All About Baking Products - Sugar Free Baking Products And Modern Baked Products

Baking calls for a wide range of ingredients to be used in a number of ways. However regardless of the wide range, some of the basic ingredients tend to remain consistent from recipe to recipe. These ingredients that form the mainstay of most baking recipes include whole or refined wheat flour, cream, eggs, salt, baking powder, sugars and leavening. In addition to these standard ingredients, various other ingredients can also be added such as cooking apples, cranberries, fresh lemons, vanilla bean extracts, or cocoa. Each of these ingredients comes with precise guidelines for baking.

The kind of flour used in baking helps to determine the taste, character and structure of the baked product.

In some baked goods, it makes sense to opt for general-purpose flour as it possesses less gluten than usual bread flour.

Sodium Bi-Carbonate : Effective Baking Product

The kinds of leavening and sodium bicarbonate works by providing an elevating force for the dish. Leavening agents generate a chemical reaction that causes the dough to rise; yeast works in the same manner, but it being a living organism feeds on the dough and helps create the same effect such as baking powder and sodium bicarbonate. Salt is important in strengthening the gluten of the flour and also enhances the flavor. In bread, salt helps to contain the action of the yeast so that the bread does not ascend too quickly.

Cream, butter or oils are used to provide texture and enhance the taste of the baked product while sugar adds more then just act as seasoning. Sugar brings in tenderness and character to the final outcome. In most cakes, fat imparts a light softness to the final product. When sugar is beaten with fat, tiny pockets of air develop from the sharpened edges of the sugar crystals moving with the butter or the oils. These small pockets of air bring about a finer texture in the final baked product.

Eggs on the other hand act as a constructive ingredient in baking. It provides richness and other properties to the baked good and is often used as an integral component in the batter. Eggs also act as an emulsifier and the proteins in it contribute to the health factor of the baked product.

It is important to have a grasp of the ingredients used in baking and it is also essential to discern the freshness and character of the products while baking. Having a good comprehension of these staple ingredients will guarantee that you get a good quality baked product. It is also important to experiment a little by combining various ingredients to understand how various tastes blend together.

Submitted on January 16, 2014