Unlike a cut of meat that can be grilled, roasted; sautéed or braised and still be the same cut of meal; bakeshop products depend on careful, precise preparation for their very identity. Accurate measurements are critical in the bakeshop. It is equally important to follow bakeshop formulas carefully and completely.

Unlike the rest of the kitchen, mistakes in the bakeshop often cannot be discovered until the product is finished; by which time it is too late to correct them. For example, if you omit the salt when preparing a stew, the mistake can be corrected by adding salt at service time.

If you omit the salt from a loaf of bread, however, the mistake cannot be corrected after the bread has baked, and its texture and Flavor may be ruined. It is more important to follow a written formula, measure ingredients precisely and combine them accurately in the bakeshop than anywhere else in the kitchen.

INGREDIENTS
Although substituting ingredients may have little or no effect on some dishes (you can use carrots instead of turnips in a stew, for instance), this is not the case with baked goods. Different flours, fats, liquids and sweeteners function differently. Bread flour and cake flour are not the same, nor are shortening and butter.

If you substitute one ingredient for another, the results will be different. Understanding ingredients, why they function the way they do and how to adjust for their differences will make your baking experiences more successful and consistent.

Wheat Flour
The most frequently used-and therefore the most important-ingredient in the bakeshop is wheat flour (Fr. farine). Flour provides bulk and structure to baked goods. Flour is produced by milling wheat kernels (berries).

Potatoes, Grains and Pasta, a wheat kernel has an outer covering called bran. It is composed of several layers that protect the endosperm, which contains starches and proteins. The innermost part is the germ, which contains fat and serves as the wheat seed. During milling, the kernels first pass through metal rollers to crack them, and then the bran and germ are removed through repeated stages of sifting and separation. The remaining endosperm is then ground into flour. Flour derived from the portion of the endosperm closer to the germ is finer; flour derived from the portion of the endosperm nearer the bran is coarser and darker.

The character of the wheat determines the character of the flour. Wheat's are classified as soft or hard depending on the kernel's hardness. The harder the wheat kernel, the higher its protein content. Soft wheat yields soft flour with low protein content. Soft flour, also called weak flour, is best for tender products such as cakes.

Hard wheat yields hard flour with high protein content. Hard flour, also known as strong flour, is used for yeast breads. Various types of flour are created by mixing or blending flours from different sources. All-purpose flour, a blend of hard and soft flours, is designed for use in a wide range of foods.

Aging and Bleaching
Any flour develops better baking qualities if allowed to rest for several weeks after milling. Freshly milled flour produces sticky doughs and products with less volume than those made with aged flour.

While aging, flour turns white through a natural oxidation process referred to as bleaching. Natural aging and bleaching are somewhat unpredictable, time-consuming processes, however, so chemicals are now used to do both. Potassium bromate and chlorine dioxide gas rapidly age flour. Chlorine dioxide and other chemicals bleach flour by removing yellow pigments in order to obtain a uniform white color. Bleaching destroys small amounts of the flour's naturally occurring vitamin E, which is replaced in fortified or enriched products.

Composition of Flour
Flour primarily consists of five nutrients: fat, minerals, moisture, starches and proteins. Fat and minerals each generally account for less than 1% of flour's content. The moisture content of flour is also relatively low-when packaged, it cannot exceed 15% under government standards. But its actual moisture content varies depending on climatic conditions and storage. In damp areas, flour absorbs moisture from the atmosphere. Starches comprise 63% to 77% of flour, and are necessary for the absorption of moisture during baking. This process, known as gelatinization, occurs primarily at temperatures above 1400F (600C). Starches also provide food for yeast during fermentation. Flour proteins are important because of their gluten-forming potential.

Gluten is the tough, rubbery substance created when wheat flour is mixed with water. Gluten strands are both plastic (that is, they change shape under pressure) and elastic (they resume their original shape when that pressure is removed). Gluten is responsible for the volume, texture and appearance of baked goods. It provides structure and enables dough to retain the gases given off by leavening agents. Without gluten, there could be no raised breads: The gases created by yeast fermentation or chemical leaveners would simply escape if there were no network of gluten strands to trap them in the dough. The higher a flour's protein content, the greater that flour's gluten-forming potential. The proteins responsible for gluten formation are glutenin and gliadin. Flour does not contain gluten; only a dough or batter can contain gluten.

Aging and Bleaching
Any flour develops better baking qualities if allowed to rest for several weeks after milling. Freshly milled flour produces sticky doughs and products with less volume than those made with aged flour. While aging, flour turns white through a natural oxidation process referred to as bleaching.