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- Dictionarybaking/ˈbeɪkɪŋ/
noun
- 1. the action of cooking food by dry heat without direct exposure to a flame, typically in an oven: "he picked up what was to become a consuming interest in baking"
adjective
- 1. (of the weather or a place) extremely hot: "deep winters and baking summers"
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Baking is a method of preparing food with dry heat, typically in an oven, and can be used for various types of foods, such as bread, cakes, meat and vegetables. Learn about the origins, techniques and examples of baking from ancient times to modern days.
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baking, process of cooking by dry heat, especially in some kind of oven. It is probably the oldest cooking method. Bakery products, which include bread, rolls, cookies, pies, pastries, and muffins, are usually prepared from flour or meal derived from some form of grain. Bread, already a common staple in prehistoric times, provides many nutrients in...
The earliest processing of cereal grains probably involved parching or dry roasting of collected grain seeds. Flavour, texture, and digestibility were later improved by cooking whole or broken grains with water, forming gruel or porridge. It was a short step to the baking of a layer of viscous gruel on a hot stone, producing primitive flat bread. More sophisticated versions of flat bread include the Mexican tortilla, made of processed corn, and the chapati of India, usually made of wheat.
Baking techniques improved with the development of an enclosed baking utensil and then of ovens, making possible thicker baked cakes or loaves. The phenomenon of fermentation, with the resultant lightening of the loaf structure and development of appealing flavours, was probably first observed when doughs or gruels, held for several hours before baking, exhibited spoilage caused by yeasts. Some of the effects of the microbiologically induced changes were regarded as desirable, and a gradual acquisition of control over the process led to traditional methods for making leavened bread loaves. Early baked products were made of mixed seeds with a predominance of barley, but wheat flour, because of its superior response to fermentation, eventually became the preferred cereal among the various cultural groups sufficiently advanced in culinary techniques to make leavened bread.
Brewing and baking were closely connected in early civilizations. Fermentation of a thick gruel resulted in a dough suitable for baking; a thinner mash produced a kind of beer. Both techniques required knowledge of the “mysteries” of fermentation and a supply of grain. Increasing knowledge and experience taught the artisans in the baking and brewing trades that barley was best suited to brewing, while wheat was best for baking.
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Food Around the World
By 2600 bce the Egyptians, credited with the first intentional use of leavening, were making bread by methods similar in principle to those of today. They maintained stocks of sour dough, a crude culture of desirable fermentation organisms, and used portions of this material to inoculate fresh doughs. With doughs made by mixing flour, water, salt, and leaven, the Egyptian baking industry eventually developed more than 50 varieties of bread, varying the shape and using such flavouring materials as poppy seed, sesame, and camphor. Samples found in tombs are flatter and coarser than modern bread.
Flour, water, and leavening agents are the ingredients primarily responsible for the characteristic appearance, texture, and flavour of most bakery products. Eggs, milk, salt, shortening, and sugar are effective in modifying these qualities, and various minor ingredients may also be used.
Baking is the process of cooking by dry heat, especially in an oven, using flour or meal derived from some form of grain. Learn about the history, types, and facts of baking, from ancient times to modern methods and technologies.
Learn the meaning of baking as a noun and an adjective, and see how to use it in different contexts. Find out the pronunciation, synonyms, and translations of baking in other languages.
Learn the meaning of baking as a noun and an adjective, with examples of usage and word history. Find out how baking is related to cooking, eating, and weather.
BAKE definition: 1. to cook inside an oven, without using added liquid or fat: 2. to make something such as earth…. Learn more.
Baking is the process of cooking food with dry heat, especially in an oven. Learn how to bake bread, cakes, pastries and more with synonyms, translations and related words.
Baking is the process of using heat, moisture, and time to transform food into a delicious and fully baked product. Learn how baking evolved from ancient brick-making to modern ovens, and how to avoid common pitfalls in baking.
