Why is it important to understand the importance of each basic ingredient in a baked goods recipe?

Each of the ingredients you use serves a particular function, reacting with each other to produce new combinations and create the structure, flavor and texture of the finished baked product.

What happens to flour when it is cooked?

Toasting flour cooks out the raw taste so that it lends a nutty, more complex flavor to baked goods. Baking expert Dorie Greenspan uses roasted flour (toasted in an oven) for her shortbreads. The longer you cook flour, the darker it gets in color and the deeper it becomes in flavor.

What happens chemically when you bake dough into bread?

The trapped carbon dioxide makes the dough rise, and the alcohol evaporates during the baking process. This is an irreversible chemical change, because by consuming the sugar, the yeast has created new substances—carbon dioxide and ethanol—and the reaction cannot be reversed.

Why is the knowledge of chemistry important in bread making?

Specifically, it participates in the Maillard reaction, a series of reactions between sugars and amino acids that occur rapidly above 140˚C. These reactions produce a whole range of products, which can add flavour to the bread, and also help to form the brown crust of the bread.

What are the basic functions of the ingredients?

Ingredients will have a number of functions in a recipe, such as adding flavour, colour or texture, or performing a particular purpose, e.g. as a thickener or setting agent. Ingredients may also be selected for their nutritional composition or used for traditional or cultural reasons.

What ingredients does a pastry chef use?

Pastry

Greek style baklava a pastry dessert
Place of origin	Worldwide
Main ingredients	Often flour, sugar, milk, butter, lard or shortening, baking powder, eggs
Cookbook: Pastries

What is the chemical function of flour?

Flour provides the structure in baked goods. Wheat flour contains 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.

Why does flour need to be cooked?

Flour doesn’t look like a raw food, but most flour is raw. That means it hasn’t been treated to kill germs that cause food poisoning, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli). These harmful germs can contaminate grain while it’s still in the field or flour while it’s being made.

How is chemistry used in cooking?

Cooking is chemistry Cooking itself is really just chemistry. Heating, freezing, mixing and blending are all processes used in the laboratory and the kitchen. Simple sugars combine with proteins in the Maillard reaction, which is responsible for browning food when it’s cooked.

What are chemical reactions in cooking?

Chemical reactions are useful in cooking and help to improve the taste of food. Cooking and chemistry have quite a bit in common. The starting materials in a chemical reaction are called the reactants. These react with each other to form a completely new substance known as the product.

What happens to the flour during cooking bread?

This is because wheat flour contains two proteins, glutenin and gliadin, which, when combined with water, form gluten. As the temperature of the cooking dough rises, the yeast eventually dies, the gluten hardens, and the dough solidifies. Et voilà! Bread!

What is the chemical name for flour?

Wheat flour is composed of starches in its polymer form, and has a chemical formula of (C6H1005)n.

Which flour should I use?

Flour chemistry can be delicate, and flour’s main job is to provide structure, which explains why the amount of flour used is normally more than the other ingredients. So, if you were baking a loaf of bread, I would suggest using bread flour.

What are the components of flour and its function?

The Components of Flour. Germ: The germ is the reproductive epicenter of the grain and is a concentrated source of nutrients. Flour that retains the germ during the milling process will contain more vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Gluten: Gluten is a protein found naturally in the endosperm of wheat.

What is self rising flour used for in baking?

Self-Rising: Self-rising flour is mainly used to make biscuits and other quick breads. It is comprised of all-purpose flour, salt and a chemical leavening agent such as baking powder. Self-rising flour should never be used to make yeast breads.

What is the difference between bread flour and all-purpose flour?

Bread Flour: Bread flour contains a higher ratio of protein to carbohydrates than all-purpose, which produces stronger dough. The strong gluten matrix provides structure to rising dough and gives the end product a nice, chewy texture.