Terms used in recipes for baking sometimes seem mysterious but once understood, help you cook with confidence.

Bake Blind – To partially or totally cook a pastry case before filling it.This prevents the pastry going soggy. Pastry should be partially cooked when when its going to be filled with an uncooked mixture (such as eggs in quiche), or fully cooked for fresh fruit flans. The uncooked pastry should be “poked” with a fork to prevent it from raising. In some techniques, the uncooked pastry are lined with baking paper or foil n filled with dried beans, uncooked rice or special purpose beads.

Batter – An uncooked mixture of flour, liquid & sometimes a leavener such as baking powder. It can be thick, spooning consistency as with a cake batter, or thin, pouring consistency such as the batter made for pancakes, crepes or pikelets.

Beat - To briskly combine ingredients, usually with electric beaters but sometimes with a wooden spoon, to induce air into a mixture to make it smooth & light. Beating also helps to create a finer texture for cakes, biscuits & other baked products.

Cream together – To beat one more more ingredients, usually butter & sugar, until light & fluffy. Electric beaters or a wisk can be used. The creaming process dissolves the sugar, resulting in a light texture in the baked product.

Dough - A paste made out of any cereals (grains) by grinding it with a small amount of water/butter/shortening.

Dust – To cover lightly, usually referring to icing sugar or cocoa powder that is sifted over the top of a cake or pie for presentation.

Gluten - Protein found in wheat flour, is the mucular substance of great elasticity that strengthens the cellular structer of the dough.

Knead – To work a bread/pastry dough with your hands on a flat floured surface. The dough is rhythmatically pushed, stretched & folded in order to develope the gluten in the flour. It takes about 10 minutes for the gluten to be fully develope.

Knock Back – After the 1st raising, bread dough is ‘knock back’ or punched down. This allows all the bubbles of carbon dioxide to be expelled, thus preventing the gluten walls from overstretching and collapsing. The dough is then ready to be shaped & left to rise a second time.

Leavened – A term describing baked products such as breads & cakes that contains a raising agent such as yeast or baking powder, to increase the volume of the goods.

Meringue – Stabilized egg white foam & dissolved sugar crystals, brought about by whisking.

Proving – (also known as second rise) describes the process of the bread dough being knock back, then shaped & left to rise on its baking tray until doubled in bulk, before baking. Test by gently pressing a finger into the dough & if the imprint remains, the dough is proved & ready for baking.

Ribbon Stage – Eggs & Sugar are beaten, either with electric beater or hand whisk until the sugar has dissolved & the eggs becomes pale & firm with very small bubbles. The beater or whisk will leave a raised mark on the top of the mixture with the ribbon stage is reached. The term is used when a sponge cakes are being made. The results of beating is a very light aerated cake. Usually only small amounts of flour & maybe ground nuts are gently folded into the mixture before baking.

Rub in – To combine usually butter & flour using the tips of your fingers (fingertips is the coolect part of your hands) to form breadcrumbs like mixture. Cold or iced water is then added to form a dough.

Zest or Rinds – The outside rind of any citrus fruit. Grated or shredded rinds rind is used to flavour cakes, biscuits, syrups & dough. The rind can also be thinly peeled from the fruit, leaving
the white pith behind, then thinly shredded with a small sharp knife.