Sunday, 9 February 2014

Baking.

In kitchen, there are two kinds of people: chef and bakers. For a chef, the recipes are flexible in their ingredients and proportions. However, for bakers, the measurements have to be precise, and the techniques have to be correct as well.

Now I am going to introduce the basic baking ingredient functions in the kitchen. :)



Flour



Different types of flour are suited to different recipes and all flours are different. We cannot switch from one type to another because this would probably ruin the recipe. To be successful in baking, it is important to know which flour is the right one for the job.

All-purpose flour
All purpose flour, commonly known as plain flour, it may be bleached or unbleached. It is one of the most commonly used and readily accessible flour. As the name suggests, it is a type of flour that let us make a wide variety of baked goods.

Bread flour

Bread flour is a high protein flour that is designed to be used in yeast breads. The high protein content indicates that the flour has more gluten in it. When combined with water and developed by mixing and kneading, the gluten becomes elastic and stretches around gas bubbles which are produced by the yeast. When gas bubbles expand in the oven, the gluten goes along for the ride. As a result, this will create the chewy texture of the bread.

Cake flour

The fine cake flour has a lower protein content compared to all-purpose flour. It is usually chlorinated which in turn caused it to become slightly acidic. Cake flour can set a cake faster and distribute the fat (butter or any other oil) more evenly through the batter to improve the texture of cake. 






Sugar



Sugar gives baked goods the addictive sweetness and tenderness. It also assists in important chemical reactions that occur during baking. Sugar allows browning of foods through caramelization. Caramelization occurs when heat breaks down the sugars and creates a golden color and nutty flavour. Sugar attracts moisture, so the presence of sugar in baked goods help retain moisture, keeping them soft and supple.




Eggs



Eggs bind mixtures together as well as enriching the flavour. Egg whites work as leavening agents. When heated, the proteins in egg whites force out the moisture and allow our baked goods to rise up perfectly. It produces voluminous and strong foams that retain their expanded structure when dried by the baking process. Egg white is important in such baked products as angel cakes, chiffon cakes and sponge cakes. On the other hand, the egg yolk lends its richness and moisture to the baked goods. 





Leavening agents (Baking powder and baking soda)




Leavening agents, substance causing expansion of dough and batter by the release of gases within the mixtures, producing baked products with porous structure. They are used in doughs and batters that causes a foaming action that lightens and softens the finished product. 




↟ These are all the basic ingredients that people commonly used in baking.







Anna Olson
( Click it!:) )


Anna Olson. She is the one who inspires me in baking. 
I watched her show when I was 15. Her enthusiasm towards baking and cooking inspired me and I started to bake my first cake. 


Chocolate muffin

They looked ugly, but their taste is actually quite alright. Haha.
I baked these little things as my mum's birthday present. She praised me. :D




Moist chocolate cake

Yea it's chocolate again.
I baked this for my best friend because she said she were craving for chocolate cake.
We ate a few pieces of it and brought the remaining to our friends. Surprisingly, they liked it too!





Cheesecake


This is one of my favourite cake.




This was happening when I baked the cheesecake. It's just egg whites and sugar :D






Chocolate chips scone

I still remember how excited I am when I saw the scones puff up in the oven!






Banana cake



According to most of my friends, they loved my banana cake the most. :)





Orange cake

It looks like a golden brick. I like the aroma of orange when it was baking. ;))




Eggs



This is not a cake, obviously. It's just something wonderful I found during the process of baking.








 The reason that I love to bake is that, I like to see other people enjoy eating my cakes, breads or muffins. Their smile is worth to let me spend my whole afternoon just to bake something and make them happy and satisfy. 





I want to own a bakery shop. This is my dream and I promised myself I will make it.