Baking TermsHere are baking terms for your to look over which explains what techniques and methods that are needed for each recipe. Once you become familiar with this language, you are on your way to mastering any recipe.
Bake: To cook in an oven with dry heat. The oven should always be pre-heated for 10 to 15 minutes before baking.
Batter: A mixture of liquid, flour and other ingredients that is thin enough to pour.
Beat: To thoroughly combine ingredients and incorporate air with a rapid, circular motion. This may be done with a wooden spoon, wire whisk, rotary eggbeater, electric mixer or food processor.
Boil: To heat a liquid until bubbles rise continually to the surface and break.
Caramelize: To heat sugar until it is melted and brown. Caramelizing sugar gives it a distinctive flavor.
Chop: To cut into small pieces using a sharp knife, appliance or scissors.
Coats spoon: When a thin, even film covers a metal spoon after it has been dipped into a cooked mixture and allowed to drain.
Combine: To stir together two or more ingredients until mixed.
Cool: To come to room temperature.
Cream: To beat one or more ingredients, usually margarine or butter, sugar and/or eggs, until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
Here are some more baking terms.
Crimp: To seal the edges of two layers of dough with the tines of a fork or your fingertips.
Cut in: To distribute solid fat throughout the dry ingredients using a pastry blender, fork or two knives in a scissors motion.
Dash: A measurement less than 1/8 teaspoon.
Dough: A soft, thick mixture of flour, liquids, fat and other ingredients.
Dot: To distribute small amounts of margarine or butter evenly over the surface of pie filling or dough.
Drizzle: To drip a glaze or icing over food from the tines of a fork or the end of a spoon.
Dust: To sprinkle lightly with sugar, flour or cocoa. (A sifter works best.)
Flute: To make or press a decorative pattern into the raised edge of pastry.
Fold in: To gently combine a heavier mixture with a more delicate substance such as beaten egg whites or whipped cream without causing a loss of air.
Here are some more baking terms.
Glaze: To coat with a liquid, thin icing or jelly before or after the food is cooked.
Grate: To shred with a hand-held grater or food processor.
Grease: To rub fat on the surface of a pan or dish to prevent sticking.
Grind: To produce small particles of food by forcing food through a grinder.
Knead: To fold, push and turn dough or other mixture to produce a smooth, elastic texture.
Lukewarm: A temperature of about 105 degrees F. that feels neither hot nor cold.
Mix: To stir together two or more ingredients until they are thoroughly combined.
Mix until just moistened: To combine dry ingredients with liquid ingredients until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened, but the mixture is still slightly lumpy.
Partially set: To refrigerate a gelatin mixture until it thickens to the consistency of unbeaten egg whites.
Peel: To remove the skin of a fruit or vegetable by hand or with a knife or peeler. This also refers to the skin or outer covering of a fruit or vegetable.
Here are some more baking terms.
Proof: To allow yeast dough to rise before baking. It also means to dissolve yeast in a warm liquid and set it in a warm place for 5 to 10 minutes until it expands and becomes bubbly.
Refrigerate: To chill in the refrigerator until a mixture is cool or a dough is firm.
Rind: The skin or outer coating of foods such as citrus fruit or cheese.
Rolling boil: To cook a mixture until the surface billows rather than bubbles.
Rounded teaspoon: To mound ingredient slightly in a measuring teaspoon.
Scald: To heat a mixture or liquid to just below the boiling point.
Score: To cut slits in food with a knife, cutting part way through the outer surface.
Softened: Margarine, butter, ice cream or cream cheese that is in a state soft enough for easy blending, but not melted.
Shred: To cut food into narrow strips using a sharp knife, grater or food processor fitted with a shredding disk.
Soft peaks: To beat egg whites or whipping cream to the stage where the mixture forms soft, rounded peaks when the beaters are removed.
Stiff peaks: To beat egg whites to the stage where the mixture will hold stiff, pointed peaks when the beaters are removed.
Here are some more baking terms.
Stir: To combine ingredients with a spoon or whisk using a circular motion.
Whip: To beat rapidly with a wire whisk or electric mixer to incorporate air into a mixture in order to lighten and increase the volume of the mixture.
Zest: The colored outer peel of citrus fruit, which is used to add flavor. The zest is often referred to as grated peel in recipes.
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