Catler KM 8011 - Manual (Page 29)

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BAKING - THE VITAL INGREDIENTS
VITAL INGREDIENTS FOR CAKE & PASTRY
MAKING
Flour, such as plain, self raising and
wholemeal, used for cake and pastry making
should be lower in protein (gluten) than fl our
used for bread making.
Plain fl our has a higher protein (gluten)
content and gives baked products, such as
cakes, muffi
ns, pastries, scones and pancakes,
a softer texture.
Self-raising fl our is a blend of plain fl our and
raising agents such as baking powder.
Self raising fl our can be used in recipes to
replace plain fl our and baking powder.
To make 1 cup self-raising fl our sift together
1 cup plain fl our and 2 teaspoons baking
powder.
Wholemeal fl our contains more parts of the
whole wheat grain – fl our, bran and wheat
germ – and can be used in muffi
ns, breads
and pie cases but will have a denser texture.
Corn fl our is made from maize (corn) and is
used in some baked products to give a fi ner
texture and can also be used as a starch
to thicken sauces and desserts. Wheaten
cornfl our is recommended when making
sponge cakes.
Rice fl our is derived from rice and is used to
give a fi ner texture in baked products such as
shortbread biscuits.
Baking powder is a mixture of cream of
tartar and bicarbonate of soda and is used as
a raising agent in baking.
Bicarbonate of soda also known as baking
soda is an ingredient in baking powder and
can be used as an additional raising agent or
to darken some baked products.
Butter will give particular fl avour and soft
texture to baked products. Margarine can
replace butter to give a similar result. Oil can
be used in some baking to replace butter but
will give texture and fl avour diff erences.
Eggs should be at room temperature to
give better volume when making cakes and
sponges. Standard 60g eggs were used in the
recipes.
Milk should be full cream unless specifi ed.
Light, low fat or skim milk can be used but
will give texture and fl avour diff erences.
Sugar (white crystal sugar) is used to
give fl avour, texture and colour to baked
products.
Caster sugar is often used in baking as it is
easier to dissolve when creaming butter and
sugar.
Brown sugar is also easy to dissolve and
can be used to give a diff erent fl avour and
texture.
The large crystals of raw sugar are slower
to dissolve and can be suitable for baked
products such as muffi
ns.
BAKING - THE VITAL INGREDIENTS