Bakery ingredients: flour, fats, sugars, eggs, leavening agents, dairy and nutrition
What this domain tests
The ingredients domain checks whether you can explain what each ingredient does in a formula, not just name it. For CHSE Craft Baker, expect flour quality, fat type, sugar function, egg roles, leavening choice and dairy substitution, with basic nutrition.
Core rules
- Flour: maida gives gluten for bread; stronger flour absorbs more water. Atta and whole wheat absorb more, ferment faster and may need extra hydration.
- Fats: butter adds flavour and contains about 20% water; shortening or vanaspati is nearly 100% fat; oil is liquid. Fat shortens gluten, improves keeping and carries air when creamed.
- Sugars: yeast food, tenderiser, browning agent through caramelisation and Maillard reactions; hygroscopic, so it delays staling. Too much sugar slows yeast.
- Eggs: structure, emulsification, air when whipped, colour and flavour; liquid egg also adds water.
- Leavening: baking soda needs an acid; baking powder supplies acid and is often double-acting; yeast is biological and needs warmth, moisture and food. Excess soda gives a soapy taste and yellow crumb.
- Dairy: milk powder must be reconstituted; lactose browns; yogurt adds acidity and tenderness.
Worked example
A bread formula uses 1,000 g flour, 650 g water, 20 g salt, 10 g yeast, 30 g sugar and 40 g fat. Baker's percent: water 65%, salt 2%, yeast 1%, sugar 3%, fat 4%. Total dough is 1,750 g. At 350 g per loaf, yield is five loaves. Percentages are always against flour weight, not total dough weight.
Traps
Measuring salt or yeast by cup instead of weighing; confusing baking soda with baking powder; swapping butter and shortening gram-for-gram without adjusting water and fat; treating milk powder as liquid milk.