The Essentials of Baking: The Language of Baking Pt 1
Recipes are full of baking vocabulary. Trying to decode all the complicated vocabulary can be like learning a whole new language! It’s important you understand these words though, as they sometimes refer to specific techniques you wouldn’t want to miss. They could mean the difference between perfect macarons, or a soupy mess. In this post I have written a list of common baking terms, and defined them in simple explanations, to help you understand them fully.
After you’ve familiarized yourself with these words, your baking can continue smoothly. I would suggest saving this list, in case you need to refer back to it. If you come across a word you don’t recognize, it is often best to find out what it means, instead of plowing on, or skipping the step altogether. Also, even though you may already be familiar with some of these words, read their definitions anyway, some of them are used differently in the context of baking. Most of these terms are easy to remember, and you’ll get used to using them in no time. Plus, you’ll sound very professional using these fancy words to describe your baking!
Beat: To stir together very rapidly to incorporate air. You can do this with a spoon, whisk, electric mixer, or food processor.
Bloom: The process of dissolving yeast in warm water to re-hydrate it
Caramelize: To heat a sugar substance until it is melted and brown
Cream: To beat together sugar and fat (butter, margarine, shortening) until light and creamy, adding air to the mixture. Can be done with a spoon, whisk, or an electric mixer.
Cut in: To combine cold fats into flour just until the fat is in smaller granular pieces, without mixing air into it. This is done with two knifes, or a pastry cutter, and used to make pie crusts.
Crimp: To seal the edges of two pieces of pastry with a fork, or your fingers
Crumb coat: A thin layer of frosting on a cake used to stop crumbs from getting into the outer layer of frosting. The cake should be chilled for 15 minutes between the crumb coat and the final layer of frosting.
Docking: To prick dough with a fork before baking so steam can vent. This is usually used for pie dough and shortbread.
Dust: A light sprinkling of a dry ingredient such as flour or confectioners sugar
Fold: To gently combine ingredients, without deflating them, or removing air. This technique is used to combine heavier mixtures with lighter ones, like egg yolk into whipped egg whites. Use a rubber spatula to scrape around the side of the bowl, and then fold over the middle in one smooth motion, turn the bowl and repeat until ingredients are combined.
Macaronage: A technique for combining dry ingredients with whipped egg whites to make macarons. Similar to folding, you want to deflate the egg whites to a certain point, but avoid going to far. This takes some practice, stay tuned for a macaron recipe were I’ll explain further.
Leavening: The production of gas in a dough that makes baked goods rise in the oven. Leavening agents include baking powder, baking soda, yeast, and eggs.
Lukewarm: Slightly warm, approximately 105 F
Proof: Time allowed for a baked good to rise after it has been kneaded and shaped. Proofing is the last rise before the baked good is put in the oven, it is best done in a warm, humid environment, until the product doubles in size.
Quick bread: A bread that can be made, well, quickly. These breads use baking soda or baking powder, and don’t need time to rise, or be kneaded.
Rolling boil: A boil with large, vigorous bubbles
Scald: To heat something to a near-boil
Score: To cut slits into pastry to allow steam to vent while baking
Soft peaks: Egg whites or heavy cream whipped until peaks slump over. To check peaks, dip the whisk attachment into the bowl and lift straight up.
Starter: A mixture of sugar, water, yeast, and flour, that has been fermented and “fed” with more flour and water for at least 2 weeks. Starter is used in place of packaged yeast in some breads, like sourdough.
Stiff Peaks: Egg whites or cream that has been whipped to the point that peaks stand straight up, without slumping or falling.
Temper: The process of heating and cooling chocolate to achieve a glossy, brittle chocolate at room temperature. This is also used to refer to adding small amounts of hot liquids to cold ones to bring them up to temperature without curdling. Such as adding hot milk to eggs without curdling them.
Whip: To beat vigorously with a whisk, or use and electric mixer to incorporate air into a mixture
And there you have it! A list of common baking terms that can be confusing for new bakers, simplified for your convenience. I hope you’ve found this list helpful, as I have. While researching these definitions I definitely learned a thing or two myself. Decoding a complicated recipe can be tricky, but hopefully, being familiar with a few of the more involved phrases will relieve some of that stress. Again, if you think you would benefit from it, I would suggest saving this post for future reference, just in case.
If you have any questions about this or any post, or if you are still wondering about one of these, or another baking phrase, comment below and I will get back to you as soon as possible. If you’re looking for a more in depth explanation of a technique you can comment below, or look for another recipe that uses the technique. I hope this post has helped you become more confident in the kitchen, or at least provided some peace of mind. Until next time, happy baking!
