Last time, we tackled fruits when we talked about baking ingredients. This time around, let us discuss the other essentials that go into baking, apart from flour. Aside from flour, you will notice these items on your list of ingredients frequently. Here are some of the more commonly seen items on a recipe for baked products:
Baking powder and baking soda – these are ingredients that are considered chemical leavening agents. These are called such because they make baked products, like cakes and pastries, rise when these are baked. These are often used in batters, and works to make your goodies rise with the help of the bubbles found in your batter, which were put there through the creaming action that you used when mixing.
These two are sometimes used independently of each other, and are sometimes used together. In a nutshell, baking powder is essentially baking soda with cream of tartar and sodium aluminum sulfate added into it. This makes you wonder why some recipes call for the use of both. The reason is pretty simple, really. The baking soda in these kinds of recipes is not the leavening agent, but the baking powder is. The baking soda in such recipes works to soften the batter or dough, and is an acid neutralizer in this kind of a mixture.
Butter – this is also another mainstay when it comes to recipes like cakes, cookies, and airy pastries. Butter is essentially used to add flavor to your products, and is also essential when you use leavening agents in your dough or butter, like baking powder or baking soda. When butter is creamed, and any of these two are added, your batter or dough will rise due to the enlarging of the bubbles in the batter that was created by the creaming of ingredients and the addition of leavening agents.
There are two kinds of butter used in baking, salted and unsalted. Unsalted butter can last in your refrigerator for around three months and is the sweeter kind of butter. Salted butter, on the other hand, can last up to 6 months in your refrigerator from the time of manufacture, and is less sweeter than its unsalted counterpart. To ensure that your butter stays fresh before you use it, freeze this and thaw in the refrigerator before you are going to use it.
Eggs – this is considered a structural part of baking, simply because it is what binds the other ingredients together, and adds flavor, texture, color, and richness to your doughs and batters. When you beat eggs, these form bubbles, which also help in making dough and batter rise since these bubbles act as leavening agents. Eggs are also used as thickeners, as is the case when it comes to puddings, custards, and cream based products.
Eggs should always be used at room temperature when mixing into batter and dough. Eggs should also be used fresh, and to test for freshness, place these in a bowl of water. If these sink to the bottom on their side, these are very fresh. If these stand on end but are still under water, these are about a week old. If your eggs float, throw these away since these are rotten.
More basic ingredient information soon.
