An index of relevant ingredients and definitions
Note that this page is updated frequently as I continue to write more posts, so check back if there is something you are looking for that isn’t currently here. You can also feel free to email me if you want to see something specific here, just let me know and I will do my best!
Active dry yeast: commercially produced yeast that appears as relatively large granules and requires hydration before it can be used in a recipe
All Purpose Flour: Flour formulated to have a median level of gluten present in the grain. AP is the middle ground between Bread flour and Cake flour. When in doubt, reach for AP, as it is appropriate for almost all applications
Baking Powder: a leavening agent which contains sodium bicarbonate and an acid (usually citric acid) and a buffer
(usually cornstarch) to prevent the carbonate and acid from reacting prior to mixing with liquid. Baking powder does not need acid to leaven as it is already included in the mixture. However, due to the other ingredients in the powder, it is less potent than baking soda. The inclusion of acid in the powder makes it more versatlie than soda, but the reduced potency results in a slower, less dramatic rise. Best used in combination with soda and in recipes with longer bake times.
Baking Soda: also known as sodium bicarbonate: a leavening agent. Unlike baking powder, baking soda does not have acid included in it, so it requires acid within the recipe to work. Baking soda is more potent than baking powder and gives a faster, more dramatic rise. Best used in combination with baking powder and in recipes with shorter bake times.
Bread flour: Sometimes referred to as “hard” flour. Bread flour is higher in gluten than other flours and is best suited to breads as it will develop the chewy mouthfeel unique to bread.
Brown Sugar: granulated sugar which is almost completely refined but still has some molasses. Brown sugar is sometimes further sub-categorized into “dark” brown and “golden” or “yellow” brown. The darker the the shade of the sugar, the more prevalent the molasses flavour.
Citric Acid: a naturally occurring acid in citrus fruits which is also widely available as an additive. Used to add flavouring, stabilise foods and works with some gelling agents like pectin
Cake flour: Also referred to as pastry flour or “soft” flour. Cake flour is low in gluten and will not develop the structural integrity needed for breads. It is best suited to cakes, quick breads, and some types of pastry.
Chocolate: there are dozens of different types of chocolate to choose from as a baker. The age-old North American standby is Baker’s Squares, which are widely available and perfectly serviceable. With that being said, I strongly recommend using a more high-end chocolate, especially in recipes where chocolate is the highlight of the dish. It really makes a difference to use high quality chocolate. I like to use Belgian Callets from the Bulk Barn.
Confectioner’s sugar: see icing sugar
Corn Syrup: Liquid sugar refined from corn. Available in various shades from white to dark, with darker syrups having more robust, molasses-like flavour than lighter. Different types of corn syrup are interchangeable in baking and may be substituted freely based on taste or availability.
Demarara Sugar: The least-refined type of granulated sugar. This sugar contains a significant portion of molasses. These sugar crystals are the largest of the granulated sugars.
Double Boiler: a cooking apparatus for gentle heating. Can be recreated by filling a pot about 1/4 with water and placing a heatproof bowl (or another pot) on top and heating the water to a simmer.
Gluten: The protein developed by mixing wheat flour and water. Different types of flour have different concentrations of gluten and will behave differently as a result. Always choose the appropriate flour for your formula. The texture of flour based doughs is controlled by controlling the amount of gluten in the mixture. Higher gluten development creates a chewy texture and structurally strong dough, as in breads. Lower gluten development creates a crumbly texture and structurally delicate dough, as in cakes and pastries.
Granulated sugar: also referred to as White Sugar. All solid, crystallized sugars may be described as “granulated,” but in recipes the term Granulated sugar refers specifically to fully refined sugar cut to the standard granulation size (same size as table salt). This sugar is white in appearance and bears no trace of molasses flavour.
Heavy Cream: Also known as 35% cream, whipping cream, and double cream. This is dairy cream with full milk fat of 35%. The high fat content of this cream makes it possible to whip it to stiff peaks. Prolonged whipping of heavy cream will cause the fat to solidify and turn into butter. Most commercially produced heavy cream in north america has been stabilized with dextrose and carageenan to ensure successful whipping. This type of cream can also be heated to boiling and will not curdle.
Icing sugar: also known as powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar. Refined white sugar that has been ground into fine powder. This sugar is the base of most icings/frostings and is used in methods that require sugar but contain very little water and in methods where the mixture requires a lot of air to be incorporated (such as meringue).
Instant yeast: commercially produced yeast that is made into smaller granules than active dry yeast and does not need to be hydrated before use in a recipe (can be added directly to dry ingredients)
Leavening agent: generally speaking, any ingredient that causes baked goods to rise is a leavening agent. The most common examples are baking soda, baking powder, and yeast (in some cases the leavening agent in a baked good is steam). Most leavening agents work by reacting with other ingredients and this reaction causes gas (usually carbon dioxide) to be released into the dough and the pressure builds causing rising.
Molasses: a by-product of sugar refinement. A sweet, dark brown, highly viscous syrup used as a sweetener and flavouring agent. The more refined a granulated sugar is, the more molasses have been removed from it. The more molasses present in the granulated sugar, the darker it is (darker sugar = more molasses = less refined sugar).
Pastry flour: See cake flour
Pectin: a naturally occurring thickener and gelling agent. Present in many fruits, particularly apples
Powdered sugar: see icing sugar
Turbinado sugar: also referred to as sugar “in the raw.” Partially refined granulated sugar which still retains some molasses flavour but is completely dry like white sugar.
Soft flour: see cake flour
Sugar in the raw: see Turbinado sugar
White Sugar: see Granulated sugar
Whole wheat flour: wheat flour which has all of the wheat seed ground into it, including the germ and chafe. This flour is higher in fibre than refined flour and is brownish in colour. It is available in the standard gluten concentrations (AP, hard, and soft)
Yeast: a single celled organism (called a protist) which is a biological leavening agent. Yeast cells consume simple carbohydrates (sugars) to live and expel carbon dioxide gas as waste. This gas acts as a leavening agent in yeasted doughs
Baking Summit 