First Semester Baking Notes

Yeast Breads

Check flavor

• bitter? Salty? Yeasty?

• bitter: too long proofing – yeast over-fermented

Check for even browning

Check for good scoring/docking

Check for browning on bottom and between seams, etc.

Bread flour: high gluten content

Soft breads – gluten strands are “shortened” by fat or bran

Measuring by weight is more accurate than by volume due to density differences

-except: milk; eggs; water

-eggs: 2 oz / egg

5 Leavening Agents

• Yeast

• Baking Soda (bicarbonate of soda)

• Baking Powder (bicarbonate of soda + other ingredients; needs water and acid to activate)

• Steam

• Air

Eggs

• leavening agent

• adds richness

• shortens dough

• color

• adds flavor

Fat (butter, shortening)

• use butter for better taste and mouth feel!

• Shortening is easier, cheaper, more consistent

• tenderizer

• flavor

• adds moisture

• increases shelf life

Sugar

• sweetener

• texture (shortener)

• adds color

• increases shelf life

• caramelizes

Lean yeast dough : flour, salt, water, yeast

American flour – lower extraction rate than European flour

Instant yeast – needs no hydration

Active dry yeast – needs hydration / proofing (use 25% more than instant)

34° - 40° - Dormant

50° - Slowly wakes up

60° - 70° - More active

70° - 90° - Optimal temp to activate

120° - Fermentation Slows

*Yeast: microorganism that eats simple sugars producing CO₂ and alcohol

Salt

• adds flavor

• elasticity

• helps gluten stretch

*Gluten is made up of (2) proteins:

• Glutenin – extends dough

• Gliadin – elasticity

Factors affecting gluten formation

• gases

  • CO₂ from yeast / baking soda / baking powder

  • air (from kneading, etc.)

  • steam (from water)

• flours

  • strong (high protein) – bread flour

  • weak (low protein) – cake flour

• shortenings

  • fats

  • bran in flours

• liquids

  • needed to develop gluten

• mixing methods

  • more mixing = more texture from gluten development

12 Steps to Yeast Bread

Scaling

• liquid ingredients by volume

• dry ingredients by weight

Mixing

• to combine ingredients

• distribute yeast evenly

• develop gluten

Fermentation

• yeast acts on sugars to produce CO₂

• longer fermentation @ lower temperature (to slow yeast) means more flavor

Punch-down

• deflating the dough

• expels gas

• redistribute yeast

• deflate gluten

Scaling

• weigh dough [into portions]

Rounding

• round dough into uniform balls / shapes

Benching

• rest dough to relax for shaping

Make-up / Panning

• dough shaped into loaves / rolls

• gas bubbles expelled

Proofing

Scoring / Docking

• slash dough to allow bread to rise uniformly

Baking

• oven spring – first few minutes

Cooling

• remove from pans to allow air circulation

• cool 30-45 minutes

Storage

• cool before wrapping

• do not refrigerate

3 Mixing Methods for Yeast Dough

Sponge Method

• Lower Fermentation time for finished dough

• more flavor

• stronger fermentation for rich doughs

• less yeast used – multiplies during fermentation

Straight Dough

• combine all dry ingredients and briefly mix, add water and mix smooth, or;

• soften yeast in water, combine dry ingredients with more liquid and add yeast

Modified Straight Dough

• soften yeast

• combine fats, sugars, salt, flavorings

• add eggs, mix

• add flour, yeast

• mix until smooth

milk: + flavor, + color, + keeping, nutrition

flour: structure, texture

salt: flavor, strengthens gluten, inhibits yeast

yeast: leavening

fats: add flavor, tenderizes, + shelf life, moisture

eggs: color, flavor, structure, leavening

sugar: tenderize, flavor (sweetener), creaming agent, color, fuels yeast

*don't over-ferment, over-mix, or over-proof rich doughs; proof to 75%

1. Scaling ingredients

2. mix

• sponge

• creamed mixture

• dough

3. Fermenting (sponge)

4. Punching

5. Scaling

6. Rounding**

7. Benching**

8. Panning

9. Proofing, eggwash

10. Baking

11. Cooling, glazing

12. Storage

Rich Doughs

Rich Doughs

• 40% sugar, 60% fat

• under-fermented, under-proofed

• sugar creamed w/ fat

Rolled-in Doughs

• Danish, croissant, puff pastry

• 250 layers in croissant

• 2400 layers in puff pastry

• Danish dough is sweeter

• cold fat turns to steam in oven to leaven along w/ yeast

• only slightly mixed due to rolling-in

Tips for Mixing:

• dough must be smooth and free of dry spots

• do not mix in all flour at once

• dough rests in fridge, gluten relaxes

• do not develop gluten w/ prolonged mixing

• folding

*hard flour used to strengthen gluten structure for stretching rather than breaking

*soft flour ratio is proportionate to amount of turns recipe requires

Rolling out dough

• roll from center to top, then bottom, then sides

• ~ ½ inch thickness uniform

• be forceful but not reckless

Resting

• chilling time is important, relaxes gluten

• too long: butter gets to hard

• if butter can be felt through dough, it's too hard

Biga – pre-ferment

• 10 oz bread flour

• 2 tbsp rye flour

• 1 tsp yeast

• 8 fl oz water

Danish and Croissant Dough

• rolling-in process encloses the fat in the dough, increases layers of dough

• creates flaky texture

• butter is best for flavor

• sugar is mixed with the fat

Make-up

• types of Danish:

  • cherry

  • cheese

  • bear claw

  • pinwheel

  • vol au vents

• under-proof products

• egg wash after makeup for moisture

• proof croissants @ room temperature 1 ½ - 2 hrs

• proof Danish until marshmallow-like in texture

Baking

• clear glaze (for Danish): makes a shiny product, locks in moisture

• croissants: 375°, 10 min

• filled croissants: 375°, 20 min

• Danish: 350°, 20 min

Croissant make-up (bake 375°, 10 min)

• divide dough into 4 equal parts

• roll out to 8”W x 24”L x ¹/₈” Th

• mark every 4” on top

• start 2” in on bottom, marking every 4”

• make ½” cut in base, pull apart

• roll forward, stretching tip away

• place tip down & to the rear

• curve ends inward for butter; leave straight for shortening

• egg wash

Danish Make-up (350°, 20 min)

Puff Pastry

• Laminate Dough

• creating layers that rise up to 4x original height

• Products:

  • Napoleons

  • Pithiviers

  • Palmiers

  • cheese straws

  • conversations

• no yeast v. Danish / croissants

Mixing methods: Classical and Blitz

1. Classical

• butter lock-in

• 6 book turns w/ 45 min rests in fridge after each

• time consuming

• higher rise than blitz

• 1:1 ratio of butter to dough

2. Blitz

• cut cold butter into flour

• 4 turns immediately

• 1 hr rest

• 2 turns before make-up

• fast

• less labor

• more butter tenderizes gluten

• cake flour allows for more turns w/ less gluten development

Rolling out dough

• all resting is done in fridge

• gluten activation

• cold dough is best

• use even pressure

• rest dough if too elastic

• freezing dough (up to 3 months)

Make-up

• cut dough when cold, firm

• rest in fridge before baking

• avoid touching edges

• egg wash, don't drip on sides: inhibits layers rising

Baking

• high temperature: 400° - 425°

• too low: steam won't develop

• too high: crust sets, raw interior

• shrinkage – not cold enough

Palmier make-up

• divide dough in half

• roll out (using sugar in place of dusting flour) to 6”x18”

• do two more book turns to make (6) total

• still using sugar, roll out to 12”x12” x ¹/₈” thick

• mark center

• roll inward from top, bottom to center

• rest in fridge 1 hr

• slice across sections, ½” apart

• press w/ palms 2” apart on pans

• rest 15 min

• bake 375° convection, or 400° still for 10 min

• flip, bake 10 min more

Turnover make-up

• divide dough into (4) equal parts

• do two more book turns to make (6) total

• roll out to 4”x12”

• cut into (4) 4”x3” pieces

• egg wash inside

• fill bottom half

• fold over, crimp

• egg wash & score top

• rest 30 min

• bake 400° convection, 10 – 15 min

Quick Breads

Ingredients

• fats – liquid v. solid

• chemical leaveners

  • baking soda: bicarbonate of soda; releases CO₂ w/ liquid and acid

  • baking powder: bicarbonate of soda, acid (cream of tartar), cornstarch (prevents caking); reacts 2x w/ moisture and heat

• flours, eggs, liquids: room temperature

3 Mixing Methods for Quick Breads

1. Creaming (rich, cake-like texture)

• high fat products

• cream soft butter w/ sugar

• mix liquids

• sift dry ingredients together

• alternate adding dry, then liquid ingredients to butter mixture

2. Biscuit (flaky texture; dry, flat cake)

• sift dry ingredients

• cut in cold fat

• combine liquids separately

• add wet to dry mix in a well

• mix

• knead, make-up, bake

• rise to 2x height

3. Muffins (soft, tender texture)

• sift dry ingredients

• combine liquids

• add liquid to dry

• mix

Problems with Mixing

• tunneling: over-mixing creates air pockets that tunnel upward during baking

• bitter flavor: unsifted leaveners, rises too fast, falls

• crust too thick (on cakes): high sugar, low temperature

• flat top, peak in center: low temperature

• cracked top: high temperature

• no rise: damaged (not fresh) leaveners