4 BAKING & PASTRY EQUIPMENT

Much of a baker’s art and craft involve simple tools. Learning to be skilled baker requires
developing a great deal of manual skill using these tool.

4.1 Equipment Sanitation & safety

Before we look at specific items, we must first consider points related to the use of equipment in
general.

A. Safety

 Baking equipmentcan be dangerous

 Can inflict serious injuries if not use carefully and properly
 Never use a piece of equipment until you are thoroughly familiar with its operation and
all its features.
 Remember that not all models are alike
 Study the operating manual supplied with each item.
 Or to be taught by someone who already know that item well

B. Sanitation
 Thorough , regular cleaning of all equipment is essential
 Most large equipment can be partially disassembled for cleaning
 Read the operating manual
 Get information from someone who knows the equipment

4.2 Large Equipment

 Mixers
 mixers of various types are essential tools in the bakeshop
 Two Main Types :
 Is the most common type used in baking as well as in cooking
 Have 3 main mixing attachments :
 Paddle - flat blade used for general mixing
 Wire whip – used for such tasks as beating eggs foams and creams
 Dough arm or dough hook – used for mixing and kneading yeast
 Spiral Mixer
 Are designed for doughs and heavy batters and are used primarily for
making large quantity of yeast doughs for breads and bagels
 Do not have interchangeable bowls and agitator arms
 Ovens
 The workhorses of the bakery and pastry shop and are essential for producing
breads, cakes, cookies, pastries, and other baked items.
 Common kinds :
 Deck Oven
 Items to be baked – either on sheet pans or, in case of some breads,
freestanding – are placed directly on the bottom, or deck, of the oven
 Also called stack ovens
 Rack Oven
 A large oven into which entire rack full of sheets pans can be wheeled for
baking
 Normally holds 8 to 24 full – size sheet pans
 Mechanical Oven
 The food is in motion while it bakes
 The most common type is a revolving oven
 Convection Oven
 Contains fans that circulate the air and distribute the heat rapidly
throughout the interior
 Microwave oven
 Uses electric to generate microwave radiation, which cooks or reheats foods very
quickly
 Proofer
 Maintain the most desirable environment for yeast growth
 Reach in refrigerators
 May be single unit or part of bank units
 Holds foods on the line at the proper temperature
 Ice cream machines
 Have a motor that either turns the paddle within the cooling chamber or rotates
the chamber around the paddle
 The bowl is usually removable and must be frozen at least 12 hours before use
 Can produce up to a quart / liter of ice cream per batch
 Blender
 Consists of a base, which houses the motor, and a removable lidded jar with a
propeller – like blade set in the bottom
 Jars are made of stainless steel, plastic or glass and come in several sizes
 Excellent in puréeing, liquefying and emulsifying foods because the tall narrow
shape of the jar keeps the food circulating and in close contact with the blade
4.3 Scales and measuring tools

 A. Scales
 Must be used correctly to be effective
 Weigh only the ingredient, not the ingredient and the container holding it
 Before using any scale, you must take certain steps to account for the weight of
containers.
This process is known as setting a scale to tare or setting it to zero
 Spring scales
 Have a platform set on top of a pedestal that contains a spring mechanism for
weighing and a dial indicator on the front
 To tare a spring scale, place the container for measuring the ingredients on the
scale and turn the dial so that the pointer or arrow is aligned with zero
 Are designed to read in any number of increments
 Some are very sensitive and can measure small amounts, while others are made so
they only measure in large increments.
 Digital scales
 Have a stainless platform set on a electronic base with digital display
 Capable in measuring very small amounts typically have a smaller total capacity
 To tare, you press a button to reset the scale to zero
 Most digital scales can switch between metric and U.S standard measuring system
 B. Volume Measure
 Graduated pitchers or breakers and measuring cups and spoons
 Commonly used in bakeshop to measure liquids and pourable ingredients (eggs,
molasses, corn syrup, for example)
 Pitcher and cups are scales off with lines or markings to show varying measures
 Clear pitchersand cups are easy to fill accurately
 For the most accurate results, use the smallest measure possible to measure
ingredients, place the vessel on a level surface and bend down to take the reading
at eye level
 Measuring spoons ahould be filled to the rim
 Don’t fill over the bater or other mixture, in case you accidentally over pour
 Dry Measuring Cups
 Commonly used in recipes written for gthe home baker
 They are used to measure small amounts of certain dry ingredients, such as salt,
spices, and baking soda
 To use measuring cups and spoons for dry ingredients, overfill the measure, and
then use a straight edge, such as the side of a metal spatula, to scrape the excess
away ; the ingredient shoukd fill the measure evely up to the rim
4.4 Cutting Tools

A. Knives

 A basic knife collection includes four essential knives; a chef’s or French

knife, a utility knife, a paring knife, and a slicer, as well as a number of
special knives and cutting tools for specific purposes.
 A sharp tool not only performs better but is safer to use, because less pressure
is required to cut through the ingredient.
 Always use an appropriate cutting surfaces, wooden or composition cutting
boards are best
 Cutting on metals, glass or mable surfaces will dull and eventually damage the
blade of a knife
 Clean knives thoroughly immediately after using them with soap and hot
water
 Sanitiza the entire knife, including the handle, bolster, and blade, as necessary,
so that it will not cross contaminate food.
 Dry knives carefully before storing them or using them again.
 To pass a knife safely to someone, present it with the handle toward the other
person
 Whenever you carry a knife from one area to another, hold the knife blade
point down, with the sharpened edge facing you, and let people know you are
passing by with something sharp
 When you lay a knife down on a work surface, be sure that no part of it
extends over the edge of the cutting board or waork table.
 Never try to catch a falling knife.

B. Types of Knives
 Chef’s or French knife
 Are all – purpose knives used for a variety of chopping, slicing and mincing tasks
 The blade is usually 8 to 14 in / 20 to 36cm long with a straight edge
 Look for a high – carbon stainless steel blade, a full tang, good balance, and a
handle that fits your hand comfortably
 Utility Knife
 Similar to chef’s knives except that they are smaller and lighter, for light cutting
chores
 Their blades are generally 5 to 7 in / 13 to 18cm long
  Paring knife
 A short knife used for preparing and trimming vegetables and fruits
 Blades are 2 to 4 in / 5 to 10cm long
 Comes in different shapes: pointed, bird beak, tourney, and sheep’s foot
 Slicer
 Used to slice breads, cakes and pastries
 Blades are long and thin and can range in length from 8 to 12 in / 20 to 30cm
 Have variety of edges
 Bread knives and other serrated slicers are excellent for slicing foods with
relatively spongytexture, such as most breads and some cakes
 Slicing blades with straight edges are used to slice delicate pastries and cakes
 Typically 10 to 12 in 25 to 30cm long. Some have offset handles
 Mandolin
 Can cut large amount of food quickly into uniform slices or strips of varying
thickness
 Made of nickel – plated stainless steelcwith blades of high carbon steel
 Can be used to make such as slices, julienne, gaufrettes, and bâtonnetes
 Kitchen Scissors or shears
 Should be made of heavy duty stainless steel and come apart easily for cleaning
 Used is décor for sugar work, in confections for making hard candies, and in
bread making to score and shape loaves

4.5 Other Small Tools

 Graters
 Made of metal perforated with openings that shred away pieces of an ingredient
 The openings range in size from very small, for granting nutmeg, to large, for
granting moister foods that might otherwise fall apart
 Some graters are flat, others have a curve surface or in box
 Citrus Zester
 Small hand tool consisting of a metal head attached to handle
 As head is passed over the citrus fruit, the cutting edges remove the outer layer of
colored zest but leave behind the bitter white pith.
 Rasp
 A long (approximately 12 in / 30cm) Flat piece of stainless steel with small
perforations.
 Some have handles well suited for zesting as well as finely grating chocolate and
hard cheese.
 Swivel – blade peelers
 Lemon reamer
 Apple corer
 Spoons
 May be made of metal, wood, or composite materials.
 Some spoons have deep bowls, others are flat, and more like a paddle.
 Slotted or perforated spoons are used to life foods out of liquids.
 Spiders and Skimmers
 Operate on a similar principle as spoons but are very wide and quite flat and have
a very long handle
 Paddle
 Used in chocolate and confection work.
 They scapre clean easily, making easier to work with mixtures that requires
careful blending and temperature control, such as chocolate.
 Tongs
 Act as an extension of your thumb and forefinger to lift, turn and transfer hot food
or other objects.
 Whips or Whisk
 Loops of stainless – steel wire fastened to a handle
  Used for mixing and blending and whipping foams

 Rubber Spatula
 Used to scrape mixtures from bowls and into baking pans, to push foods through
sleeves
 Have a flexible head of synthetic rubber, silicone, or similar material on the end
of a handle
 The head is shaped for a specific function and may be narrow or broad, with a
pointed, angled, or blunt tip; some have notch on one side for cleaning the rims of
bowls.
 Spatulas made from high-temperature resistant synthetic rubber ir silicone can be
used to stir and blend ingredients over direct heat, up to 600⁰F/316⁰C.
 Spatulas range in length from about 10 in/ 25 cm to slightly longer than 20 in/ 51
cm
 Metal Spatula
 Look something like knives
 Also called a straight spatula or palette knife
 Has long, flexible blade with rounded end
 Used mostly in spreading icing on cakes and for mixing and bowl scrapping.
 A variant with and angled blade is called an offset spatula
 Plastic bowl scrapers
 Like a head of a rubber scrapper, without a handle
 May be round on one side are efficient at scrapping bowls completely clean,
leaving no waste.
 Scoops
 Have bowls of varying sizes attached to a handle
 Some scoops have a spring-operated mechanism that pushes batters ice cream, or
other preparations cleanly from the bowl, making it easy to scale them
consistently during production or service.
 Melon ballers
 Also called Parisian scoops.
 May be round or oval, with straight or fluted edges
 Ladlles
 Use for portioning as well as for measuring pourable ingredients or mixtures such
as sauces
 Sieve
 Around metal screen supported in stainless-steel hoop frame.
 Used for sifting flour and other dry ingredients
 Also called a drum sieve or tamis (tah-mee)
 Strainer
 A round-bottomed, cup-shaped tool for made of screen mesh or perforated metal,
with a handle on one side.
 Used for separating solids from liquids, such as draining the juices from fruit.
 Chinois and China Cap
 Chinois is a conical strainer with a finer mesh, used mostly for straining sauces.
 China cap is a conical strainer but made of perforated steel, so it doesn’t strain as
finely.
 Colanders
 Stainless-steel, alluminum or plastic bowls pierced with holes and are used for
straining or draining foods.
 Cheesecloth
 Light, fine-mesh gauze frequently used along with or in place of a fine conical
sieve to strain very fine sauces and similar items.
 Rolling pins
 Used in bakeshop for rolling out doughs
 May be made of wood,metal,marble or synthetic materials.
 Some pins have a smooth surface; others are textured or engraved to leave an
impression of a pattern or picture on the dough.
 Cutters
  Cookie cutters and pastry cutters
 Available in many shapes
 Cut decorative shapes by stamping them from rolled-out-dough
 Roller docker
 A tool that pierces holes in rolled-out dough to prevent bubbling baking
 Consist of a handle attached to rotating tube fitted with row of spikes
 Brushes

4.6 Bakeware

 Hotel pan
 Sheet pan
 Cake pan
 Spring form pan
 Tube pan
 Pie pan
 Tart pan
 Tartlet pans
 Loaf pan
 Cake rings
 Flan rings
 Madeleine pan
 Flexible Silicon Molds
  Flexible Silicone Mat
 Able to with stand oven temperatures up to 500⁰F/ 260⁰C
 Used for lining sheet pans to give them a non-stick baking surface
 Also provide a non-stick heat-resistant surface for candy making
 Should be stored flat to prevent them from splitting
 Parchment Paper
 Also called baking paper silicone paper
 Sheet of treated non-stick paper sized to fit standard sheet pans
 Also used to make piping cones for decorative works
 Mixing bowls
 The most useful mixing bowls are made of stainless steel and have round bottoms
 Used for general mixing and whipping
 Muffin Pan
 Metal baking pan with cup shaped indentations for baking muffins
 Pans are available for making muffins in several sizes
 Petite four molds
 Tiny metal molds in variety of shapes, used for baking assortment of little tartlets
financer and other petite fours
 Thermometers
 Sugar thermometers or candy thermometers- used for measuring the temperature
and hence the concentration of boiling sugar syrups
 Chocolate thermometers is used for tempering chocolate
 Oven thermometers

4.7 Tools for décor work

 Pastry bag
  A cone-shaped cloth or plastic bag with an open end that can be fitted with metal
or plastic tubes or tips of various shapes and sizes
 Used for shaping and decorating with items such as icing and for filling pastries

 Piping tips
 Generally made of nickel-plated metal and are stamped with numerical
identification code
 Tips may have round oval, star, or other-shaped openings
o Cakes and Decorating combs
o Wire rack
o Turntable
o Dripping Tools
o Chocolate molds
o Transfer Sheets
o Air brush
o Acetate
o Blowtorch
o Marble

4.8 Stovetop Pots and Pans

 Sauté pans or Skillet

 Crepe and omelette pans
 Saucepots

5.1 Flour

 Wheat Flour
 Is the more important ingredient in the bakeshop
 It provides bulk and structure to most of the baker’s products, including breads, cakes,
cookies, and pastries.
A. Wheat Kernel

 Bran
 Endosperm
 Germ

B. Type of Flour

1. Bread Flour
2. Cake Flour
3. All Purpose Flour
4. Whole Wheat Flour
5. Rye Flour
6. Pastry Flour

C. Storage of Flour

 Should be stored on elevated platforms (15cm above), closest to the floor. If possible,
should be perforated to allow air circulation
 Storing flour on the west level controls flour particles from settling on other items.
 It is not recommended to store flour directly against walls.
 Storing flour away from walls provides adequate air circulation and prevents it from
absorbing moisture from wet walls during humid weather.
 Should not be stored under sewage pipes or any other water or drainage pipes as they
could leak and spoil the flour.

5.2 Starch

 Cornstarch

5.3 Sugars

 Sugar or sweetening agents have the following purposes in baking

A. Types of Sugar
  Regular Refined Sugar or Sucrose
 Confectioners or Powdered Sugar
 Brown sugar
 Artificial Sweeteners
 Saccharin
 Cyclamates
 Assucro
 Asparte
 Artificial Sugar (Polyols)
 Sorbitols and Xylitol
 Glycerol
 Isomalt

B.Storage of Sugars

 The sugar must be store in the store room on an elevated platform or shelving, to prevent
the sugar from getting wet in case of leaks of floods
 The sugar should at all times be stored at a room temperature of 18⁰C
 It is best to store sugar in water proof container from getting wet and possible dirt
particles or other ingredients, such as flour dust from failing into it.

5.4 Syrups

 Molasses
 Glucose
 Corn Syrups
 Honey

5.5 Milk

 Next to water, milk is the most important liquid in the bakeshop

 Contributes to the texture, flavor, crust color, keeping quality, and nutritional value of
baked products.
A. Composition of Milk

 Milk contains ninety different elements which the most important are the following (in
100 grams of milk there are):
 3.2 grams protein: contain all necessary amino acids to build and repair cells in the body
 4.9 grams Carbohydrates (lactose): Lactose in milk is composed of glucose and galactose.
Lactose has a positive effect on intestinal bacteria
 3.7 grams Fat: Milk fat is liquid body temperature, a sits melting point in between 28 and
32⁰C. Therefore it can easy digested, and in addition contains Vitamins A and D.
 0.8 grams Vitamins and Minerals: Vitamin A, B, D, E Minerals; Calcium and
Phosphorous, are essential for proper brain development.
 87.4 gram Water: body fluid and thirst quencher
 160 calories in 244 grams of whole milk.

B. Preservation of Milk

1. Preservation
2. Pasteurization
3. Ultra Heat Treatment (UHT)
4. Evaporated / Condensed Milk
5. Dry Milk
6. Homogenization
7. Fortification

C. Storage of Milk

 Fresh Milk and Pasteurized Milk have to be stored in the refrigerator at 5⁰C or below.
 Milk which was UHT treated can be stored in a dry cool place at 18⁰C. However, when
UHT processed milk is opened, it has to be stored in the refrigerator at 5⁰C or below.
 Dehydrated Milk like powdered, or canned milk like condensed, can be stored in a cool
dry place at 18⁰C.
  When condensed milk is opened, it has to be transferred in a stainless steel or plastic
container with cover and it has to be stored in the refrigerator at 5⁰C or below.

D. Milk Categories

 Whole milk
 Reduced fat milk
 Low-fat milk
 Skim or non-fat milk

5.6 Cream

 Is the fat molecule of milk, and when milk is not homogenized, the fat will float on the
surface of the milk
 It can be removed by skimming or it can be removed by centrifugal force.

A. Storage of Cream

 Has to be stored at all times in the refrigerator at refrigerator at 5⁰C or below

 Today we have also creams available in tetra pack which can be stored at room
temperature
 However, once the packaging is opened, it has to be stored in the refrigerator at 5⁰C
 It is not advisable to store cream in the freezer, as the cream will split and cannot be
whipped anymore

B.Types of Creams

 Heavy Cream
 Heavy Whipping Cream
 Sauce Cream
 Special Light Cream
 Coffee Cream
 All Purpose Cream
 Canned Cream
  Cream substitute
 Sour Cream
 Yogurt

5.7 Fats

A. The major functions of fats in baked items are:

 To add moistness and richness

 To increase keeping quality
 To add flavor
 To assist in leavening when used as a creaming agent or to give flakiness to puff pastry,
pie dough, and similar products

B. Types of Fats

 Shortenings
 Butter
 Storage of Butter
 Two Major Advantages:
o Flavor
o Melting Qualities
 Margarine
 Oils

C. Storage of Fats

 All fats become rancid if exposed to the air too long

 Tent to absorb odors and flavors from oyher foods
 Should be stored, well-wrapped in the refrigerator
 Other fats and oils should be kept in tightly closed containers in a cool, dry , dark place

5.8 Cheese

 Baker’s Cheese
  Cream Cheese

5.9 Eggs

 They are used in large quantities in the bakeshop and are more expensive than many of
the high-volume ingredients, such as flour and sugar.
 Large eggs are the standard size use4d in baking and in food service.

A. Eggs Function

 Structure
 Emulsifying of fats and liquids
 Leavening
 Shortening
 Flavor
 Nutritional Value Color
 Color

5.10 Leavening Agents

Yeast

 Fresh yeast or compressed yeast

 Active dry yeast
 Instant dry yeast

5.11 Chemical Leaveners

 Baking Soda
 Baking Powder

5.12 Gelling Agent

 Gelatin

5.13 Chocolate & Cocoa

  Cocoa powder
 Unsweetened or bitter chocolate
 Sweet chocolate
 Milk chocolate
 White chocolate

B.Storage of Chocolate

 The ideal temperature for storage is 10-15⁰C (50-60⁰F), slightly warmer than the
refrigerator
 The humidity should be 60-70%
 Chocolate absorbs surrounding odors easily and should be kept in airtight container.

5.14 Salt, Spices and Flavorings

 Salt
 Spices
 Vanilla

5.16 Alcohols

 Liqueurs
 Wines