Baking
Baking is the technique of
cooking food in an
oven by dry heat applied evenly throughout the oven or only from the bottom element. Many household ovens in North America are usually provided with two heating elements, one in the bottom for baking, and one in the top for
broiling. The person that does the baking is called a
baker.
Breads,
desserts, and
meat (see also
roasting) are often baked, and baking is the primary cooking technique used to produce
cakes and
pastry-based goods such as ,
tarts, and
quiches. Such items are sometimes referred to as "baked goods," and are sold at a bakery.
The dry heat of baking changes the structures of
starches in the food and causes its outer surfaces to brown, giving it an attractive appearance and taste, while partially sealing in the food's moisture. The browning is caused by
caramelization of sugars and the
Maillard reaction.
Moisture is never really entirely "sealed in," however; over time, an item being baked will become drier and drier. This is often an advantage, especially in situations where drying is the desired outcome, for example in drying
herbs or in roasting certain types of
vegetables. The most common baked item is
bread. Variations in the ovens, ingredients and recipies used in the baking of bread result in the wide variety of breads produced around the world.
To compensate for moisture loss, some items (usually meats) are
basted on the surface with
butter or
oil to slow the loss of moisture through the skin. The term baking is not usually associated with the cooking of meats in this manner, it is instead termed
roasting. Some foods are replenished with moisture during baking by placing a small amount of liquid (such as
water or
broth) in the bottom of the pan, and letting it steam up into or around the food, a method commonly known as
braising.
Over time baked goods become hard in a process known as going
stale. This is not primarily due to moisture being lost from the baked products, but more a reorganization of the way in which the water and starch are associated over time, a process similar to
recrystallization.
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Butter,
margarine or other
shortening*
Flour*
Sugar*
eggs*
Leavening agents:
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Baking powder**
Yeast*
Broiling*
Baker percentage*
Oven*
Baking oven*
Latest patents on baking processes*
American institute of baking*
Latest baking news*
Baking Business*
Baking Fairy
