HISTORY OF BAKING AND IT’S

BASIC INGREDIENTS
History of Baking
 Baking is a cooking method using dry heat. This method could be applied to
cooking different kinds of food products, such as fruits or meat dishes. In this
module, baking refers to the process of cooking breads, cakes and pastries.
 Baking evolved from man’s innovation in the preparation and cooking of grains.
Grains are the seeds of cereal grasses, such as wheat and rice. When the grains
are pounded and ground, flour is produced. Flour is the basic ingredients of baked
products. Baking bread could have begun when man learned to proud or mash
grains and with the addition of water to make a paste. When this paste is spread on
a hot stone near a fire, flatbread is produced (Gisslen 2001). Then came the
discovery of yeast, and other ingredients. New tools and equipment like ovens and
mixes were also invented. These discoveries and inventions resulted in the variety
of baked products we have today
 There is no record of when bread making actually began but it existed in the
ancient times. The earliest Biblical Record of bread making is during the time of
Abraham (Genesis14:8) more than 2000 years ago.
 BAKING INGREDIENTS

Flour
Liquids
Fat
Sugar
Leavening Agents
Eggs
Salt and other Flavoring
BAKING INGREDIENTS
Baked products are made from essentially the same ingredients-flour, fats,
sugar, eggs, water or milk, and leavening (Gisslen 1995). Combination of
these ingredients and preparation methods produce the various general
classifications of baked products we see today.
Flour
 Is the primary ingredients of most baked products because it provides the
structure of the products( Lauterbach and Albrecht 1994) the kind of flour that
is commonly used in baking comes from the wheat grain. There are various
kinds of flour that comes from wheat but these can be generally classified as
“strong” or weak” flour. This classification is based on the amount of protein
present in the flour.
 Flour is mostly starch but the protein content (7 to 14%) is important because
it determines the formation of gluten. Gluten determines the shape and texture
of the product. Strong flours come from hard wheat and have high protein
content (whole wheat and bread flours). These are best used for breads while
weak flours from soft wheat with lower protein content (all-purpose flour and
cake flour) are used in cakes, quick breads, cookies and pies.
Kinds Of Flour
Whole Wheat Flour
Bread Flour
All Purpose Flour
Cakes Flour

Other Kinds of Flour

Rice Flour
Kinds Of Characteristic Function And Proper Storage
Flour Use
a. Whole Comes from wheat grains, contains the Best used in preparing Must be stored in an air
Wheat whole part of the grain including the bran yeast breads like whole tight sealed container in a
Flour (outer part or cover of the grain), the wheat bread. cool dry placed or in the
endosperm (the fruit) and the germ or the refrigerator.
embryo (the inner part of the whole grain).

a. Bread Has more gluten strength and protein This is the best choice Several months and a
Flour content than all-purpose flour. Bread flour for yeast products like cool, dry cabinet when
has 12 to 14% protein. pandesal, pan/sliced stored in a sealed
bread, crusty breads container or if tightly
and rolls and buns. wrapped and up to one
year in the freezer.

a. All It is combination of soft and hard flours. It Best for pie crusts, Can be stored inside the
Purpose may be bleached or unbleached. It is one of cookies, muffins, cabinet using an airtight
the readily accessible flour. Protein varies cupcakes, pancakes and container and be kept 6-8
Flour
from 8 to 11%. shortened cakes months.

a. Cakes Is a fine-textured, soft-wheat flour with This flour is excellent for Store in an air tight
high starch content. It has the lowest baking fine textured container not exceeding
Flour protein content of 7 to 9%. It is chlorinated cakes with greater for more than 6 months.
(bleaching process which leaves the flour volume and is used in
slightly acidic, sets a cake faster and some quick breads and
distributed fat more evenly through the cookies.
batter to improve texture.
 Other Kinds of Flour

a. Rice Rice flour is made from finely Can be used as Can be stored in a plastic
Flour milled rice. It can be made from substituted for container and must not be
either white or brown rice. It wheat flour but the stored for a long period of
has 6.5 to 7% protein but it quality of the time
does not form gluten. product may differ
Liquids
 Liquid ingredients are important for hydrating protein, starch and leavening agent. Liquids
contribute to the moistness and texture of the products. Liquids also help in leavening the
product because it turns to steam and expands during baking.
Kinds of liquid Characteristics Function and Proper storage
ingredients use
a. Water
a. Milk and Fresh whole milk is the form of milk Contributes water Fresh milk and opened
creams most commonly referred to in recipes. fats, nutrients and cans of evaporated milk
Evaporate milk is milk with about 60% flavor. has to be kept refrigerated
of water removed. It can be diluted with in an airtight container.
equal amount of water when used in Unopened evap. milk can
baking. should be stored in a cool
Dry place.
a. Juice Usually fresh fruit juices Adds flavor and Store in airtight container
color. Best used in in the refrigerator.
recipes with baking
soda as leavening.
 Fat
These may come from animal or vegetable fats. It can also be in liquid or solid form. Fats
generally help to tenderize the product and soften the structure, add moistness and richness,
increase keeping quality, add flavor, assist in leavening when used as creaming agents (Gisslen,
2001).
Kinds of fat Characteristic Function and use Proper storage
s
a. Butter Made out of fatty milk Good source of favor and melting Butter must be kept well wrapped
protein. It can be slated quality so these are good for pastries inside the refrigerator because it
or unsalted. and cakes. melts at room temperature and to
maintain its good quality.

a. Margarin Made from various Baker’s margarine (bar margarine) are Keep well wrapped in refrigerator.
hydrogenated vegetable very similar in characteristic and
e or animal fats, with function to butter.
flavoring emulsifiers, Pastry margarine (in containers) are Keep in tightly closed container in
coloring agents and tougher and more elastic and more a cool, dry. Dark place.
other ingredients. elastic and are used for dough or
pastries.
a. Oil Comes from vegetable, Spread to the mixture too thoroughly Keep in tightly closed container in
nut or seed sources. It is and can shorten too much so it is not a cool, dry, dark place.
liquid fat. commonly used in cakes but in pie
dough and some yeast breads.
a. Lard Comes from the side part Are commonly used in making flaky Keep in tightly closed container in
of the hog. crust for pies. a cool, dry dark place.

a. Shortenin Group of solid fats, Used for flaky products such as pie Keep in tightly closed container in
usually white and crust and biscuits. a cool, dry, dark place.
• Sugar
or sweeteners have differing degrees of sweetness and come in various
forms from powder to crystals to syrups.

Kind of sweetener Characteristics Function and Use Proper Storage

a. Granulated or refined Regular white sugar Finer granulations are Must be kept in a
cane sugar also called table sugar. better for mixing dough plastic sealed
Caster sugar has finer and batters because they container and
granules while dissolve relatively stored in a dry
sanding sugar has quicker. Sanding sugar is place.
coarser granulated good for sprinkles on top
than regular white of cakes and cookies and
sugar. for syrups.
a. Confectioner or Sugar ground to a fine Used in Icings, toppings,
powdered sugar powder mixed with a cream fillings, dusting.
small amount of
starch also called
Icing Sugar.
a. Brown sugar The darker color has Used in place of white
(Raw brown, light more impurities. It sugar when its flavor and
brown, medium contains small amount color is desired. It also
brown. of glucose and contains a small amount
fructose. of acid so it can be with
Contains a little baking soda to provide
amount of molasses leaving.
and the natural fibers
of the sugar cane.
 Leavening Agents
Are the responsible for the production and incorporation of gases during the baking process? This is
what make products rise. There are different kinds of leavening agents.
Yeast is biological leavening agent because it is a microscopic plant that produces carbon dioxide
gas and alcohol in the process called fermentation produces the leavening action.
Baking soda and baking powder are chemical leavening agents. These produce gas from the
chemical reactions that occur when there is moisture and an acidic ingredients.
Kinds of Characteristic Function and Use Proper Storage
Leavening
Agents
a. Yeast Available as active dry yeast or instant yeast. Fermentation of yeast is Yeast must be kept in an
Active dry yeast consists of coarse oblong important in the formation airtight container away
granules. Instant yeast or rapid-rise yeast has and stabilization of gluten from heat and light.
smaller granules and dissolve faster. thus it is best used for breads
and other yeast products.

a. Baking Sodium bicarbonate, a fine The fast action of chemical Must be stored in air tight
soda White powder that has a slightly salty and leaveners makes them very container to maintain
alkaline taste (mapakla) good to use in muffins, cakes, freshness.
cookies, pastries.
a. Baking Mixture of baking soda plus an acid to react
powder with it and starch to prevent lumping. It is
available as single-acting or double-acting
baking powder. Single-acting baking requires
only moisture to release gas. Double-acting
baking powder release gas in two stages. First
during mixing then completes the reaction
with the addition of heat during baking.
 Egg
Perform many functions in the production of baked products. They come in various
sizes (small, medium, large, extra-large) and kinds
(Chicken egg, duck egg, native egg.)
Kinds of eggs Characteristics Function and Use Proper
Storage
Fresh white Large and fresh Protein in eggs contributes to structure. Keep shell
chicken eggs white eggs are the intact and
standards for Emulsifier (blending or combining of substances store in the
baking. They that are difficult to blend like fats and liquid). This refrigerator.
should be clean, contributes to volume and texture.
fresh-tasting. Free
of bad odors, and Leavening when egg whites are beaten, air is
tastes. trapped in the foam bubbles and expand during
baking.
Shortening due to the fat content of egg yolk.
Salt and other Flavoring
 Salt enhances the flavor and sweetness of other ingredients. Salt
slows down yeast fermentation and strengthens gluten structure
making it more stretchable. Other flavorings include vanilla, spices
(cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger) and flavor extracts (banana essence,
pandan flavoring, lemon extract).