How Baking Works: Exploring the Fundamentals of Baking Science
By addebook • Aug 15th, 2008 • Category: Food&Nutrition •
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How Baking Works: Exploring the Fundamentals of Baking Science
How Baking Works: Exploring the Fundamentals of Baking Science
By Paula I. Figoni
Publisher: Wiley
Number Of Pages: 416
Publication Date: 2007-10-05
ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0471747238
ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780471747239
Binding: Paperback
Understanding and applying food science to the bakeshop-now revised and updated
How Baking Works, Second Edition thoroughly covers the entire baking process, emphasizing the “whys” at work behind basic techniques. The book takes the user through the major ingredient groups, explaining how sweeteners, fats, milk, leavening agents, and other ingredients affect the appearance, flavor, and texture of the end product. The coverage also includes scaling and measurements, heat transfer, and sensory properties in baking.
This revised and updated Second Edition features:
Hands-on exercises and experiments at the end of each chapter, with many involving the sensory evaluation of ingredients
Expanded coverage of sweeteners, variety grains, enzymes, starch structure and gelatinization, and gluten structure
Important coverage of changes to federal laws, such as food allergen labeling
Coverage reflecting consumer awareness of nutrition and health, including information on dietary fiber, trans fats, and trans-free fats in the baking context
More photographs to illustrate the science of baking
End-of-chapter questions that both review content and require readers to apply and synthesize what they’ve learned
How Baking Works, Second Edition offers a dynamic, hands-on learning experience to both practicing and future bakers and pastry chefs.
Summary: Great Book - How Baking Works
Rating: 5
I am a culinary student majoring in Breads and Pastries. This book is the required textbook for the course I am taking. It is jam packed (no pun intended) with useful information. I will continue to use it as a resource after my course of study is completed.
Summary: Good, but basic
Rating: 4
I feel like there is a good bredth of basic information given in this book, but if you are looking for in-depth science this is not the book for you. I have a background in science and to me the science in this book is very elementary. If you are in search of general baking information and a broad overview of how things work you may enjoy the book. If you are interested in chemical mechanisms or protein chemistry for example, choose another book.
Summary: For those who want to know
Rating: 5
For many years home bakers have been producing baked goods for their family. Most have little knowledge of the science and “why” that is going on. Very useful for those with inquiring minds. I have been judging foods at county fairs for 20 years and find this book containing useful, additional information to pass on to fair exhibitors. Some people quit trying when they have product failure, this wonderful textbook might give them enough information to try again.
Summary: Great! Just Great!!!
Rating: 5
I’m very well impressed with this work. Here are some of the things I have learnt so far:
-The most fundamental secret that makes professional bakers an entirely different animal from serious-home bakers. Funny, but there is actually a reason professional bakers get consintently way better results than average bakers.
-Why baking is the most challenging the of culinary arts.
-Why if a recipe calls for a certain type of flour you should respect that, or else you risk having bad results.
-What’s the role of milk in baking and why you have other options if you want to experiment.
-What baking powder is, and how it is different from baking soda? What would happen if you used too much of these ingredients or if you didn’t use them at all.
-Which ingredient in baking has many functions and is very difficult to replace in baking products.
-What kind of chocolates exist, what makes them different and when you should use one or another to obtain certain effects.
So far I have had two baking experiences with this book:
1. I was struggling with a brownie recipe I found in another book which I think is just plain-wrong. The first time I did it was just before “How baking works” arrived. The results were disastrous. The brownies turned out a little bit rocky!
When “How baking works” arrived I did some experiments and voilá. Much better results!
2. The other day I was going to make hot-cakes and I practically ran out of one ingredient. I said to myself “well, lets see if I can use what I have learnt so far to pull this off”. Since one of my ingredients was in a different amount I changed the quantity of my other ingredients. I tried and guessed that my hot cakes were going to rise much more and have an even softer texture. They did!!!
What a great book! Now, this is BAKING! This is the real deal, the real pleasure. Baking is like a game and “How baking works” explains the rules so you know how and when to brake them and still have great desserts!!!
Which is exactly the reason I got this book in the first place. I want to experiment with recipes, to add some flavor or change the texture. This is just the book for that!
Many books give you recipes, which is OK, but if you don’t know what you are really doing then you become slave of your recipes. And problems begin when the final baked product doesn’t turn out how it was supposed to. The recipe might be all right, but maybe there are different factors in your kitchen, oven, ingredients, etc. that are spoiling everything for you.
The way I see it, these kind of books are the ones that really turn you into a professional baker, because they give you the knowledge you need to be in command.
Great addition to any baker’s collection!
Summary: Baking
Rating: 5
This book is great. We use it in my culinary arts course in college.
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