This chapter deals with basic baking terminology, ingredients, and the procedures used to produce breads and desserts. To bake a satisfactory product, you must have a thorough knowledge of these terms, ingredients, and baking procedures.

BREADS

The term bread has been used for centuries to describe a mixture of flour, sugar, shortening, salt, and liquid. This mixture is made into dough, then yeast is added to the mixture to make the dough rise.

Two kinds of bread are used in the general mess (GM). One kind includes yeast breads such as yeast-raised breads and rolls, sweet-dough rolls of various kinds, coffee cakes, doughnuts, pizza, and quick breads. The other kind includes products leavened by chemical leavening agents such as baking powder. Some of these products are biscuits, muffins, pancakes, cake doughnuts, quick coffee cake, and corn bread.

Bread is the most important food produced by the baker. It is prepared in greater quantities than any other baked product. High quality and excellent taste should be maintained regardless of the amount of bread baked. YEAST-RAISED BREADS

The production of yeast-raised products, especially bread and sweet doughs, is considerably more involved than the production of other bakery products. If the ingredients are of good quality, used in specific amounts, and are properly mixed, using proper temperatures, the doughs will yield good quality products.

Ingredients

The baker must understand the functions of each basic baking and breadmaking ingredient used in bakery products. He or she should then use the ingredients properly (manner of mixing and amount used). The functions of these ingredients are explained next. FLOUR.- Flour is a mixture of starch, protein, and other materials. The kinds of flour used are described as follows:

0 General-purpose flour is a mixture of hard and soft wheat flours. It is used to make cakes, cookies, quick breads, pastries, and pies. It does not have enough gluten strength to make satisfactory yeast bread and rolls.

Bread flour is a blend of hard wheat flours. It contains more protein than general-purpose flour and has a slight granular texture. Good quality bread and other yeast-raised products can be made only with bread flour.

0 Wheat base is prepared from the wheat germ, bran, and other fragments of wheat kernels. It has a whole wheat flavor and may be combined with flour to produce whole wheat bread.

In addition to the protein, flour contains various food elements such as carbohydrates, water, minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and fat. The amount of these elements contained in the flour varies with the type, grade, and storage period of the flour.

Protein.- The two principal proteins present in wheat flour (gliadin and glutenin), when combined with moisture, form gluten that gives structure to batters and doughs. Gluten also gives the dough expansion qualities.

Carbohydrates. - Carbohydrates in flour are usually in the form of starch that absorbs water and helps give bulk to dough. Flour that is especially made for cakes and pastries is rich in carbohydrates.

Water.- Wheat flour usually contains from 9- to 15-percent moisture. Flour absorbs or loses moisture in storage, depending on the atmospheric conditions.

Minerals.- Minerals are contained in the bran coat and the germ of wheat, and most of the minerals are lost when wheat is made into white flour. These minerals are returned to flours that are enriched.

Vitamins.- To replace the food value lost in milling, vitamins and minerals such as thiamin, niacin, iron, and riboflavin are frequently added to flour. Flour treated in this manner is known as enriched flour.

Enzymes.- An enzyme is a very minute substance produced by a living plant. The mere presence of an enzyme brings about certain changes in the composition of a material.  Diastase and protease are the most important enzymes found in flour. Diastase converts starch to sugar, and the yeast acts upon the sugar to produce carbon dioxide and other fermentation products. Protease softens the gluten and, when this enzyme is lacking, the dough will not have the desired elasticity.

Fat.- Wheat flour contains approximately 1.5-percent fat. The major portion of the fat of wheat grain is removed during the milling process. Although the fat content of flour is very low, this is what causes flour to become rancid if flour is stored for long periods under warm and humid conditions.

WATER.- In many bakery products, including bread, the amount of water used is second only to the amount of flour. Water contains minerals. The amount and kind of minerals contained in the water vary from one part of the country to another. These variations affect the properties of the dough and the finished bread.

Water is necessary to form gluten from the protein of flour, thereby giving the dough its elasticity and its gas retaining property. Gluten absorbs twice its own weight of water. The amount of water used determines the consistency and the temperature of the dough after it is mixed. Water dissolves the salt and the sugar, makes it possible for the enzymes to act, and holds the yeast in suspension until it is added to the other ingredients and the fermentation begins.

SALT.- Very little salt is used in making bread, but the amount used is essential, for it performs a very important function. Without salt, fermentation in dough is too rapid, and the baked product becomes too coarse. With too much salt, the fermentation process is slowed, and the bread becomes soggy. Salt strengthens gluten and helps it to expand, improves the color of baked products, and enhances the flavor.

SUGAR.- During fermentation, part of the sugar is converted into a form that can be used as food for the yeast. Starches are converted into sugar that produces carbon dioxide gas and alcohol and that causes the dough to expand, making it softer and more flexible. This sugar in the bread contributes to the color of the crust, the taste of the baked loaf, the toasting qualities of the bread, the texture, the moisture retaining qualities, and the nutritional value. Sugar is also a tenderizer. All sugars do not have the same degree of sweetness, since sweetness depends upon the refining process through which the sugar has passed. Brown sugar, for example, is less highly refined than white sugar and, therefore, is not so sweet. Brown sugar lends a pleasant taste to cooked or baked products, and syrups can be used as a substitute for regular sugar. Corn syrup, honey, or molasses improves the flavor of cookies and helps retain their moisture.

SHORTENING.- Shortening is the animal or vegetable fat that is used in baking. There are two general types of shortening-solid and liquid. The solid-type shortening is recommended for use in bread dough because it can be more thoroughly distributed through the dough. The reason for this is that it will not saturate the flour it touches. Although the liquid-type shortening can be used effectively, the dough must be well formed before the oil is added. The liquid-type shortening is mainly used in recipes that call for melted shortening, such as some cake and bread recipes.

Shortening compounds are composed of deodorized animal and vegetable fats mechanically blended to give a final product of acceptable elasticity and satisfactory baking quality. There are two types of solid shortening compounds used in the Navy GM-general-purpose shortening and bakery shortening (emulsifier-type).

General-Purpose Shortening.- General-purpose shortening is a high-grade shortening that has excellent baking qualities.  General-purpose shortening should not be substituted in recipes that specify bakery-type shortening.

Bakery Shortening.- Bakery shortening or emulsifier-type shortening is hydrogenated shortening to which an emulsifying agent has been added. This gives the shortening exceptional ability to blend with other ingredients.

SALAD OILS.- Salad oils are generally used in the preparation of salad dressing and in recipes that specify oil. Oil should not be substituted for general-purpose or emulsifier-type shortening in recipes specifying those types.

BUTTER.- Butter is the fatty constituent of milk that is separated from the other milk constituents by churning. Butter is used most often as a spread, but it has many other uses in food preparation. When butter is substituted for other shortening, you should adjust your recipe. Butter contains salt, milk, and moisture so the salt, milk, and liquid in the recipe should be decreased accordingly. The fat content of butter is less than that of other shortening; therefore, more butter should be used in the recipe.

MILK.- Milk is almost a complete food. Nonfat dry milk contains all the food qualities of whole milk except fat. In bread production, nonfat dry milk style A should be used, as this milk is designed specifically for achieving volume, flavor, and crust characteristics desirable in yeast breads. Dry milk can be added by mixing or sifting the milk and flour together, or it can be reconstituted with part of the water in the bread recipe and added to the dough. In either event, it is important that there are no lumps of milk powder in the dough.

The amount of milk used in the dough can be as high as 6-percent nonfat dry milk based on the weight of the flour. The use of more than 6-percent dry milk in the bread dough is detrimental to fermentation. Milk improves the texture, flavor, and keeping quality of bread.

EGGS.-Eggs are not used in making white bread but are used in making sweet doughs, cakes, and cookies. In baked products, eggs supply a high protein, mineral, and vitamin content. The yokes add color, the whites help bind other ingredients, and both combine to add flavor and moisture to the bread.

Fresh eggs should be removed from the refrigerator and warmed to room temperature before they are used in dough. Frozen eggs should be completely defrosted before they are added to the dough and should be well mixed. Dehydrated egg mix may be sifted with the dry ingredients in some baked products containing a high percentage of dry ingredients; the water needed to reconstitute eggs should be added to the required liquid. Reconstituted eggs should be used within 1 hour after they are reconstituted or returned to the refrigerator until they are to be used. Do not hold them overnight.