Ingredients, Measurements and Substitutions in Baking

Baking Ingredients
Baked products are made from essentially the same ingredients – flour,
fats, sugar, eggs, water or milk, and leavening (Gisslen, 1995).
Combinations of these ingredients and preparation methods produce the
various general classifications of baked products we see today.
1. Flour – is the primary ingredient of most baked products because it
provides the structure of the product (Lauterbach and Albrecht, 1994).

Kinds of Characteristics Function and Proper Storage

Flour Use
a.Whole Comes from wheat grains, Best used in Must be stored in
Wheat contains the whole part of preparing yeast an air tight sealed
Flour the grain including the breads like container in a
bran(outer part or cover of whole wheat cool dry place or
the grain), the endosperm bread in the
(the fruit) and the germ or refrigerator.
the embryo (the inner part
of the whole grain).
b.Bread Has more gluten strength This is the best Several months
Flour and protein content than choice for yeast in a cool, dry
all-purpose flour. Bread products like cabinet when
flour has 12 to 14% pan de sal, stored in a sealed
protein. pan/sliced container or if
bread, crusty tightly wrapped,
breads, and and up to one
rolls and buns. year in the freezer
c.All- Is a combination of soft Best for pie Can be stored
Purpose and hard flours. It may be crusts, cookies, inside the cabinet
Flour bleached or unbleached. It muffins using an airtight
is one of the most cupcakes, container and be
commonly used and readily pancakes and kept 6-8 months.
accessible flour. Protein shortened cakes
varies from 8 to 11%

d.Cake Is a fine-textured, soft- This is excellent Store in an air

Flour wheat flour with high for baking fine- tight container
starch content. It has the textured cakes not exceeding for
lowest protein content of 7- with greater more than 6
9%. It is chlorinated(a volume and it is months.
 bleaching process which used in some
leaves the flour slightly quick breads
acidic, sets a cake faster and cookies
and distributes fat more
evenly through the batter
to improve texture).
Other kind of flour
e.Rice Flour Rice four is made from Can be used as Can be stored in
finely milled rice. It can be substitute for a plastic
made from either white or wheat flour but container and
brown rice. It has 6.5 to the quality of must not be
7% protein but it does not the product stored for a long
form gluten. may differ period of time.

2. Liquids – Liquid ingredients are

important for hydrating protein, starch
and leavening agents. Liquids
contribute to the moistness and texture
of the products. Liquids also help in
leavening he product because it turns
to steam and expand during baking.
Kinds of Liquid Characteristics Function and Use Proper Storage
a. Water
Fresh whole milk Contributes Fresh milk and
is the form of water, fats, opened cans of
milk most nutrients and evaporated milk
commonly flavor has to be kept
referred to in refrigerated in an
recipes. airtight
b. Milk and Evaporated milk container.
Creams is milk with about Unopened
60% of water evaporated milk
removed. It can can should be
be diluted with stored in a cool
equal amount of dry place.
water when used
in baking
c. Juice Usually fresh Adds flavor and Store in an
fruit juices color. Best used airtight container
in recipes with in the refrigerator
baking soda as
 leavening

2. Fat- These may come from animal or vegetable fats. It can also be in liquid
or solid form. Fats generally help to tenderize the product and soften the
structure, add moistness and richness, increase keeping quality, adds
flavor, assist in leavening when used as creaming agents (Gisslen, 2001).

Function and
Kinds of Fat Characteristics Proper Storage
Use
a. Butter Made out of fatty Good source of Butter must be
milk. It can be flavor and melting kept well
salted or unsalted quality so these wrapped inside
are good for the refrigerator
pastries and because it melts
cakes at room
temperature and
maintain its good
quality
b. Margarine Made from Baker’s Keep well
various margarine (bar wrapped in
hydrogenated margarine) are refrigerator
vegetable or very similar in
animal fats, with characteristics
flavoring and function to
emulsifier, butter Keep in tightly
coloring agents Pastry margarine closed container
and other (in containers) in a cool dry dark
ingredients are tougher and place.
more elastic and
are used for
dough or pastries
c. Oil Comes from Spreads to the Keep in tightly
vegetable, or seed mixture too closed container,
sources. It is thoroughly and an a cool dry
liquid fat. can shorten too dark place.
much so if it is
not commonly
used in cakes but
in pie dough and
some yeast
 breads
d. Lard Comes from the Are commonly Keep in tightly
side part of the used in making closed container
hog. flaky crust for in a cool dry,
pies. dark place.
e. Shortening Group of solid Used for flaky Keep in tightly
fats, usually products such as closed container
white and pie crusts and in a cool dry dark
tasteless and biscuits place.
especially
formulated for
baling

4. Sugar - or sweeteners have differing degrees of sweetness and come in

various forms from powder to crystals to syrups. They generally add sweetness
and flavor, create tenderness and fineness of texture (partly by weakening the
gluten structure), give color to the crust, increase keeping quality (by retaining
moisture), act as creaming agent with fats, and provide food for yeast (Gisslen,
2001).
Kinds of Function and
Characteristics Proper Storage
Sweetener Use
a. Granulated or Regular white Finer Must be kept in a
refined cane sugar also called granulations are plastic sealed
sugar table sugar. better for mixing container and
Caster sugar has dough and stored in a dry
batters because place.
finer granules
sanding they dissolve
while
relatively quicker.
sugar has coarser
granules than Sanding sugar is
regular white good for sprinkles
sugar. on top of cakes
and cookies and
for syrups.
b. Confectioner or Sugar ground to a Used in icings,
powdered fine powder toppings, cream
sugar mixed with a fillings, dusting
small amount of
starch, also called
icing sugar.
c. Brown sugar The darker color Used in place of
 (raw brown, has more white sugar when
light brown, impurities, it its flavor and
medium brown) contains small color is desired. It
amount of also contains a
glucose and small amount of
fructose. acid so it can be
Contains a little used with baking
amount of soda to provide
molasses and the leavening.
natural fibers, of
the sugar cane.

5. Leavening agents – are responsible for

the production and incorporation of gases
during the baking process. This is what
makes baked products rise. There are
different kinds of leavening agents. Yeast
is a biological leavening agent because it
is a microscopic plant that produces
carbon dioxide gas and alcohol in the
process called fermentation. The released
gas during fermentation produces the
leavening action. Baking soda and baking powder are chemical leavening
agents. These produce gas from the chemical reactions that occur when there
is moisture and an acidic ingredient.

Kinds of
Proper
Leavening Characteristics Function and Use
Storage
Agents

a. Yeast Available as active dry Fermentation of Yeast

yeast or instant yeast. yeast is important in must be
Active dry yeast consists the formation and kept in an
of coarse oblong granules. stabilization of airtight
Instant yeast or rapid-rise gluten thus it is best container
yeast has smaller used for breads and away from
granules and dissolve other yeast heat and
faster. products. light.
b. Baking soda Sodium bicarbonate, a The fast action of Must be
fine white powder that chemical leaveners stored in
has a slightly salty and makes them very air tight
alkaline taste (mapakla) good to use in container
muffins, cakes, to
c. Baking Mixture of baking soda
cookies, pastries. maintain
powder plus an acid to react with
 it and starch to prevent fresheness
lumping. It is available as
single-acting or double
acting-baking powder.
6. Eggs – eggs perform many functions in the
production of baked products. They come in
various sizes (small, medium, large, extra large)
and kinds (chicken egg, duck egg, native egg).

Kinds of eggs Proper

Characteristics Function and Use Storage
Fresh white Large and fresh Protein in eggs Keep shell
chicken eggs white eggs are the contributes to structure. intact and
standards for Emulsifier (blending or store in the
baking. They combining of substances refrigerator.
should be clean, that are difficult to blend
fresh-tasting, free like fats and liquid). This
of bad odors, and contributes to volume and
tastes. texture.
Leavening when egg
whites are beaten, air is
trapped in the foam
bubbles and expand
during baking.
Shortening due to the fat
content of the egg yolk.
Moisture due to the
quantity of water in eggs.
Flavor, color, nutritional
value.

7. Salt and other flavorings – Salt enhances the

flavors and sweetness of other ingredients. Salt
slows down yeast fermentation and strengthens
gluten structure making it more stretchable
(Lauterbach and Albrecht, 1994). Other flavorings
include vanilla, spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger,
etc.) and flavor extracts (banana essence, pandan
flavoring, lemon extract).
Measurements and Conversions
It is important to weigh or measure all
ingredients accurately, especially for
beginners. There are cooks and chefs who
seem to be able to produce good results
by guesswork and intuition because of
their long experience in cooking.
However, that should not be the case.
What generally matters is using precise
measurement.

Abbreviations and Symbols

C = Cup °C = Degree Centigrade
t, tsp = Teaspoon °F Degree Fahrenheit
T, tbsp. = Tablespoon G = Gram
APF = All purpose flour Qt = Quart
Oz = Ounce gal. = Gallon
Lb = Pound hr. = Hour
L = Liter min. = Minute
Cc = Cubic centimeter sec. = Second
K = Kilo pt. = Pint
Kg = Kilogram

Measure liquids at eye level

In other words, place the cup on a flat surface and crouch down so your
eyes are at the same level as the cup in order to check the accuracy of the
amount in the cup.
 Measurements and their Equivalents
1 tablespoon (T or tbsp) = 3 teaspoon (t or tsp)
2 tablespoon = 1/8 cup
4 tablespoon = ¼ cup
5 1/3 tablespoon = 1/3 cup
¾ cup plus2 tablespoons = 7/8 cup
16 tablespoon = 1 cup (c)
2 cups = 1 pint
4 cups = 1 quart
16 ounces = 1 pound

Common Units of Weights

1 pound (lb.) = 463.59 grams

1 ounce = 28.35 grams
1 kilogram (kg) = 2.21 pounds
1 gram = .035 ounces
1 medium orange = ¼ to ½ cup (slice)
1 medium apple = 1 cup slice
14 oz. can condensed milk = 1 ¼ cups
14 oz. can evaporated milk = 1 2/3 cups
1 lb. brown sugar = 2 ¼ cups (packed)
1 lb. confectioner sugar = 3 ½ cups
1 lb. confectioner sugar = 2 ½ cups
1 lb. nuts = 4 ½ cups
1 lb. dried nuts = 2 cups
5 whole eggs = 1 cup
12 egg yolks = 1 cup
8 egg whites = 1 cup

Common Units of Volume

1 bushel (bu) = 4 pecks

1 peck (pk ) = 8 quarts
1 gallon (gal) = 4 quart
1 quart = 2 pints
1 teaspoon (tsp. or t.) = 4.9 milliliters
1 tablespoon (T or tbsp) = ½ fluid ounce
Dry Ingredients
The most important thing to
know about measuring dry
ingredients is that they should be
level with the top of your measuring
cup. Dip your cup into the bin, fill to
overflowing and level it off by
sweeping the edge of a knife across
the top. Spoon flour and similar
ingredients into measuring cup. Do
not scoop the ingredient using the
cup itself because this “packs” the
cup too much and the measurement
won’t be precise.

Conversion/Substitution of Weights and Measures

1 tablespoon all purpose flour 1/2tablespoon cornstarch, potato

starch, rice starch or arrowroot
starch
1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup sifted cake flour 7/8 cup all-purpose flour sifted, 1cup all-
purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons.
1 cup sugar granulated 1 1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed,
1 ½ cup corn syrup minus ½ cup liquid.
1 cup honey 1 ¼ cup sugar plus 1 /2cup liquid
1 ounce chocolate 3 tablespoon cocoa plus 1 tablespoon fat
1 tablespoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda plus ½ cup
1 teaspoon active dry yeast 1 package (7gram) dry yeast compressed
yeast cake 1 whole egg 2 ½ tablespoon sifted dry whole eggs
powder plus 21/2 tablespoon
lukewarm water
1 egg yolk 1 1/3 tablespoon frozen egg yolk
1 egg white 2 tablespoon frozen egg white
1 square unsweetened 3 tablespoon cocoa plus 1 tablespoon fat
chocolate
1 egg white 2 tablespoon frozen egg white
1 square unsweetened chocolate 3 tablespoon cocoa plus 1 tablespoon fat
1 square unsweetened chocolate 3 tablespoon cocoa plus 1 tablespoon fat

1 cup butter 1 cup margarine, 7/8 cup of lard plus ½

teaspoon salt
1 cup coffee cream ( 20 percent) 3 tablespoons butter plus about 7/8 cup

1 cup heavy cream ( 40 percent)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup milk
1 cup butter milk or sour milk
milk
1/4 cup butter plus 3 /4 cup of milk
1 cup reconstituted non- fat dry milk plus
2 ½ teaspoons of butter or
margarine
3 tablespoon of sifted non- fat dry milk
plus 1 cup water, 6 tablespoons of
sifted crystals plus 1 cup water
1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice
plus enough sweet milk to make1
cup (let stand for 5 minutes), 1 ¾
teaspoon of cream of tartar plus1
cup of sweet milk