Flour, sugar, eggs, milk, butter, flavorings – with this simple list of ingredients a seemingly endless variety of sweet goods, from breads to sauces to pastries, can be made. But to produce consistently good baking products, careful attention must be paid to the character of each ingredient, the quantity of each ingredient, the method in which the ingredients are combined, and how heat is applied to the mixture of ingredients. This course will provide an introduction to these baking principles.
Structure of the workshop and topics covered:
Specialized tools and equipment used in baking
How to select ingredients used in baking
Different types of flour and their properties in baking
Nutritional value of flour
How to purchase and store flour
How to control the development of gluten
How to cook sugar correctly
Food safety rules in handling hot sugar
The function of fat in baking
How to work with chocolate from melting to storage
How to use liquid sweeteners
How to use thickeners in baking
Mastering the different mixing methods
The baking process step-by-step; how to control the different stages for different outcomes of the end product
