Baking and Pastry
Formula and gluten
Baking is measurement-driven. Baker's percentage expresses every ingredient as a percentage of flour weight, which is always 100%. Know flour types by protein: bread flour around 12–13%, all-purpose 10–11%, cake and pastry 7–9%. Protein forms gluten; fat and sugar shorten it; water hydrates it. Mixing develops gluten-overmixing muffin and quick-bread batters makes them tough and tunnelled. Weigh ingredients rather than cup them.
Leaveners, yeast and lamination
Baking soda needs acid and releases carbon dioxide immediately; baking powder is double-acting, releasing on mixing and on heating. Yeast is a living organism: 25–30 °C for fermentation, higher temperatures kill it, salt controls it. Proofing is the final rise to roughly double. Laminated doughs (croissant, puff) rest and chill between turns to keep layers distinct. Know mealy versus flaky pie dough, blind baking, tempering chocolate (dark melts to 45–50 °C and is worked down to about 31–32 °C) and sugar stages.
Custards and finish
Pastry creams, crème anglaise, panna cotta and mousses rely on coagulation and gelatin. Gelatin must bloom in cold water before dissolving. Cool baked goods on racks so steam escapes.
Worked example: flour 100%, water 65%, salt 2%, yeast 1%. For 5 kg flour: 3.25 kg water, 100 g salt, 50 g yeast.
Traps: swapping baking soda for powder without adding acid; cutting fat into pie dough while it is warm; measuring flour by volume; over-proofing yeast dough.