BAKING TERMINOLOGY

Aerate, Aeration; To whip, sift or beat air between particles, as with flour,
confectioners sugar, or sugar and butter.

Bake – Cook with dry, radiant heat in an oven. To cook in an oven with dry heat. The
oven should always be heated for 10 to 15 minutes before baking
Batter – A mixture of flour, eggs, dairy, or other ingredients that is liquid enough to
pour.

Beat – Stir together very rapidly in order to incorporate air. This can be achieved with
a spoon, whisk, electric mixer, or food processor.

Blanch
To partially cook food by plunging it into boiling water for a brief period, then into
cold water to stop the cooking process.

Blend – Stir ingredients together until well mixed

Boil - To heat a liquid until bubbles rise continually to the surface and break.

Caramelize – Heat a sugar substance until it begins to turn brown. To heat sugar until
it is melted and brown. Caramelizing sugar gives it a distinctive flavour

Chop - To cut into small pieces using a sharp knife, appliance, or scissors.

Coat - To thoroughly cover a food with a liquid or dry mixture.

Combine – Stir ingredients together just until mixed.

Cool - To come to room temperature. To let food stand until it no longer feels warm to
the touch. Baked goods are cooled on wire racks to avoid soggy
bottom crusts; cool baked goods before wrapping and storing.

Core - Remove the seeded, inner portion of a fruit.

Crimp - To seal the edges of two layers of dough with the tines of a fork or your
fingertips.

Cream – Beat together sugar and butter until a light, creamy texture and color has
been achieved. This method adds air to batter, which helps the leavening process.
Sometimes eggs are also added during the creaming step.

To beat one or more ingredients, usually margarine or butter, sugar, and/or eggs, until
the mixture is smooth and fluffy.

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Crumb - The interior of baked goods—not the crust; interior texture formed by air
cell pockets trapped inside a webbing of starch and protein gelatinized by baking.

Cut In – Incorporating butter (or another solid fat) into flour just until the fat is in
small, granular pieces resembling coarse sand. This is achieved by using two knives in
a cross cutting motion, forks, or a special pastry cutter.
To distribute solid fat throughout the dry ingredients using a pastry blender, fork, or
two knives in a scissors motion.

Dash - A measurement less than 1/8 teaspoon.

Dough - A soft, thick mixture of flour, liquids, fat, and other ingredients.

Dot - To distribute small amounts of margarine or butter evenly over the surface of
pie filling or dough.

Drizzle – Pour a thin stream of a liquid on top of something.

To drip a glaze or icing over food from the tines of a fork or the end of a spoon.

Dust – Coat the surface of something with a light sprinkling of a dry substance (flour,
sugar, cocoa powder, etc.). To sprinkle lightly with sugar, flour, or cocoa.

Flute - To make or press a decorative pattern into the raised edge of pastry.

Fold in – Gently combine two substances in effort to not deflate a delicate, lofty
texture. Using a spatula, fold the bottom of the bowl up and over the top, turn the bowl
90 degrees, fold again, and repeat the process until combined.
To gently combine a heavier mixture with a more delicate substance, such as beaten
egg whites or whipped cream, without causing a loss of air.

Glaze – Coat with a thick, sugar based sauce.

To coat with a liquid, thin icing, or jelly before or after the food is cooked.

Grate - To shred with a handheld grater or food processor.

Grease – Coat the inside of a baking dish or pan with a fatty substance (oil, butter,
lard) to prevent sticking.

Grind - To produce small particles of food by forcing food through a grinder.

Knead – Combine dough by hand on a hard surface. This involves folding the dough
over, pressing down, turning 90 degrees and then repeating the process. Kneading
mixes dough as well as developing gluten strands that give strength to breads and
other baked goods.
To fold, push and turn dough or other mixture to produce a smooth, elastic texture.

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Lukewarm – Slightly warm, or around 105 degrees Fahrenheit. A temperature of
about 105°F, which feels neither hot nor cold.

Mix - To stir together two or more ingredients until they are thoroughly combined.

Mix until just moistened - To combine dry ingredients with liquid ingredients until
the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened but the mixture is still slightly lumpy.

Partially set - To refrigerate a gelatin mixture until it thickens to the consistency of

unbeaten egg whites.

Peel - To remove the skin of a fruit or vegetable by hand or with a knife or peeler. This
also refers to the skin or outer covering of a fruit or vegetable.

Proof – Allowing bread dough to rise or yeast to activate. To allow yeast dough to rise
before baking. Or to dissolve yeast in a warm liquid and set it in a warm place for 5 to
10 minutes until it expands and becomes bubbly.

Refrigerate - To chill in the refrigerator until a mixture is cool or until dough is firm.

Rind - The skin or outer coating of such foods as citrus fruit or cheese.

Rolling Boil – Water that boils with large, fast, and vigorous bubbles.

Rub in - It is a technique where flour is rubbed into a fat to make dishes such as
shortcrust pastry, crumbles and scones. Using your fingertips, rub the flour and
butter together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (fine or coarse, depending
on the recipe).

Scald – Heat to near boiling. To heat a mixture or liquid to just below the boiling point.

Shred - To cut food into narrow strips using a sharp knife, grater, or food processor
fitted with a shredding disk.

Score – Cut lines or slits into something. To cut slits in food with a knife, cutting
partway through the outer surface.

Sift
- Using a mesh sieve or flour sifter to break up clumps of dry ingredients; such as
powdered sugar. Also: adding air or mixing dry ingredients by passing them through a
sifter; such as mixing flour, sugar and spices.

Softened – A solid, high fat content substance that has been brought to room
temperature in order to make it more pliable. Margarine, butter, ice cream, or cream
cheese that is in a state soft enough for easy blending, but not melted.

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Soft Peaks – Egg whites or cream that has been whipped to the point at which a peak
will bend or slump over to one side. To create a peak, pull the whisk or beater straight
up and out of the foam.
Egg whites or whipping cream beaten to the stage where the mixture forms soft,
rounded peaks when the beaters are removed.

Steam - To cook food on a rack or in a wire basket over boiling water.

Stiff Peaks – Egg whites or cream that has been whipped to the point at which a peak
will stand completely erect. To create a peak, pull the whisk or beater straight up and
out of the foam.
Egg whites beaten to the stage where the mixture will hold stiff, pointed peaks when
the beaters are removed.

Stir - To combine ingredients with a spoon or whisk using a circular motion.

Toss - To mix lightly with a lifting motion, using two forks or spoons.

Whip – Stir briskly with a whisk to incorporate air. To beat rapidly with a wire whisk
or electric mixer to incorporate air into a mixture in order to lighten and increase the
volume of the mixture.

Whisk – A kitchen tool made of wire loops that tends to add air as it mixes substances
together.

Zest - The colored outer peel of citrus fruit, which is used to add flavor. The zest is
often referred to as “grated peel” in recipes. To create zest, choose the diagonal-hole
side of a box grater (it will zest more cleanly than if you use the nail-hole side) and rub
lightly to avoid getting the white pith, which is bitter. For broader strips of zest, use a
swivel-blade peeler or a sharp knife to cut away the peel.