Tag: Baking chemistry

According to baking research, substituting different sugars like glucose and fructose for sucrose profoundly affects a cookie's final texture and form. This fact confirms that, yes, there is glucose in cookies, both as a direct ingredient and a component of other sweeteners.

While many assume desserts like cake are simply sweet, the truth involves a complex chemical reaction: the average cake has a pH level between 6.0 and 7.0, placing it in the neutral to slightly acidic range. This surprising fact reveals that the final product's acidity is the result of carefully balanced ingredients and heat.

According to a 2018 study, 97% of cakes surveyed would receive a 'red' label for high sugar content, confirming that there is added sugar in cake. Beyond its obvious sweetening function, this ingredient plays a pivotal role in the very structure, moisture, and color of your favorite baked goods.

According to the National Institutes of Health, bread is a solid, heterogeneous, and unstable foam. This initial definition, however, only scratches the surface of the complex physical state of a piece of bread, which challenges our basic understanding of solids, liquids, and gases.

The history of cocoa processing was revolutionized in the early 19th century when Dutch chemist Coenraad van Houten developed a method to treat cocoa with alkaline salts. Today, this practice is still used in order to produce certain chocolate characteristics, and understanding why is chocolate treated with alkali is key to unlocking a world of cocoa applications.

Despite their sweet taste, a single medium-sized glazed donut can contain over 200mg of sodium, roughly 9% of the daily recommended limit. So, are donuts high in salt? The reality is that salt plays a crucial, though non-obvious, role in baking and many processed pastries often contain surprising amounts of sodium,.

Many commercial baking powders contain phosphorus, often in the form of phosphate-based acid salts. This ingredient is a chemical additive that helps baked goods rise and achieve a light, airy texture. Understanding if baking powder contains phosphorus is crucial for those managing kidney disease or other specific dietary needs.

With a mildly alkaline pH of around 8.3 when dissolved, baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, is a powerful culinary tool. This chemical compound's primary function in many recipes is to increase the alkalinity of food, which directly impacts everything from leavening baked goods to enhancing browning and balancing flavors.

According to the Sugar Association, brown sugar is just refined white sugar with molasses added back in. Does it matter if I use white or brown sugar when baking or cooking, or is the choice purely cosmetic? The answer lies not in their minimal nutritional variance, but in their distinct physical and flavor properties that can significantly change your final product.

Butter is comprised of about 80% fat and 20% water and milk solids, whereas oil is 100% fat. This fundamental difference is key to understanding whether it is better to use oil or butter in baking for your specific recipe, as each provides distinct results in flavor, texture, and structure.