First time , learning to bake

[UnicornHaze]

hi everyone! I'm new here and also a new baker! I've always wanted to learn! It used to be one of my favorite things to do as a kid with my grandmother before she died. And I've also gotten addicted to the TV show "The great British bake off" . I want to learn what all the technical words mean like proofing ect. And what each step and ingredient does scientifically to the process. I'm curious about the science behind it all. I want to be able to eventually see something in my head and be able to create it.

 

[Ian]

Welcome to the forums @UnicornHaze - you've come to the right place .

 

[ninamari]

Welcome @UnicornHaze !

 

[RedShoe]

Welcome! If you want all the technical and chemical details to the science that is baking, @Norcalbaker59 is your go to! I've learned so much from her posts! I've only been here a little while, but i can tell you there is no such thing as a little or dumb question. Everyone here is so helpful and sharing!

 

[Apocalypso]

There are also some great books you might want to look into. I'd start at your public library, to see if they suit you -- if they are cookbooks you feel you might want to own then you can purchase your own copies. Two that come to mind are by Rose Levy Berenbaum - called "The Cake Bible" (which I've read but don't own) and "The Bread Bible" (which I haven't yet read.)

Also, something I've had for years and is well-worn, the basic "Joy of Cooking" by Irma Rombauer and her children, updated in a 75th anniversary edition, has easy-to-follow descriptions of the various types of cakes, breads, and every other category of food you can think of. I don't cook from it that often but it's a cherished reference.

When you get into the swing of it, an interesting perspective is a book like "Ratio: The SImple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking," by Michael Ruhlman. This isn't individual recipes per se but gives you some building blocks to look for, such as cookie dough usually being 1:2:3, one part sugar, two parts fat, and three parts flour.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

There are also some great books you might want to look into. I'd start at your public library, to see if they suit you -- if they are cookbooks you feel you might want to own then you can purchase your own copies. Two that come to mind are by Rose Levy Berenbaum - called "The Cake Bible" (which I've read but don't own) and "The Bread Bible" (which I haven't yet read.)

Also, something I've had for years and is well-worn, the basic "Joy of Cooking" by Irma Rombauer and her children, updated in a 75th anniversary edition, has easy-to-follow descriptions of the various types of cakes, breads, and every other category of food you can think of. I don't cook from it that often but it's a cherished reference.

When you get into the swing of it, an interesting perspective is a book like "Ratio: The SImple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking," by Michael Ruhlman. This isn't individual recipes per se but gives you some building blocks to look for, such as cookie dough usually being 1:2:3, one part sugar, two parts fat, and three parts flour.

These are good books, but only if you are baking in America. If you are in the UK, Commonwealth, or other country which has banned bleached flour, then the recipes and ratios will likely fail due to the differences in flour. The ban on bleached flour has rendered many baking books useless.

The Cake Bible is one example. Since Americans do not use self-rising flour, Beranbaum had re-formulated and re-tested all the recipes for the initial British version of the Cake Bible. Then her work was completely wiped out with the bleached flour ban. After the ban, Rose Levy Beranbaum issued a statement stating her recipes in “the UK version [are] no longer useful for the cakes calling for self-raising flour.” Beranbaum issued conversions for 34 cake recipes in the Cake Bible from self-rising flour back to standard bleached cake flour and leavening for those who still have access to plain bleached flour. But if the government banned bleached flour, I’m not sure how anyone could still have access to any bleached flour, whether self-rising or plain.

 

[Apocalypso]

These are good books, but only if you are baking in America.

Good point! I was making the US assumption based on a few phrases in both her posts, but I shouldn't have. It does complicate things when our ingredients aren't the same!