Baking 52634 215977504 2008-05-30T14:59:31Z JNW 1905157 punctuation [[Image:Baked food.jpg|thumbnail|250px|right|Some examples of baked food.]] '''Baking''' is the technique of prolonged [[cooking]] of [[food]] by dry heat acting by [[Heat conduction|conduction]], and not by [[Thermal radiation|radiation]], normally in an [[oven]], but also in hot ashes, or on hot stones.<ref>[[Oxford English Dictionary]]</ref> It is primarily used for the preparation of [[bread]], [[cake]]s, [[pastry|pastries]] and [[pie]]s, [[tart]]s, [[quiche]]s, and [[cookies]]. Such items are sometimes referred to as "baked goods," and are sold at a bakery. A person who prepares baked goods as a profession is called a [[baker]]. It is also used for the preparation of baked potatoes; baked apples; [[baked beans]]; some pasta dishes, such as [[lasagne]]; and various other foods, such as the [[pretzel]]. Many domestic ovens are provided with two heating elements: one for baking, using convection and conduction to heat the food; and one for [[broiling]] or grilling, heating mainly by radiation. Meat may be baked, but is more often [[roasting|roasted]], a similar process, using higher temperatures and shorter cooking times. The baking process does not add any [[fat]] to the product, and producers of snack products such as [[potato chips#Similar_foods|potato chips]] are also beginning to replace the process of [[deep-frying]] with baking in order to reduce the fat content of their products. == Overview == The dry heat of baking changes the structures of [[starch]]es in the food and causes its outer surfaces to brown, giving it an attractive appearance and taste, while partially sealing in the food's moisture. The browning is caused by [[caramelization]] of sugars and the [[Maillard reaction]]. Moisture is never really entirely "sealed in", however; over time, an item being baked will become dry. This is often an advantage, especially in situations where drying is the desired outcome, for example in drying [[herb]]s or in roasting certain types of [[vegetable]]s. The most common baked item is [[bread]]. Variations in the ovens, ingredients and recipes used in the baking of bread result in the wide variety of breads produced around the world. Some foods are surrounded with moisture during baking by placing a small amount of liquid (such as [[water]] or [[broth]]) in the bottom of a closed pan, and letting it steam up around the food, a method commonly known as [[braising]]. Over time breads become hard in a process known as going [[stale]]. This is not primarily due to moisture being lost from the baked products, but more a reorganization of the way in which the water and starch are associated over time. This process is similar to [[recrystallization]], and is promoted by storage at cool temperatures, such as those of a domestic refrigerator. ==History== [[Image:Rhof-brotBacken.ogg|thumb|Baking bread in the [[Roscheider Hof, Open Air Museum]]]] Archaeological evidence suggests that the early [[Egyptians]] first made [[bread]] in 2600-2100 [[Before Christ|B.C.]] It is believed that the Egyptians learned the skill from the [[Babylonians]]. The royal bakery of [[Ramses]] featured bread and cakes, some of which were shaped in the form of animals and used for [[sacrifices]]. Other early records show that a [[Greeks|Greek]] [[scholar]], [[Aristophanes]], first created [[honey flan]]s and [[tortes]], a type of dough nut made from honey and flour in a ring-cake like shape that was covered in [[wine]] and served hot. The [[Roman Empire]] boasted the first pastry cooks association in the fourth century [[A.D.]] Around 1800 in [[Grantham]], [[London]], in contrast with the ordinary bread merchants, some men sold bread from [[hand-carts]], which they used as a shop on wheels. They earned the nickname “[[Gingerbread Merchants]].” == Ingredients often used in baking == *[[Butter]], [[margarine]] or other [[shortening]] *[[Flour]] *[[Sugar]] *[[Cocoa]] *[[Egg (food)|Egg]] * [[Salt]] *[[Leavening agent]]s: **[[Baking powder]] **[[Yeast]] **[[Baking soda]] ==See also== {{cookbook}} {{portal|Food}} *[[Broiling]] *[[Baker percentage]] *[[Parbaking]] *[[Pastry]] *[[High altitude cooking]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==Links== [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_Br17PIUhQ&feature=related Short video of kneading machine in a bakery.] {{Cooking Techniques}} [[Category:Baking]] [[Category:Cooking techniques]] [[Category:Food science]] [[de:Backen]] [[es:Repostería]] [[he:אפייה]] [[ja:焼く_(調理)]] [[nl:Bakken]] [[no:Baking]] [[pl:Pieczenie]] [[pt:Assado]] [[fi:Leivonta]] [[sv:Bakning]] [[zh:焗烤]]