Feel Like a Professional Pastry Chef With This Glossary of Common Baking Terms
Whether you bake for special occasions only—or spend every weekend in an apron covered in flour—getting delicious results from your recipes means knowing basic baking vocab. And there’s a lot to know. Even the most seasoned home baker encounters terms that make them scratch their head and go, “Huh?” But never fear, I’m here for you! Brush up on your kitchen lingo and stay on top of your baking game with this list of common terms and what they mean.
All-purpose flour: Flour labeled as “all-purpose” is just what its name suggests, suitable for everything from cookies and muffins… to high-end specialty cakes… to crusty bread. This type of flour is made from wheat and has a gluten content of about 12%. You’ll see all-purpose flour abbreviated as “AP flour” often, including in my recipes and posts.
Baker’s dozen: This is a term you might have encountered at your local bagel or bread bakery. It refers to 13 baked goods in a dozen instead of 12. It may have started centuries ago as a way for bakers to avoid accusations of short-changing their customers.
Batter: This is a mixture of flour, liquid and other ingredients that has a thin consistency. It’s liquid enough to pour.
Beat: When you “beat” your ingredients, you stir them in a bowl in a fast, circular motion to incorporate air. This is usually done with a spoon, whisk or kitchen mixer.
Blanch: This is when you boil something (e.g. hazelnuts or almonds) in water for a short time, remove it and then plunge it immediately into cold water to stop the cooking process. Blanching nuts removes the skin to give them a smoother texture in recipes.
Blend: Blending means mixing ingredients thoroughly until they create one uniform mixture. It’s similar to beating, but may involve the use of a blender or food processor.
Caramelize: When you heat sugar until it’s brown, it achieves a deliciously distinctive flavor. This technique is used to make creme brûlée and also comes into play when you’re grilling fresh fruit.
Confectioners’ sugar: Also called powdered sugar, this is a finely milled version of regular granulated sugar with a small amount of corn starch added to prevent clumps. It’s used to create elegant glazes, frostings and dustings for desserts and pastries.
Cream (verb): In baking, to cream is to beat butter and sugar together until you have a smooth, creamy and lightweight texture. This technique aerates the ingredients to give your baked goods better structure.
Crimp: Crimping involves pinching the edges of your pie crust gently with your fingers to give it a decorative trim.
Cut in: This is a technique used to incorporate solid fats—like butter or shortening—evenly into dry ingredients. Most common with scones, biscuits and pie crust, it’s done with two forks or two knives or using a pastry blender or food processor to make quick work of it.
Dash: A dash is considered more than a pinch, but less than ⅛ teaspoon. A “pinch” is less than a dash.
Dust: Dusting means sprinkling your pastry or cake lightly with a powder such as flour, confectioners’ sugar or cocoa.
Dredge: This involves coating an ingredient with a dry ingredient (e.g. confectioners’ sugar or flour) either before or after cooking.
Fold in: Folding in means mixing a heavier ingredient (e.g. flour) with a more delicate one (e.g. beaten egg whites) in a way that prevents loss of air. It’s done using a gentle lifting and turning motion.
Glaze: This refers to a coating that’s applied to a baked good before or after cooking to add enhanced color and flavor. For example, an egg wash may be applied to pie crust before baking to give it a more golden look. Or, a fruit glaze may be added to a tart for extra shine and sweetness.
Gluten: Gluten refers to natural proteins found in wheat flour. It lends structure and texture to baked goods, acting as a sort of “glue” that binds the finished product together.
Pastry flour: This is a soft wheat flour containing 9-10% gluten. Lower-gluten content produces a more tender dough. It’s a favorite for cookies, muffins, biscuits and pie doughs.
Proof: This refers to the process of letting raw dough rise and rest one final time prior to baking, which helps to activate the yeast. Proofing is especially important when baking foods that depend on yeast to create air pockets--such as flaky croissants.
Soft / stiff peaks: These terms refer to the consistency of beaten egg whites or cream (determined when you pull the whisk straight up and out of the foam). Soft peaks refers to peaks that slump over, while stiff peaks hold their shape after the whisk is removed.
Sift: Sifting a dry ingredient—whether flour, sugar or cocoa—means to pull it through a sifter prior to mixing it with other ingredients. The sifter helps add air while removing lumps.
Whip: Whipping ingredients together is all about adding air to boost the volume of the mixture. It’s usually done with an electric mixture or wire whisk.
Zest: This refers to the outer skin of a citrus fruit, which contains fragrant and potent essential oils. In its grated form, zest adds a burst of vibrant flavor to recipes.
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