Odisha CHSE +2 VOC-ITV Craft Baker cheat sheet

Flour protein guide: cake flour 7–9%, pastry flour 9–10%, maida 10–12%, bread flour 12–14%; higher protein means more gluten and a chewier, stronger structure.

Gluten forms when glutenin and gliadin hydrate and are worked; bread dough absorbs 58–65% water on flour weight, while cake batters carry 90–120% liquid.

Butter is an emulsion of 80–82% milk fat, 15–16% water and 1–2% milk solids; shortenings are near 100% fat and cream over a wider temperature range; ghee is anhydrous milk fat.

Sugar functions: yeast food, tenderiser (competes with gluten for water), hygroscopic moisture retainer; caramelises at about 160–170°C and browns through Maillard reactions from roughly 140°C.

Eggs are about 74% water and 12–13% protein; yolk lecithin acts as an emulsifier, and egg white foams best at room temperature with no trace of yolk or fat.

Chemical leaveners: baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) needs an acid to release CO2; baking powder = bicarbonate + dry acid + starch filler, single- or double-acting; 1 tsp baking powder weighs about 4 g.

Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae): compressed yeast is about 70% moisture, instant dry yeast about 5%; salt above 2% of flour slows fermentation and sugar above 10% (baker's %) retards yeast by osmosis.

Dairy: milk is about 87% water and 12–13% total solids; milk powder, buttermilk and curd add flavour, lactose browning and tenderness, while scalding denatures whey proteins.

Nutrition: refining strips bran and germ, so maida has less fibre, B vitamins and minerals than atta; commercial flours are fortified with iron and folic acid and must declare allergens.

Weigh rather than scoop: 1 cup wheat flour ≈ 120–125 g when spooned and levelled (140–150 g if scooped), 1 cup water = 240 g, 1 tbsp = 15 mL, 1 tsp = 5 mL.

Use a digital scale reading 1 g for bulk ingredients and 0.1 g for yeast, salt and leavening; press tare to zero the container before each weighing.

Straight-dough water temperature formula: water °C = (desired dough temperature × 3) − (flour temperature + room temperature + friction factor).

Oven types: deck ovens bake from a stone sole for hearth breads, convection ovens move air and need settings 15–20°C lower, rotary ovens give even colour across racks.

Calibrate with an oven thermometer at the centre; a reading more than 10°C away from the dial means adjust the setting or call for service before production.

Steam during the first 8–10 minutes keeps the crust moist and extensible so oven spring can occur; vent steam afterwards for a crisp, glossy crust.

Doneness checks: clean skewer and shrinking sides for cakes, internal 96–99°C for yeast bread, 98–100°C for rich cakes, plus colour and a hollow tap sound.

Proofing cabinet: 35–38°C and 80–85% relative humidity; yeast activity slows above 38°C and cells die around 55–60°C.

Match mixer to task: planetary for cake batters and icings, spiral for bread dough, horizontal for high volume; size the batch to the bowl so the hook or paddle works the whole mass.

Temperature danger zone is 5–60°C; hold cream, custard and dairy fillings below 5°C, and hot fillings above 60°C, and limit time in the zone to under 2 hours.

HACCP seven principles: conduct hazard analysis, determine CCPs, set critical limits, monitor, establish corrective actions, verify, and keep records.

Personal hygiene: short unpainted nails, no jewellery or wristwatch, hairnet, clean apron; wash hands for 20 seconds after toilet, eating, waste handling or touching the face.

Sanitiser strength for food-contact surfaces: 50–100 ppm available chlorine or equivalent quaternary ammonium, 30 seconds contact time, then air dry.

Cross-contamination control: colour-coded boards and utensils, separate scoops for nut and gluten ingredients, raw egg and meat stored below ready-to-eat icings and creams.

Waste and pests: lidded bins emptied daily, no settled flour dust, fly screens on windows, rodent bait stations checked on a documented schedule.

Fire classes: Class F wet chemical extinguisher or fire blanket for oil and fat fires, CO2 for electrical fires; never use water on fat or live electrical equipment.

Machine and physical safety: guards on mixers, lock-out before touching blades, oven mitts, non-slip footwear, dry floors - flour dust in air is combustible.

Allergen control: declare gluten, milk, egg, soy, peanut, tree nut, fish and shellfish; keep ingredient labels and a written allergen matrix for every product.

Dough systems: straight dough (all ingredients at once), sponge and dough (pre-ferment 3–4 hours before bulk), no-time dough (extra yeast and warmer water).

Gluten development stages run pickup → clean-up → developed → final; a thin translucent windowpane membrane signals full development for bread.

Bulk fermentation for lean dough: 27–28°C, 75–80% relative humidity, 60–90 minutes; dough doubles, feels spongy and is punched down to degas and equalise temperature.

Baker's percentage: flour = 100%, every other ingredient expressed as a percentage of flour weight; total dough weight = (sum of percentages × flour weight) ÷ 100.

Final proof: 35–38°C at 80–85% relative humidity for 45–60 minutes; the finger-poke test leaves an indent that springs back slowly and only partly when ready.

Under-proofed dough is tight, tears during shaping, and bakes with large tunnels and a flying top; add 10–15 minutes proof and re-check before baking.

Over-proofed dough is slack, sticky, sour-smelling and collapses on scoring, giving a flat loaf with pale crust; reshape, or use it as a pre-ferment for the next batch.

Batter methods: creaming (fat + sugar), foaming (egg + sugar), one-stage (all dry plus all liquid), rubbing (flour + fat for pastry).

Autolyse rests flour and water alone for 20–60 minutes; it improves hydration and extensibility, and salt is added afterwards so gluten does not tighten early.

Lean dough in baker's %: flour 100, water 58–65, yeast 1–2, salt 1.8–2.2, sugar 0–2, fat 0–3.

Enriched dough: fat 6–15%, sugar 6–15%, milk powder 2–6% of flour; use osmotolerant yeast and allow longer fermentation because sugar and fat slow gluten development.

Shaping sequence: round to build surface tension, rest 10–15 minutes, then sheet and roll; seal seams firmly so the loaf does not blow out at the base.

Score at a 30–45° angle, 0.5–1 cm deep, immediately before loading; the cuts decide where the expanding loaf opens.

Bake at 200–230°C with steam for the first 8–10 minutes, then dry heat; oven spring happens before the crust sets.

Doneness: internal temperature 96–99°C, hollow sound when tapped on the base, golden-brown crust; cool on a wire rack out of the pan to avoid a soggy base.

Cool at least 1–2 hours before slicing; cutting hot bread smears the crumb and releases steam that accelerates staling.

Staling is starch retrogradation, fastest near 4°C; store at 20–25°C in breathable packaging or freeze at −18°C for up to 3 months.

Fault diagnosis: tunnels from under-proofing or poor degassing, shell top from under-proofing or a cold oven, pale crust from low sugar or low baking temperature.

Balanced cake formula as % of flour: sugar 90–100, fat 50–80, egg 50–80, baking powder 3–5, with liquid bringing total hydration to 120–180%.

Creaming method: fat and sugar at 21–24°C beaten pale and fluffy, eggs added gradually to prevent curdling, flour folded alternately with liquid.

Foam or sponge method: whip eggs and sugar to ribbon stage, fold in sifted flour; classic sponge uses no chemical leavener and depends on air held in the foam.

Cake doneness: sides shrink from the pan, skewer comes out clean, centre springs back when pressed, internal temperature 98–100°C.

Shortcrust pastry: 3 parts flour, 2 parts fat, 1 part water by weight; rub fat to breadcrumb stage, add water sparingly and rest 30 minutes before rolling.

Puff pastry: keep dough at 16–18°C and butter at 13–15°C during lamination; three single folds give 27 layers, with 20–30 minutes chilling between folds.

Choux paste: 2 parts water, 1 part fat, 1 part flour by weight; dry the panade over heat, add egg to a shiny dropping consistency, bake at 200°C then dry at 170°C.

Cookie spread increases with warmer dough, melted or softer fat, more sugar and a lower oven temperature; chilling the dough and cold butter restrict spread.

Biscuits versus cookies: biscuits are drier, lower in fat and sugar and often twice-baked (rusk, biscotti); cookies are softer, sweeter and higher in fat.

Buttercream families: American (creamed fat + icing sugar), Swiss (egg white and sugar heated to 60°C), Italian (sugar syrup at 118°C poured into whipped whites), French (egg yolk base).

Ganache by weight chocolate:cream = 1:1 for glaze, 1.5:1 for filling, 2:1 for truffle centres; cool to 28–30°C for a glossy pour.

Royal icing: icing sugar with egg white or meringue powder; flooding consistency forms a ribbon that disappears in about 15–20 seconds; dries hard and glossy.

Fondant: sugar, water and glucose cooked to 114–116°C, cooled and beaten to a smooth opaque paste; warm to 35–40°C for pouring and 20–25°C for rolling.

Whipped cream: use 30–35% fat cream with bowl and whisk at 4°C, whip to medium peaks; stabilise with icing sugar or gelatin for extended holding.

Custard and pastry cream: egg yolk proteins coagulate at 82–85°C and starch thickens near 95°C; above 90°C egg custard curdles, so stir constantly over a bain-marie.

Cream cheese frosting: cold cream cheese beaten briefly with butter and icing sugar; over-beating breaks the emulsion and makes it runny.

Crumb coat: a thin first layer traps loose crumbs, chilled 20–30 minutes, then the finish coat is applied for a smooth sharp edge.

Piping: 1A round nozzle for filling, 2D star for rosettes, 104 petal for roses; hold the bag at about 45° with steady pressure and consistent spacing.

Food cost % = (ingredient cost ÷ selling price) × 100; target 25–35%. Prime cost adds labour and should stay under 60–65% of sales.

Breakeven units = fixed costs ÷ (selling price − variable cost per unit); breakeven sales value = fixed costs ÷ contribution margin ratio.

Yield and waste control: record raw-to-finished weight, trim and rejection percentages, and fold them into the standard recipe cost before pricing.

Packaging choice: moisture-barrier film for bread, greaseproof paper for pastries, sealed pouches for biscuits, modified atmosphere (CO2/N2) for extended shelf life.

Label essentials: product name, ingredients in descending order of weight, net weight, allergen declaration, date of manufacture, best-before, FSSAI licence number, nutritional information.

Shelf-life guide: yeast bread 3–5 days ambient, cream cakes 2 days refrigerated, butter cookies 3–6 months sealed, frozen dough 3 months at −18°C.

Storage rules: FIFO/FEFO rotation, dry store at 20–25°C and below 60% relative humidity away from sunlight and chemicals, chiller at 0–5°C.

Quality control: batch coding, net-weight checks against declared quantity, moisture and texture evaluation, retention samples and documented deviation records.

Entrepreneurship compliance: FSSAI registration or licence, GST registration, Udyam registration and medical fitness certificates for food handlers; a standard recipe card fixes cost, yield and quality.