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Baking Terminology
Back to Recipes & MoreTerminology | What It Means | Tips & Tricks | Baked Goods |
|---|---|---|---|
Bain-marie | A gentle baking method where a dish is placed in hot water to cook evenly. The water buffers direct heat, preventing curdling, cracking, or overcooking in delicate desserts. | Line a baking dish with a clean kitchen towel to prevent pans from slipping. Nestle ramekins or baking pan inside the baking dish. Slowly pour boiling water halfway up the sides of the ramekins or baking dish. | Cheesecake, flan, custards |
Batter | A soft mixture of flour, eggs, and liquid that can be poured or scooped. Mixing develops gluten, which affects the texture—too much can make baked goods tough. | Minimize the amount of time spent mixing your batter. Follow the amount of time specified in the recipe, or when no streaks of flour remain, stop mixing. | Muffins, quick breads, cakes, cupcakes, brownies |
Blind Baking (pre-baking) | Partially or fully baking a crust before adding filling. This helps prevent moisture from soaking into the dough and keeps the crust crisp. | Prick dough all over with a fork to prevent crust from puffing up and shrinking. Line pie crust with parchment paper then fill with pie weights or uncooked rice, dried lentils, or dried beans. | Pies and tarts |
Bloom/blooming (of gelatin) | Soaking gelatin in cold water to soften it before use. This helps it dissolve evenly and form a smooth gel. | Avoid the use of fresh tropical juices such as papaya, kiwi, mango and pineapple as they contain certain enzymes that break down proteins and prevent the gelatin from setting. | Mousse, crémeux. Can be used to thicken puddings, sauces, yogurt, ice cream, gummy candies, marshmallows, stabilizing whipped cream |
Caramelize | Heating sugar until it melts and turns golden to amber. As it breaks down, it develops deep, complex flavours and aromas. | Keep a close eye on the colour of the caramel as it can quickly go from the colour you want to too dark. Depending on the application, caramel can range from a pale golden colour to a deep amber colour. The darker the amber colour, the deeper and nuttier the flavour. | Sugar decoration, dessert sauces and candies |
Cream | Beating butter and sugar together to incorporate air. This creates a lighter texture and helps baked goods rise. | Too hot or too cold butter will not aerate properly. Butter needs to be at room temperature to be properly creamed with sugar. | Buttercream frosting, butter-based cakes, cookies |
Crumb Coat | A thin layer of frosting that seals in crumbs and creates a smooth base for final decoration. | Transfer a small quantity of buttercream into a separate bowl. This prevents crumbs from contaminating all of your buttercream. | Layered cakes |
Cutting In | Mixing cold fat into flour until crumbly. The fat coats the flour and creates steam pockets during baking, resulting in a flaky texture. | Use a pastry cutter or pulse with a food processor to cut cold butter into flour until a crumb-like mixture forms. Chill dough to ensure the butter remains cold. | Use a pastry cutter or pulse with a food processor to cut cold butter into flour until a crumb-like mixture forms. Biscuits, pies and scones |
Docking | Poking holes in dough to allow steam to escape. This prevents the dough from puffing up during baking. | Roll out your dough onto the pan. Press it and shape the edge. Prick it all over with a fork. Don't forget the sides. For pizza dough, if a docker is not readily available, you can dock the dough all over with fingertips. | Pie dough, pizza dough, crackers |
Emulsion | A combination of ingredients that don’t naturally mix, like oil and water. Emulsifiers and steady mixing help create a smooth, stable mixture. | Take your time when incorporating two competing ingredients. For example: | Ganache, hollandaise sauce, salad dressing |
Fermentation (in baking) | The process where yeast feeds on sugars to produce gas and flavour. This causes dough to rise and develop its texture. | The ideal temperature for fermentation is just above 27C. Ideally, place dough in a warm environment such as an oven with the light on. | Yeast bread |
Fold | A gentle mixing technique used to combine ingredients without deflating air. Helps maintain a light, airy texture. | Gently incorporate whipped egg whites or whipped cream into batter with a scooping-and-folding motion. Do not stir! | Meringues, souffle, mousse |
Knead | Working dough to develop gluten, making it smooth, elastic, and able to hold structure as it rises. | Over-kneading will result in a dry and dense bread. Knead until dough looks smooth and feels smooth to the touch. | Yeast bread |
Macerate | Softening fruit by soaking it in sugar or liquid. This draws out juices and enhances flavour. | Soak fruits in flavourful liquids such as juice, wine, liqueur, or vinegars. | Fruit salad, sauces, or spreads. Can also be used in the process of making jams or compotes. |
Proof | The final rise of shaped dough before baking. This allows the dough to expand and regain air for a light texture. | Gently press the dough with your finger. If the indent slowly fills in then it is proofed properly. | Yeast bread |
Punching down | Gently deflating risen dough to release air and redistribute yeast. This improves texture and supports a better second rise. | After the first rise, make a fist with your hand, and gently push the center of the puffy dough. Fold the edges of the deflated dough into the center to form a ball. | Yeasted doughs |
Puree | Blending food into a smooth, thick consistency. This releases starches and concentrates flavour. | Certain purees, such as applesauce, can be used in place of sugar, eggs, or fat in baking (results will vary). Other purees, like berries or beets, can be used as natural food colouring to colour cakes and frostings. | Coulis, sauces |
Ribbon stage | A thick, pale mixture of eggs and sugar that forms ribbons when dripped. This stage incorporates air and helps create structure. | During this stage, you can add flavourings such as vanilla, lemon zest or juice. The ribbon stage is reached once the mixture is pale yellow. | Sabayon/Zabaglione Sponge cakes or baked goods that do not rely on leaveners (baking soda or baking powder) for lift. |
Score | Cutting slashes into dough before baking to control how it expands and releases steam in the oven. | Whether it is a single, long slash or lots of small slashes, the goal is to guide the dough to rise in a predictable manner. Make sure the slashes are deep enough to create the weak point. | Bread |
Sift | Passing dry ingredients through a sieve (a fine-mesh screen) to remove lumps and add air. This helps create a lighter, more even mixture. | To combine dry ingredients more easily, first filter them through a sifter or a fine mesh sieve. | Cakes, cupcakes, delicate pastries |
Simple syrup | A liquid mixture of sugar and water that dissolves easily into recipes. Used to add moisture and sweetness. | Use simple syrup to moisten dry cakes. Add herbs, spices and citrus rinds to flavour your simple syrup. Store for up to 2 to 3 weeks. | Cocktails, sorbets, granita, glaze |
Spice Sachet | A small pouch containing herbs and spices to add flavour to liquids. | Gather together all the ingredients, and place them in the middle of the cheesecloth. Tie the bag closed with a piece of cooking twine. Make it long enough to suspend the bag in the liquid attached to the handle so it is easy to retrieve it when done. | Milk, cream, cider, wine, poaching liquid, simple syrup |
Stiff peaks | The stage when whipped egg whites or cream hold their shape. Trapped air gives structure and volume to baked goods. | Use cream of tartar or a small amount of lemon juice to stabilize egg whites. Sugar may be used to stabilize egg whites when making meringues. Egg whites should be at room temperature and free of any fat (e.g. yolks) for easy whipping and best volume. To whip easily, heavy cream should be cold and the bowl and whisk attachment should be chilled in the freezer for 10 minutes. | Whipped cream, souffle, cakes, meringues |
Torte/Torting | Slicing a cake horizontally into layers. This allows for added fillings and improves moisture and flavour. | Chill cake first so that it is easier to cut. Use a serrated knife that is as long as your cake. Place cake on a flat surface. Move the knife back and forth in a gentle sawing motion to remove the crown of the cake. Once cake is levelled, evenly split cake into 2 or 3 layers, depending on the height of the baked cake. | Layered Cakes |