Baking
Practical Action
Baking therefore offers the opportunity for small-scale processors to add considerable value to basic
ingredients using relatively inexpensive equipment, and as a result it is a popular and potentially
profitable business in nearly all countries.
The quality of bakery products is the most important factor to ensure consumer acceptance and
small differences in the aroma, colour, taste, texture and appearance of a product can result in
success or failure. The characteristic aromas produced by baking depend on the temperature of
baking and the composition of the ingredients, particularly the moisture content and the different
types and amounts of fats, amino acids and sugars, which react together at high temperatures
(known as ‘Maillard’ reactions). Other reactions that produce aromas are caramelisation of sugars
and localised over-heating that produces burnt or smoky aromas. The golden brown colour associated
with baked foods is also due to reactions between amino acids and sugars and the caramelisation of
sugars. The taste (sweetness, saltiness) of bakery products is due to the amounts of sugar and salt
that are added as ingredients. The characteristic textures of different bakery products is mostly due
to the amount of starch gelatinisation in the flour: for example, partly gelatinised starch is found in
products such as shortbread and the crumb in bread, whereas fully gelatinised starch produces the
harder texture found in crackers. Raising agents (yeast or sodium bicarbonate) are also used also
produce different textures in bakery products.
The baking process
Baking is one stage (or unit operation) in the process of making the products shown in Figure 1. It is
preceded by other stages, such as cleaning and sorting grains, milling flours, weighing and mixing
ingredients, fermentation for some products, and forming doughs. After baking, some products may
be sliced, but are otherwise ready for sale without further processing. The stages used in a bakery to
produce different products are described below, followed by simple methods of quality assurance.
Further information on fermentation is given in Technical Brief: Fermented Foods, and information
on milling is given in further information at the end of this technical brief.
Equipment
The basic equipment used in even the smallest bakery includes a range of utensils (Table 1), a
mixer, an oven and/or hotplate, and a prover for leavened products (see Technical Brief: Food
Fermentation).
Hand-tools
Baking trays
Biscuit cutters
Bowls
Bread tins
Bread slicer
Cake hoops
Cake tins
Cooling racks
Dipping forks
Dough dockers
Dusting boxes
Flour sieve
Glaze brushes
Knives
Measuring jugs,
scoops, spoons
Oven gloves
Oven peel
Pastry cutters
Piping tubes and
bag
Rolling pins
Uses
Steel trays of various sizes for bread and flour confectionery
For cutting shapes from rolled out dough sheets
Plastic, aluminium or stainless steel, for mixing ingredients
Single tins of various sizes for different sized loaves, or ‘straps’ of 3-6 tins joined
together. Special shaped tins for speciality breads
For cutting bread into slices of uniform thickness
A range of large tins for baking cake batter
A range of sizes for small cakes, pies or tarts, fluted or plain
For temporary storage of baked products before packing, or dough awaiting oven space.
May be fixed or fitted with wheels
For decorating cakes
Spikes for puncturing the surface of dough or pastry
For shaking a thin layer of flour onto tables for dough kneading
Wire or nylon mesh to remove large particles from flour
For brushing on milk or egg to give a glossy surface to products
A set of cutting knives and a set of palette knives
For measuring correct volumes of liquid or powder ingredients
To protect hands when handling hot baked products
A long-handled, flat shovel used to removed baked products from the oven
A fluted set and a plain set to cut shapes in pastry
A small set for cake decoration and a large set for depositing batter onto baking trays or
filling products with cream
For rolling out flat dough sheets
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