Baking is often called both a science and an art—but it doesn’t take rocket science to see why. The magic unfolds when you understand the role of each ingredient and how they come together to create something spectacular. Just like in chemistry, different ingredients mix in unique ways, and each technique can lead to a different result, with its own set of reactions. It’s this deep understanding of ingredients and mastery of methods that gives birth to the most incredible bakes.
In this post, we take a closer look at the main building blocks of baking—flour, eggs, sugar, fat, and more—and explore how they shape the structure, flavour and texture of what we bake and eat. Get ready to examine these delicious treats through a wholly different lens with our experienced bakers at Umbi Tea & Coffee!
Flour, the Structural Backbone
Flour is the foundation of most baked goods, providing structure by forming gluten when mixed with water. Gluten, a network of proteins, traps air and helps dough rise. There are two main types of white wheat flours: hard (or strong) flour and soft (or weak) flour. Strong flour has a higher protein content, which means more gluten, making it perfect for high-structured products like yeast doughs, choux pastry, and puff pastries. On the other hand, soft flour, with its lower protein content, is ideal for more delicate, low-structured treats like biscuits and sponges. Find out more about the different types of flour here.
One of the best ways to check if your dough has the right elasticity is the gluten windowpane test. To do this, bakers stretch a small piece of dough until it becomes thin and translucent. If the dough stretches without tearing, it means it’s been kneaded enough and has developed the proper gluten structure.
Eggs, the Multifunctional Blender
Eggs are essential in baking, contributing flavour, color, structure, moisture, richness and leavening. They help incorporate air when beaten, provide liquid, fat and protein, as well as emulsify fats with liquids. Skipping or reducing egg yolks can result in less tenderness, while cutting back on egg whites can affect the volume. Without the emulsifying power of egg yolks, cakes may end up with uneven flavour and texture. If a recipe calls for an egg, it’s best to use a Grade A large egg, which weighs about 2 ounces.
When eggs are heated, their proteins firm up and help hold baked goods together, while their liquid content adds moisture and improves texture. Whipped egg whites are like tiny air traps, giving lift to treats like meringues and soufflés without needing yeast or baking soda (fun fact: before those leavening agents became common, whipped egg whites were the go-to for making baked goods rise). Egg yolks, on the other hand, contain lecithin, which helps fats and liquids mix smoothly for a uniform batter. When warmed gently, the yolk proteins thicken mixtures like sauces and custards, but too much heat can make them curdle—so you’ll want to handle them with care.
Sugar, the Sweet Enhancer
Sugar adds sweetness to the lives of bakers in more ways than one. In small amounts, it kickstarts yeast activity, helping dough rise. But in very sweet doughs, sugar actually slows fermentation, so the rising time takes longer. Sugar also tenderises baked goods by interfering with gluten formation, making them softer and more crumbly. As if that’s not enough, it helps retain moisture, which is why sweetened breads stay fresher longer than their unsweetened counterparts.
Sugar plays a big role in browning and flavour development. Through caramelisation and the Maillard reaction—where sugar and amino acids interact under heat—it creates that golden color and rich flavour we love in bread, cakes and other desserts. And when making bread, sugar binds to gluten and helps create an elastic structure that stretches as gases expand, allowing the dough to rise beautifully. From adding sweetness and softness to creating that perfect golden crust, sugar does it all—and with options like granulated, icing, caster, pearl, brown and others, there’s a type for every baking need!
Fat, the Tenderising Hero
An often misunderstood hero in baking, fat is the reason behind the tenderness, moisture, flavour, and rich, smooth mouthfeel to your creations. Whether you’re using solid fats like butter, margarine or shortening, or liquid fats like oil, each type brings its own unique qualities. Butter, for example, adds a luxurious richness, while shortening helps produce taller cookies and tender, moist cakes.
The science? Fats work by coating flour particles, which reduces gluten formation and keeps baked goods soft and delicate. They also help hold on to air in batters, resulting in fluffier cakes that rise beautifully. In laminated pastries like croissants, fat creates layers that lock in steam, giving them that classic flaky texture. Beyond their structural role, fats amplify the flavours of other ingredients while adding their own, especially in the case of butter. Cutting back on fat in a recipe can lead to tougher, less moist results, showing just how vital fat is to creating delicious, high-quality bakes. Even reduced-fat substitutes contain less than 80% fat and don’t behave the same as butter or margarine in baking—while some products include specially formulated recipes on their packaging, they’re not a one-to-one replacement in most cases.
Salt, the Flavour Enhancer and Strengthener
It might sound counterintuitive, but salt can bring out the sweetness in other ingredients and even helps to tone down the bitterness. In yeast dough, salt slows down fermentation, which is crucial for getting the right rise. If you reduce or omit salt, the dough might rise too quickly, affecting the bread’s texture and flavour. Like sugar, salt also comes in many forms, like table, iodised, kosher, sea and rock, and plays a big role in strengthening the gluten network, contributing to the malleability of the dough.
Salt also helps control fermentation in yeast breads, ensuring consistent and well-proofed results.
Leavening Agents, the Rise Makers
Leavening agents are what make baked goods light, airy, and well-risen by creating gas bubbles in the dough or batter. They help add volume and improve texture, making your treats more enjoyable to eat. But getting the balance right is crucial—too much leavening and your bubbles will throw a party and pop, leaving you with a flat mess, while too little will have you chewing through a brick of a bake!
There are three main types of leavening: chemical, biological and mechanical. Chemical leaveners like baking soda and baking powder release carbon dioxide when they react with heat or acids, helping the dough expand. Yeast, a biological leavening agent, ferments sugars to produce carbon dioxide and alcohol, which help the dough rise and develop flavour. Lastly, mechanical leavening, like whipping air into eggs or cream, manually incorporates air into the batter, giving it lift without any chemicals. Each method has its own role, depending on what you’re baking, in creating that perfect texture and rise–further reinforcing the importance of knowledge on the baker’s end.
Liquids, the Answer to Lift and Moisture
Last but not least, liquids are a big deal in baking! They might not always be just water, but you’ll find them in almost every bake—whether residing in milk, juice or even yoghurt. Liquids help carry flavour through the dough, form those important gluten bonds, and react with starch to create a structure that’s both strong and light. As they turn into steam during baking, they help your baked goods rise, giving them the perfect texture. They also hydrate proteins, starches and leavening agents, triggering the chemical reactions that shape your bake. On top of all that, liquids add moisture, making your creations soft and smooth.
Liquids, especially water, milk and juice are key players—they hydrate proteins and starches to form gluten, dissolve sugar and salt for even distribution, and create steam that aids in leavening. Milk, for example, adds richness and contributes to browning through Maillard reactions, while other liquids impart their own unique flavours to the mix.
Final Thoughts
From the dynamic structure of flour to the helping hand of eggs and sugar, baking is a science you can taste. At Umbi Tea & Coffee, we revel in this magic every day, and we can’t wait for our patrons to experience it firsthand. Come visit us and savour the delicious results of our scientific and artful approach to baking. A fragrant and freshly baked masterpiece is waiting for you!
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