed, cottonseed and/or soybean oils; these blends are generally intended to have little flavor and
aroma and to be used as all-purpose oils.

Veloute - A sauce made with veal stock, cream, and tightened with a white roux.
Washed - An ingredient that has been thoroughly rinsed and scrubbed to prepare it for cooking or eating.

Wheat Starch - A powdery substance obtained from wheat kernels. It is very useful as a thickener, but it
doesn't have as much thickening power as cornstarch, which requires only half as much to achieve that
same level of thickening.

Whip - To beat rapidly using a fork, hand or electric whisk to introduce air into a mixture or single
ingredient to increase the volume and become fluffy.
Whipped Cream - Made of heavy cream and sugar and usually has some type of stabilizer to prevent it
from separating. Whipped cream must be kept refrigerated. Not recommended for outdoor settings.

Whisk - A hand or electric tool used to introduce air into ingredients to increase their volume.

Xanthan Gum - Xanthan gum is used as a thickener and emulsifier in dairy products, salad dressings,
and other foods. It's made from corn sugar.
Yeast - A living organism used in the production of bread and beer. Yeast, in the environment of sugar,
produces carbon dioxide and alcohol. This process is called fermentation.

Yogurt - A thick, custard-like, mildly acid preparation. Usually made by fermenting partly skim or skim
milk with a special culture. Fruit of other flavorings may be added.
Zest - Sometimes known as peel or rind.

Zaatar - An herb mixture composed of savory, thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds. A prepared mixture of
this herb mixture can be found at most Middle Eastern groceries. The quality of zaatar can differ greatly.