Bread and Pastry Products (TLE)

• Flour is the key ingredient in making breads, pastries, cakes, cookies, and bakery products.
• Flour is finely grounded meal of grain or grounded wheat or fine soft powder that comes from root crops, starchy vegetables, and other foods.
• Flour is produced by fine grinding grain through a process called “Milling”.
• Bread Flour has the highest protein and high gluten content which can be used for breads.
• Cake Flour, also called soft flour, is milled using soft white wheat and is described as weak because its products are made from tender with delicate texture.
• All-Purpose Flour is a combination of both breads and cakes, flour sources and has medium gluten strength.
• Self Rising Flour contains baking powder and salt.
• Rye Flour has a distinctive flour that many people like and contains gluten.
• Flour should be kept in ventilated areas to free insects and rodents.
• Flour should be kept away from products with strong aroma such as spices and onions.
• Oldest flour should be used first, remember “First in, First out”.
• Shortening is the term for “fat” in baking and the taste of the product depends on the flavor of the shortening.
• Shortening surrounds gluten in the dough, shortens the strands and makes it a more tender product.
• Shortening makes the product lighter with greater volume.
• Shortening oils the structure of the product so it is easier to chew/swallow.
• Shortening helps prolong the shelf life of bakery products.
• Plasticity in shortening means it is readily mixed, worked or spread.
• Waxiness in shortening means it is soft and smooth.
• Pleasant odor in shortening means it has no odor at all.
• Pleasant flavor in shortening means it has no unnecessary flavor.
• Vegetable Oil, Butter, Lard, Margarine are kinds of shortening.
• Sugar is responsible for the attractive golden brown color of baked products and contributes to the development of good flavor/aroma.
• Sugar adds energy value to baked products.
• Leavener or Leavening Agent is a substance used in baking to make a product rise so it becomes lighter and proportion in size.
• Too much leavener will make the product hoarse or dry.
• Leavener produces gas that expands when heated.
• Chemical leavening agents are certain chemicals that react with moisture and heat to form.
• Baking Soda reacts with acid to produce carbon dioxide.
• Baking Powder is a mixture of soda, acid, salt, and starch and is the most widely used leavener because of its sure result.
• Air, Steam, Yeast, Compressed yeast, Dry yeast are kinds of leavening agent.
• E.) Liquids 

  Water

  • Bakery product becomes coarse and chewy if this is used instead of milk; gives different texture

  Hard water - contains excess minerals calcium and magnesium.

  Soft water - water has been filtered; minerals have been removed.

  Milk 

  • Helps the product stay longer
  • Has definite functions 
  • Gives mostly velvet grains

  Eggs 

  • acts as an emulsifier 
  • Holds ingredients together in mixing and baking
  • Has functions that other ingredients cannot do.
  • Adds richness and flavor
  • Maintains tender structure of bakery product
• Baking is a process that involves the use of yeast, flour, and liquid as major ingredients, with other ingredients such as milk, sugar, and shortening added.
• Quick Breads are baked goods prepared in a short time and leavened by using baking powder/soda, including biscuits, muffins, cream puffs, waffles, and others.
• Quick breads are classified according to the proportion of liquid to flour.
• Lean Dough is made of basic ingredients for bread, flour, yeast, salt, a little sugar, and shortening.
• Rich Dough contains added ingredients such as sugar, milk, butter, nuts, fruits, eggs, and condiments.
• Straight dough method involves mixing all ingredients together and setting aside to rise.
• Sponge dough method involves mixing part of the liquid, flour, and all of the yeast to make a soft mixture, which is set aside to rise until bubbly and the rest of the ingredients are added later, then mixture is kneaded again.
• Batter/No Knead method eliminates shaping and kneading, a batter containing less flour is allowed to rise at least once.
• Different stages of bread mixing include mixing, rising, shaping, second rising, finishing, and baking.