Baking Dictionary
Lean Dough
A dough prepared with little or no fat, sugar, or milk.
Leavening
Ingredient used in baked goods to lighten the texture, develop flavor, produce distinctive cell structure and increase volume. Leavening agents include heat and moisture (steam); beaten eggs or egg whites; baking soda; baking powder; cream of tartar; yeast. istorical terms for leavening: Latin = levre = to raise; also called ?lifter?
Level
Straight edged knife or spatula used to scrape across a dry measuring cup in which flour or other dry ingredient is heaped.
Liquid Measure
Cup or beaker with gradations for metric and English (fractions and whole cup, pint, quart) measurements of liquids (water, milk, vegetable oils, honey, molasses, syrups, juices).
Make Up
After fermentation(s), shaping the dough into loaves or other shapes. Includes scaling (dividing), rounding, intermediate proof, molding and panning the dough pieces.
Mash
To break up into finer, smoother pieces by pressing with back of a spoon, a masher or ricer.
Mince
To cut or chop into very small pieces.
Mise En Place (pronounced Mee Zon Plahs)
Mise en place (pronounced mee zon plahs)?have all ingredients and equipment in place before preparing a recipe.
Mix
To combine two ingredients by stirring or in way that makes two or more foods appear as one.
Mixing
with yeast dough, refers to four stages?pick-up period, preliminary development, elasticity development, and final gluten development.
Molding
Follows intermediate proof?dough must be relaxed?final shaping step where dough is flattened (sheeted) or shaped for loaves, braids, rolls, twists.
Old Dough
Yeast dough that is overproofed; dough may have tripled in volume and fallen.
Oven-spring
When yeast breads first begin to bake, they will have a “growth spurt” until the yeast dies (140 degrees F) and the starch gelatinizes (180?F) to hold the final size and shape.
Overproofing
Allowing dough to proof beyond a full doubling of size; if dough actually proofs and falls again, the product will not recover. Product will be very open grained, have a crumbly texture, undesirable flavor, pale crust, strong aroma and poor keeping quality.
Packed
refers to measuring brown sugars. Spoon brown sugar into dry measuring cup and press down until firmly packed, overfilling slightly, then leveling. When dumped out, should hold its shape (as when making sand castles).
Pan
utensil used to hold dough or batter?may be rectangular, flat or round; best surface for baking is heavy shiny or darkened aluminum for best crust color; glass baking pans require adjusted oven temperatures?reduce about 25 degrees F.
Panning
Placing dough in or on prepared pans. Pans may be lined with parchment, oiled, sprayed with pan-release, sprinkled with meal, making sure the pan is the correct size for the amount of batter or dough. NOTE: Some baking pans should not be sprayed with lecithin cooking sprays?check manufacturer?s care guidelines.
Parboil
To boil until partially cooked.
Parchment Paper
Sheets of grease and moisture resistant paper used in baking to line pans; replaces greasing or spraying pans. Products are shaped or distributed directly on the paper and are easily removed after baking. Great for making disposable pastry bags too.
Pare
To remove the outer covering or skin of fruit or vegetables with a small knife or peeler.
Peel
rimless, lightweight board, may have a long handle; used to transfer proofed bread to hot baking stone in oven.
Poolish
Polish origins, Viennese bakers promoted this pre-ferment starter in the nineteenth century. See pre-ferment.
Porous
May refer to the honey-comb-like structure of white pan bread
Pre-ferment
Partial (yeast) dough made of flour, water, yeast and sometimes salt given a quick mixing and allowed to ferment prior to mixing the full dough. Five traditional pre-ferments are: poolish (equal weights flour and water); scrap dough (old dough–pate fermentee); biga (flour+50-60% water+1/2% instant yeast); sponge (flour, yeast, water); mixed starter (flour+water+small piece old dough; mimics sourdough)
Preheat
Very important in baking. To heat the oven, griddle, skillet or broiler to a desired temperature before inserting the food. TIP: Always check the oven to be sure nothing is in it?and place the oven racks in the correct position before preheating.
Proof
The final rising (fermentation) of the shaped yeast dough prior to baking. Proof cabinets or ?boxes? help maintain the best temperature and humidity ?Ranges from 85 (at home) to 110-115 Degrees F. (commercial proof cabinents) at 80 to 85% relative humidity. (Decrease each amount by 10 for frozen dough)
Punch (dough)
The dough needs to rise until doubled in size, but never let yeast dough ferment (rise) until it falls. Follow recipe/formula for how long to ferment or allow the dough to rise?30 minutes to 2 hours or until “doubled in bulk or size.” Check if ready by gently pressing two fingers about an inch into the dough?the dents should not spring back, but remain if the dough is ready to punch. Punch dough by pushing a clean fist firmly into the top of the yeast dough to push the air out; re-form dough into a round, smooth ball (skin smoothly stretched around it), cover and go to a second fermentation or the make-up process.
Puree
To mash, process or sieve cooked fruit or vegetables to form a thick smooth liquid. Purees may be used to substitute for 1/4 to 1/3 of the oil or fat in some baked products.
