Baking Ingredients--What Makes a Perfect Dessert!

An easy-to-follow guide on the basic Baking Ingredients required in every pantry and fridge.

We'll begin with the most important of ingredients which is Flour.

FLOUR.

Flour provide the base and structure to cakes.

Most mass-produced and highly-refined flour can be used for most baking purposes.

Special organic flour can be used too. These add texture to your cakes and desserts.

Plain flour

Plain flour is also called all-purpose flour. Plain flour can be used for dessert and cake-making purposes.

Self-raising flour

Apart from light flour, self-raising flour is the most commonly used flour in cake recipes. If you are using this flour, there is no need to add baking soda or baking powder.

Self-raising flour has the same texture and consistency as light regular flour. It can also be used to make pancakes, muffins and cupcakes.

Soft flour

Soft flour is also called sponge flour. It is light and airy has it has less gluten. It is used making light cakes especially elaborate wedding cakes that require fancy fondant icing. This flour can also be used for making biscuits and cookies as it has less gluten.

Strong Flour

Strong Flour is used for mainly bread-making purposes and is made from hard wheat and has more protein than plain flour.

Rye Flour

This darker colour flour is used to make sturdy breads and loafs that are dense and fuller flavour.

To make a lighter loaf, you may choose to mix rye flour with strong wheat flour for lighter loaf.

BUTTER and MARGARINE.

Butter is an essential ingredient for baking. I personally prefer it than any other form of fat. Butter has a high fat content and makes delicious desserts and cakes.

You should always use butter that is at room temperature before using. Preferably, use unsalted butter for baking.

For cakes and desserts, you can either dice the softened butter or melt in a saucepan. For pies, it's best to use diced butter as you work it into the dough.

If you prefer a low-fat version, use polyunsaturated margarine or canola and sunflower oil.

EGGS.

Eggs are a necessity in desserts and must be used a room temperature. I take the required number that need at least 30 minutes before starting.

SUGARS.

Sugars are an extremely important component in baking. There are many different types of sugars that can be used a wide variety of ways.

Granulated Sugar

Granulated sugar (sometimes called castor sugar in Asian countries) is the most commonly used for baking purposes. It is mostly used by creaming it with butter or fat and the other ingredients in the recipe.

This type of sugar is dissolves fairly quickly when mixed and can also be used for kneading or rubbed-in methods. It can also be dissolved using heat with liquid or fat.

Brown Sugar

Dark brown or soft light sugars lends a richer flavour and colour to your desserts. I use brown sugar for carrot cakes. I personally prefer using brown sugar as it states unique and smells lovely when baked.

Demerara Sugar

Demerara Sugar is best after being dissolved over heat before adding to the dry ingredients.

Honey and Maple Syrup

Honey can be used in place of sugar. Use less of it, though, as good honey has flavourful. You can convert and measure the exact amount needed here.

Dried Fruits

Traditionally, Dried Fruits were used in cakes, sweet breads and tea breads during the winter and autumn when these fruits in their fresh form were unavailable. As there were no fridges, seasonal fruits that were dried and stored for use later.

Technically, there is no reason to dry fruits in modern times as most fruits are available throughout the year but we'll be missing out of the wonderful flavours and aroma of dried fruits in baked desserts.

When baking with Dried Fruits chop the fruits before adding to your cake mixture or bread dough. You should add at the very end. Do not use electric mixer after adding the dried fruits into the cake mixture, instead use a spatula or large spoon. This also applies to breads. Merely knead and mix the fruits into the bread dough with your hands.

Fresh Fruits

Cakes taste great when Fresh Fruits are used and popular chooses are Bananas, Apples, Pears, Strawberries, amongst others. Cakes and Breads that use fresh fruits are extremely moist and delightful but cannot keep for long. I recommend storing the cake or bread in the fridge and consuming within 4 days.

Malt Extract

Malt Extract is the sweet by-product of barley. It is has a deep strong flavour and lends a rich moist taste to sweet bread, cakes and desserts.

Molasses

Molasses a by-product of sugar cane and taste strong and mildly bitter. There are many recipes that uses Molasses which results in darker, tastier and richer cakes and breads.

MILK.

Milk is often used in sweet breads, tea breads and cakes and it makes these desserts soft and moist. You may use low-fat alternatives like skimmed milk, semi-skimmed milk or low-fat milk but the breads and cakes will not be as rich tasting as when whole milk is used.

WATER.

Water is used in some low-fat and healthy recipes. For savoury breads, water is used in place of milk and the crust will not be as crumbly and soft.