10 Most Basic Baking Ingredients

Here  we present another weekly Blog from Avon Bakers. This article is written especially for the beginners who want to set foot in the world of baking. Stock up these items permanently in your kitchen as you will always need them while baking anything.

   1.    FLOUR

Flour is the most basic ingredient used in all baked goods. There are many varieties of flours available , ranging from cake flour, pastry flour, bread flour to self-rising flour. Choice of a flour, to bake any particular baking item, depends upon protein content , added agents and processes used in making the flour.

Cake flour has less protein and high starch content .It is basically used in making cakes, quick  breads , cookies and muffins.  Bread flour has high protein and gluten content which makes it suited to make yeast products. Pastry flour  is used to make  cookies , biscuits and pie crusts for a tender but crumbly pastry. Self-rising flour has low protein content with added baking powder and salts.

  2.    SUGAR

Sugar plays a very important role in baking process . It not only adds sweetness to the baked item but also adds volume, tenderness, texture, color, and acts as a preservative. Generally four types of sugars are used for baking. They are granulated sugar, confectioners sugar, superfine sugar and brown sugar.

Granulated sugar is also known as white sugar and table sugar. It is widely used sugar which is derived from sugar cane or sugar beets. Confectioner’s sugar is also know as icing sugar or powdered sugar. It is powdered granulated sugar with added cornstarch. Superfine sugar is also known as castor sugar .It has very fine granules. Brown sugar has moist texture and is made by adding molasses to the granulated sugar. Its colour varies from light brown to dark brown depending upon the amount of molasses used.

  3.    BAKING POWDER

Baking powder is a dry chemical leavening agent which is  used for increasing the volume and lightening the texture of baked goods. It's made up of bicarbonate of soda ,cream of tartar and cornstarch.

  4.    BAKING SODA

Baking soda is also known as bicarbonate of soda or sodium bicarbonate . It is a leavening agent . It is added to baked goods before cooking to produce carbon dioxide and cause them to rise. 

   5.    VANILLA ESSENCE

 Vanilla essence is used as flavoring agents in desserts, breads, cakes, puddings, frostings, etc. 

   6.    YEAST

 Strains of yeast are used as a leavening agent in baking bread and bakery products, where it converts the fermentable sugars present in the dough into carbon dioxide and ethanol. 

7.EGGS

Eggs play a very important function of holding other ingredients while mixing and baking .They maintain the tender structure of the baked product.

8.BUTTER

Another all-round baking ingredient is butter . It not only gives the flavor to the baked good but also makes it light, tender and fluffy. Shelf life of product gets prolonged with this.

9.UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER

It is used to give intense chocolate flavor to the baked good. It is also used in making chocolate icing and cake fillings.

10. SALT

Salt plays a very important role of controlling the fermentation rate of yeast. It not only adds overall flavor but also strengthens the gluten in the dough making it less sticky.

That’s  it folks !!