Last month, I talked about how bread and other baked items rise, and the different ways and means by which that can happen. To review: yeast is a biological leavening agent that causes gluten to develop and then rise when mixed with fluid and heat. Chemical leavening agents, such as baking soda and baking powder, react with an acid and heat to cause breads to rise. Lastly, mechanical leavening agents, such as whipped egg whites, can also cause breads to rise as well. Additionally, I pointed out the difference between baking soda and baking powder. Bottom line: they ARE different, and cannot be substituted for each other.
Lest you think the only important part of baking is the leavening, I’ll talk about all the other ingredients involved and what they add to the mix. (Get it—mix?! Ha!)
First, we’ll talk about flour, which can actually be a bit confusing. These days, there are so many flours from which we can choose! All-purpose (AP), wheat, white, almond, cassava…the list goes on. I’ll try to give a brief review that should prove helpful both at the grocery store and in the kitchen.
Let’s start with ‘regular’ flours. These include AP, self-rising and wheat. All flours made with wheat, barley or rye will have gluten. AP, or all-purpose, is what is generally called for in most recipes, and is a safe choice to stock for baking at home. However, not all flours are created equal! Some brands’ AP flour will have more protein, often printed on the front of the package. The higher the percentage, the more rising ability the flour has. For example, I’m a King Arthur Flour girl, and I like to buy their AP flour because I find it to be of higher quality and better for breads than the generic brands because of its’ higher protein content.
Self-rising flour includes some baking powder and salt. If your recipe calls for self-rising flour, simply add 1.5 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt for each 1 cup of flour. Lastly, you can also find a variety of whole wheat and ‘white’ whole wheat flours in the AP category; these flours are less processed and can easily be substituted for AP flour. Simply add a bit more liquid to the mix when using 100% whole wheat flour.
If you’re into gluten-free (GF) baking, you can buy GF flour that mimics regular flour, or simply use flours that don’t contain gluten, such as almond or oat. Obviously, some of these flours are better than others depending on what you’re making. Because your flour is lacking gluten, the other ingredients become more important in order to get a good rise. You’ll need a binding agent (like eggs) and a rising agent (like yeast or baking soda). I wouldn’t recommend trying to make muffins with all almond flour as the texture will be too dense. Instead, it’s often a good idea to mix GF flours, like almond and oat together, in a recipe to get a better texture. There a lots of ‘alternative’ flours out there, (corn, coconut, buckwheat, tapioca) and they’re all a little different. I keep many of them in my freezer, as I like to bake and always want to accommodate my gluten-free friends, or maximize the nutritional value of a baked good by adding flours that have more protein, like almond.
Next, let’s consider the sweetener we choose for our baked item. We want it to taste good, after all! However, sweeteners add more than just flavor to our baking. Sugar adds moisture, texture and self-life to a baked item. And don’t forget that sweetness can be accomplished in more ways than simply adding sugar; I often use bananas in baking to add moisture and sweetness without a lot of additional sugar. Honey, syrup, molasses and other types of sugar (brown, coconut) are other ways to add flavor to a baked item. Lastly, sugar helps with browning while baking as well.
Fat is similar to sweeteners in that it plays multiple roles in baking. Primarily, fat helps create a tender product by preventing the flour from absorbing too much water. It ‘shortens’ the gluten chains, hence the name ‘shortening’ for a fat that has less water in it, and is made from vegetable oils. Shortening is often substituted for butter.
Eggs are another common ingredient in baking, and they have multiple functions. They add structure for baked goods, moisture and are a source of fat as well. For those avoiding eggs, there are many easy egg substitutes that involve items like mashed banana, applesauce, ground flaxseeds or even a baking powder-oil mix. Use whatever you have on hand!
We’ve already talked about rising agents in detail—see last month’s column. Just know you need one, and that they work differently in different conditions.
To test doneness of baked items like quick breads and cakes, use a toothpick in the center. It should come out clean. Additionally, these items will start to pull away from the sides of the pans in which they are baked. For yeast breads, you can use a thermometer to measure the temperature in the middle; it should be 190 degrees. Additionally, if you thump the bottom of the bread and it sounds follow, it should be done.
Up next month: the Maillard Reaction—what it is and why you need it!
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