Topic 3: Baking Ingredients and their Function

Specific
At the end of the lesson, the students are
expected to: Objectives:
1. Identify the different ingredients used in baking.
2. Characterize the different baking ingredients used in baking.
3. Describe how ingredients work together within formulas to produce a specific product.

Let’s
Direction: If you are going to bake a cake for your mother for her birthday. What are
the ingredients will you identify to come up a chocolate cake based on the picture
given below. Write your answer on the matrix provided.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
 6.
7
8.
9
10.

Let’s Learn
BAKING INGREDIENTS AND THEIR FUNCTION
Each ingredient in a baking recipe has a specific purpose and plays an important role in
the success or failure of the baked goods. The selection of the ingredients, their proportions to
one another, and how they are combined determine the flavor and texture of the finished baked
item. Understanding how ingredients interact and contribute in making great baked goods is the
first step to a successful recipe. Let’s take a closer look at each ingredient and its specific role in
baking.
1. FLOUR
- is the primary ingredients in baking.
 Provides the structure in baked goods.
 The main ingredient of baked goods is flour
which is usually milled from wheat.
 It contains the proteins gliadin and glutenin,
which when combined with liquid, forms
gluten. When expanded and heated, gluten
gives structure to the baked product. This
may be best remembered by the following.

GLIADIN & GLUTEN + LIQUID = BASIC GLUTEN + HEAT = STRUCTURE OF BAKED PRODUCT

Wheat Flour
 is the most important ingredients in the bakeshop.
 Wheat flour is best for cakes, pastries, breads and scores of other baked
products because of its gluten content and different baked goods need
varying amounts of gluten.
  Wheat flour contain proteins that interact with each other when mixed
with water, forming gluten. It is this elastic gluten framework which
stretches to contain the expanding leavening gases during rising. The
protein content of a flour affects the strength of a dough.

The wheat kernel consists of three main parts:

Composition of Flour
 Starches (63% -77% flour) necessary for the absorption of moisture during baking
 Protein (7%-15%) act as binding that holds the starch granules together
 Proteins are of the most concern to bakers because of the way they affect the dough
making and baking process.
 Ash (improve fermentation process by providing minerals to yeast and helping to create
“stretchier” gluten
 Vitamins
 Moisture

Bakers select flour on the basis of its gluten content (Flour is the main producer of
gluten in baked goods)
Strong flours (flours high in protein like Hard patent flour, clear flour, straight flour)
Weak flours (flours low in protein like Cake flour, Pastry flour, Patent flour, Straight
flour)
What is Gluten?
 Is the tough, rubbery substance created when wheat flour is mixed with water.
 Gluten strands are both plastic (that is, they change shape under pressure) and elastic
(they resume their original shape when the pressure is removed.
 Is produced when glutenin and gliadin are moistened and manipulated, as when they are
stirred or kneaded.
 Is responsible for the volume, texture and appearance of baked goods. It provides
structure and enables dough to retain the gases given off by leavening agents.

What is the importance of Gluten?

 Without gluten, baked goods won't hold their shape. That's why wheat flour is used in
baking. When the glutens in wheat are stretched out through the kneading or mixing
process, they form little pockets which can then be inflated by the gases released by the
leavening agent. When these air pockets inflate, the dough expands or rises.

 And since gluten is a protein, it hardens when it is heated — just like the protein in an
egg hardens when we cook it. This hardening of the gluten molecules is what allows the
bread to hold its shape, and gives it its firm texture.

 The quantity of protein in wheat flour is directly proportional to how much gluten will
form. Therefore, the higher the protein content in the flour, the more gluten it will form.

What is the role of Flour?

 Provides the structure and backbone of the finished product.
 It acts as a body builder as well as a binding agent.
 Absorbs liquids in batters and dough.
  Imparts flavor and contain vitamins and minerals that add to the nutritional value of the
baked good.

Types of Flour
1. Cake flour
 Weak flour or low gluten flour made from soft
wheat flour
 Has a soft, smooth texture and a pure white color
 Used for cakes and other delicate baked goods that
require low gluten content
 Have a higher percentage of starch and less protein
than bread flour, which keeps cakes and pastries tender
and delicate.
2. Pastry Flour
 Has slightly higher protein content than
cake flour and less starch
 Has the same creamy white color as
bread flour not the pure white of cake
flour
 Used for pie crust dough, muffins,
biscuits, cookies as well as pastries.

3. Bread flour/Hard Wheat Flour

 Known also as patent flour.
 A strong flour that is used for making breads, hard
rolls, and any product that requires high gluten.
 contain 12-14 % protein.
 Bread flour feels slightly coarse when rubbed
between the fingers.
 Its color is creamy white.

4. All Purpose Flour

 Most widely used of all flours
 contain 10-12 % protein.
 APF feels smooth and fine like cake flour and can
also squeezed into a lump.
 A blend of hard and soft wheat flours.
 Formulated to slightly weaker than bread flour so
it can be used for pastries
 This type of flour can be used universally for a
wide range of baked products– yeast breads,
cakes, cookie and pastries.
5.High Gluten Flour
 Milled from the entire endosperm
 Contains a high level of protein and is used in
bread doughs in which a chewier texture is
desired, such as hearth breads, pizza dough, and
bagels.
 Can be used in combinations with other flours
that may lack gluten-forming proteins

6. Whole Wheat Flour

 Made from the entire wheat kernel
 Have a shorter shelf life because the germ
contains fat that can quickly become rancid.
 Contains a high percentage of protein as the
only source for bread making although it does
not form as much gluten as other hard wheat
flours.
 Baked with whole wheat flours tend to be
heavier and denser than those made from
enriched flour.

7. Rye Flour
 Most popular flour in bread making.
 Breads made with it are heavy because rye
flour does not develop gluten unless some
hard wheat flour is added.

8. Self- Rising Flour

 An all-purpose flour to which salt and a
chemical leavener, usually baking powder
have been added.
2. FAT
 General term for butter, lard, margarine, shortening and oil.

What are the reasons for using fat in baked items?

 Tenderize the product and soften the texture.
 Add moistness and richness.
 Increase keeping quality and add flavor.
 Assist in leavening when sugar is creamed with fat.
 Give flakiness to puff pastry, pie dough and similar products.

Fats are selected based on:

a. Flavor
b. Melting point
The temperature at which a solid fat becomes a liquid oil
c. Ability to form emulsion
Emulsion is a uniform mixture of two unmixable substances.
Most baking ingredients combine completely with liquid but not fat. Fats will not
dissolve but will break down into smaller and smaller particles through mixing. With proper
mixing, these fat particles are distributed, more or less evenly, throughout the other ingredients
causing the fat and liquid to blend or emulsify.

Forms of Fat

1. Butter
 A fatty substance produced by agitating or
churning cream.
 Highly desirable flavor
 Low melting point makes it difficult to
handle in certain applications and burns
easily.
 Available in salted and unsalted form
2. Margarine
 Manufactured from animal or vegetable fats or a
combination of such fats.
 Flavorings, colorings, emulsifiers, preservatives and
vitamins are added, and the mixture is firmed or solidified
by exposure to hydrogenation.
 The firmer the margarine, the greater the degree of
hydrogenation and longer its shelf life.
 Cannot match the flavor of butter
 Margarine melts at a slightly higher temperature than butter
making it useful for rolled in dough such as puff pastry or
Danish.
 Leaves a greasy taste on the tongue.

3. Lard
 Made from rendered pork fat
 It is solid white product of almost 100% pure
fat, it contains only a small amount of water.
 Yields flaky, flavorful pastries such as pie
crust but is rarely used commercially because
it turns rancid quickly.

4. Oils
 Are liquid fats
 They are not often used as shortening in baking
because they spread through a batter or dough too
thoroughly and shorten too much.
 Usefulness in the bakeshop is limited primarily to
greasing and proofing bowels, to deep frying
doughnuts and to serve as a wash for some kinds of
rolls.
 A few quick breads and cakes use oil as a
shortening

5. Shortenings
 Mean any group of solid fat, usually white
and tasteless, that are especially formulated
for baking.
 May be made from vegetable oils, animal
fats or both.
 Types of Shortening
a. Regular shortening
 have a fairly tough and waxy texture
 are moldable at room temperature
 have good creaming ability
 used for flaky products
b. High ratio plastic shortening
 soft shortening that spread easily throughout the batter
 contain emulsifying agent that can help hold large quantity of liquid and sugar.
c. High ratio liquid shortening
 called liquid cake shortening
 contain higher emulsifiers which make the cakes moist and fine-textured
3. SUGAR
What is the role of sugar?
 Add sweetness and flavor
 Create tenderness and fineness of texture, partly by weakening the
gluten structure
 Give crust color
 Increase keeping qualities by retaining moisture
 Act as creaming agents with fat and as foaming agents with eggs
 Provide food for the yeast

Characteristic of Sugars
Sugars are hygroscopic. This means they attract and hold water. Fructose found in honey
is much more hygroscopic than sucrose or table sugar. For some purpose, this characteristic is
desirable because baked goods stay moist longer than those with little or no sugar. It is
undesirable because they can be held only a limited time since it attracts moisture from air and
becomes sticky. Sugars used for dusting can attract moisture and dissolve.
Forms of Sugar

1.Granulated Sugar
 Pure refined sucrose derived from either
sugarcane or sugar beets
 Has small, evenly sized crystals, and it is
 This is better for mixing into doughs and
the most commonly used sugar in the
batters because they dissolve relatively
bakeshop.
quickly. It is the most familiar and the most
commonly used. Fine sugars are better for
creaming with fats because they create a
finer, more uniform air cell structure and
better volume.
 2. Ultrafine Sugars or Caster sugar
 Finer than granulated sugar
 Ideal for making cakes and cookies because they
make a more uniform batter and can support
higher quantities of fat.

3. Sanding sugar
 Has a large coarse crystal structure that
prevents it from dissolving easily.
 It is used almost exclusively for decorating
cookies and pastries.

4. Confectioners’ or Powdered Sugar

 Ground to a fine powder and mixed with a

small amount of starch about 3% to prevent
caking.
 Known as icing sugar due to its importance
in making kinds of icings

5. Brown Sugar

 Regular cane sugar that has not been  Mostly sucrose but it also contains varying
completely refined amounts of caramel, molasses and other
 This is used in baked products where impurities, which give it its characteristic
6. Isomaltthe flavor and color of brown sugar is flavor.
desired.
 White crystalline “sugar free” sweetener
made from sucrose and used in diabetic
baking.

7. Syrup
 Consist of one or more types of sugars dissolved
in water, often with small amounts of other
compounds that give the syrup flavor.
A. Molasses
 A thick, dark brown liquid which is concentrated sugarcane juice
 Retains moisture in baked goods and therefore prolongs freshness
B. Glucose
 Most common of the simple sugars.
 Manufactured from cornstarch.
 Slightly sweet, very thick and is hygroscopic.
 Useful for icings, candies and sugar pieces such as pulled sugar.
c. Honey
 A natural sugar syrup consisting largely of the simple sugar glucose and fructose plus
other compounds that give its flavor.
 Highly hygroscopic
d. Malt Sugar
 A liquid sweetener produced from germinated barley or wheat grains.
 Used primarily in yeast breads. It enhances the elasticity for bread dough and retains
moisture in the crumb.

e. Corn Sugar
 Produced by extracting starch from corn kernels and treating it with acid or an enzyme to
develop a sweet syrup.
 Thick or viscous and less sweet tasting than honey or refined sugar.
 Provides chewy texture.

4. Eggs

 Used in large quantities in the bakeshop

and are more expensive than many of
the other high volume ingredients.
 Large eggs are the standard size used in
baking.

Functions:
1. Structure
 Egg protein coagulates to give structure to baked products. This is especially important in
high ratio cakes, where the high sugar and fat content weakens the gluten.
 If used in large quantities, eggs make baked products tough or chewy unless balanced by
high fat and sugar, which are tenderizers.

2.Emulsification of Fats
 Egg yolks contain natural emulsifiers, which help to produced smooth batters. This
contributes to volume and to texture.
3. Leavening
 Beaten eggs incorporate air in tiny cells or bubbles. In a batter, this trapped air expands
when heated and aids in leavening.
4. Shortening action
 The fat in egg yolk acts as a shortening. This is an important function in products that are
low in other fats.
5. Moisture
 Whole eggs are about 70% water, egg yolks about 86% water and egg yolks about 49%
water. This moisture must be calculated as part of the total liquid in the formula.
6. Flavor
7. Nutritional Value
8. Color
 Yolks impart a yellow color to dough's and batters.
 Eggs brown easily and contribute to crust color.
Forms of Eggs
1. Whole Shell Eggs
2. Frozen Eggs
3.Dried: whole, whites, yolks

5. LIQUID
 Essential to the baking process because gluten
cannot be developed without moisture.

Function:
 Development of gluten in the flour
 Gelatinization of starches
 Dissolving other ingredients

Forms of Liquid
1.Water
 Basic liquid in baking, especially in breads.
 Products made with water are less expensive and have a longer shelf life.

 Are necessary in baked goods for hydrating protein, starch and leavening agents.
 Liquids contribute moistness to the texture and improved the mouth feel of
baked products.
2. Milk
 Important liquid in the bakeshop.
 Contributes to the texture, flavor, crust color, keeping quality and nutritive value of baked
products.

Forms of milk
a. Whole milk
 Comes from the cow, with nothing removed and nothing added
b. Skim milk or nonfat milk
 Fat is removed.
c. Low fat content
 Has fat content of 0.5% to 2%.
d. Evaporated milk
 Either whole or skim, with about 60% water is removed.
 Sterilized and canned.
e. Condensed Milk
 Whole milk that has about 60% of water removed and is heavily sweetened with sugar.
f. Dried whole milk
 Milk that has been dried to a powder.

Guidelines for using milk in baking

1. Whole milk contains fat which must be calculated as part of the shortening in dough. For this
reason, whole milk and skim milk are not interchangeable in a formula unless adjustments are
made for the fat. Acid ingredients such as lemon juice, cream of tartar and baking powder
normally should not be added directly to milk, as they will curdle it.
2. Fresh liquid milk, even regular pasteurized milk contains an enzyme that can be harmful to
gluten formation. For this reason, bakers often heat milk just below the baking point and cool
it
before adding.
3. Butter milk, which is slightly acid, must be neutralized by adding baking soda to the formula
as
a leavening.
4. Dry milk is not necessary to reconstitute it. The powder milk is included with the dry
ingredients
 and water is used as the liquid.

6. Leavening Agents
 The production or incorporation of gases in
baked product to increase volume and to produce
shape and texture.
 Gases are retained in the product until the
structure is set enough (by coagulation of gluten
and egg protein) to hold its shape.
 Exact measurement of leavening agent is
important because small changes can produce
major defects in baked products.

Forms of Leavening Agents

1. Yeast
 A microscopic plant that accomplishes fermentation process by producing enzymes.
 A living organism that is sensitive to temperature. The best temperature for growth is 70
F to 90 F or 20 C to 32 C. Yeast is killed at 140 F or 60 C.
 Contributes flavor to bread dough. Flavor molecules are produced by the yeast during
fermentation.

Types of Yeast
1.Fresh Yeast / Compressed Yeast
 Moist and perishable, and is preferred by professionals.
 It must be refrigerated as it only lasts 2 weeks.

2. Active dry yeast

 a dry, granular form of yeast. It requires rehydration.

3.Instant dry yeast

 Dry granular form of yeast but does not require rehydration.
 Contains little dead yeast
 Produces more gas much quicker than active dry yeast.
 Fermentation must be carefully monitored to avoid over fermentation or over proofing.

Chemical Leavener
 Those that release gases produced by chemical reactions
Forms of Chemical Leaveners
1.Baking Soda
 Chemical sodium bicarbonate
 If moisture and acid are present, soda releases carbon dioxide gas.
 The acid that react with soda in batter include honey, molasses, brown sugar, butter milk,
sour cream, yogurt, fruit juices and purees, chocolate and natural cocoa. Sometimes
cream of tartar is used for the acid
 Heat is not necessary for the reaction. For this reason, products leavened with soda must
be baked at once, or else gases will escape and leavening power will be lost
Cream of tartar
 Known as potassium hydrogen tartrate, an acidic salt of tartaric acid
 Used to make meringues more stable and to help prevent candies from crystallizing.

2.Baking Powder
 Mixtures of baking soda plus one or more acids to react with it
 Contains starch which prevents lumping and brings the leavening power down to several
levels.
 More versatile, do not depend their leavening power on acid.

Types of Baking powder

a. Single acting baking powder
 Require only moisture to release gas
 Releases gas too quickly to be useful for most products.
b. Double acting baking powder
 Release gas when cold, but they require heat for complete reaction
 Cake batters made with these can incorporate the leavening agent in the mixing period
and then can stand for some time before being baked.
 Do not include more baking powder than necessary in a formula because undesirable
flavors may be created.

Mechanical leavening
 Air bubbles may be incorporated mechanically into batters by two different mixing
methods. In the heat of the oven, these air bubbles expand and act as a leavener.

1. Creaming
 Beating fat and sugar together to incorporate fat sugar
2. Foaming
  Process of beating eggs with or without sugar to incorporate air steam
 When water is heated in the oven to 212 F, it becomes a gas. This is known as a steam.
3. Steam
 Steam is a powerful force that can expand over 1,000 times its original volume. The
result of the steam expanding under pressure within batters and dough causes them to
expand and rise. This leavens the baked good.

7. SALT
 Act as a seasoning, bringing out the flavor of baked goods just as it in other areas of
cooking

Functions:
1. It inhibits the action of yeast, controlling its rate of growth.
2. Strengthens gluten structures and makes it more stretchable. Thus it improves the texture and
grain of breads. When salt is present, gluten holds water and Co2, allowing the dough to
expand more while holding its structure.
3. An important flavor component in breads.

8. FLAVORINGS
 Do not affect the chemistry of baking
 Their role is simply to provide interesting flavors and to contribute variety to bakers’
output
 Artificial flavorings must be used in moderation to avoid creating strong or undesirable
flavor in baked items.

 Natural flavorings give the best results, but they are often expensive.

9. HERBS AND SPICES

Herbs
 Large group of aromatic plants where leaves, stems or flowers are used to add flavors.
 Basil, parsley, oregano, rosemary
Spices
 The bark, roots, seeds, or berries of plants
 Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, caraway, allspice, anise and poppy seeds.

Tips of Working with the Ingredients

1. Assemble all ingredients and utensil needed and arrange them within easy reach.
2.Work on the preparation activities before mixing the ingredients such as:
a. Sifting and measuring the flour and sugar.
b. Greasing the pan.
c. Pre-heating of oven.
d. Chopping or grinding nuts.
e. Melting cocoa or chocolate.
f. Combining together all dry ingredients.
h. Adding together all dry ingredients.
3. Use standard cups and measurements. Coffee cup is not standard for measuring
ingredients.
4.Sift flour before measuring it. Do not tap the cup of sifted flour
5.In measuring brown sugar, packed it firmly into the measuring cup and level it with
the
edge of spatula. In measuring refined sugar, heap to overflowing in the measuring cup
and level off with the edge of knife or spatula.
6.In measuring fats, bring to room temperature. Press firmly to measuring cup or spoon
and level off.
7.Make it a habit to trim, peel or scrape fruits and vegetables for pie filling on a piece of
old newspaper to facilitate cleaning.
8.Tidy up equipment’s and cooking area as you work. Utensils used for measuring,
mixing
and baking should be washed up and put away in their respective places.
9.Test cake by lightly touching the center of the cake or by inserting a cake tester in the
middle of the cake.

Let’s
Apply Task1.Know their ingredients
Direction: Collect at least three wrappers of different baked products that you can buy
in a grocery store. Locate the list of ingredients in the wrapper or food label. Write on
the space below the ingredients listed in the food label then determine how these
ingredients perform in the baked product.
Function Baked Baked Baked
of the Product 1 Product 2 Product 3
Ingredients
Tougheners

Tenderizers
 Moisteners

Driers

Leaveners

Flavorings

Task2: Short Answer Question

1. List five functions of fats in baked goods.
(a) .__________________________________________________________________________
(b) .__________________________________________________________________________
(c) . _________________________________________________________________________
(d) .__________________________________________________________________________
(e) .__________________________________________________________________________
2. What are two advantages of using butter instead of shortening in a pastry dough?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. List eight functions of eggs in baked products.
(a) . ________________________________________________________________________
(b) . _________________________________________________________________________
(c) . _________________________________________________________________________
(d) . _________________________________________________________________________
(e) .__________________________________________________________________________
(f) . __________________________________________________________________________
(g) .__________________________________________________________________________
(h) .__________________________________________________________________________
4. Describe two ways of incorporating air into batters to provide leavening.
(a).__________________________________________________________________________
(b).__________________________________________________________________________

Let’s Assess
I. True or False:
Direction: Write True if the statement is correct; if otherwise, write False. Write your answer
on the space provided.

______1. All flours are gluten forming.

______2. Gluten development is affected by the presence of fat.
______3. Creaming the fat and sugar will produce a cake that is high in volume and fine in
texture.
______4. Milk must be neutralized by adding cream of tartar in order to act as a leavener.
______5. If eggs are used too much in the formula, the finished product is tough.
______6. Coarse kinds of sugars are better for mixing batters.
______7. Most types of flours come from wheat.
______8. In cake mixing, APF can be substituted for cake flour.
______9. Oil as a shortening in pie making produces a flaky crust.
_______10. Bread flours are ideal for yeast-raised breads because of its gluten strength.
_______11. Amount of water could affect the outcome of the baked product.
_______12. Using syrup in cookie making results in chewy cookies.
_______13. The product will collapse if there is more fat and less amount of egg.
_______14. Gluten formation can occur without liquids.
________15. The higher the protein content in flour the larger the amount of gluten formed.
________16. Using high amounts of leavening agent produces best results in baked products.
________17. Baking powder does not require heat to release gas.
________18. The rising effect in baked products are obtained only from chemical and
biological leaveners.
________19. Too much use of salt interferes with the growth of yeast.
________20. Scalded milk interferes with the development of gluten.