This document provides information on the principles of baking muffins, including the purposes of common ingredients and how leavening agents work. It explains that flour provides structure, liquids aid in chemical processes, and leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda cause rising by trapping gases. Fats and oils make products rich and tender while helping the crust brown. Eggs add tenderness, flavor, and help bind mixtures. Dough is thick enough to shape while batter is thin enough to pour or drop. Proper mixing distributes ingredients evenly and develops gluten for structure. Baking soda forms gas when combined with an acid, while baking powder contains both soda and acid to produce rising without additional acids.

1. Principles of Baking muffins

2. Different Ingredients have specific
purposes
• Flour- provides protein and starch
– This forms the structure of baked goods
• Liquids- aid flour to form structure of baked
product. Also aids other ingredients in
chemical process that occur
– Water, milk, fruit or vegetable juice, yogurt, and
sour cream

3. Ingredient functions
• Leavening agents
– Baking powder- makes products rise by causing air
or gas to be trapped in the mixture. It this didn’t
happen, products would be flat.
• Fats and oils make products rich and tender,
they also add flavor and help to brown the
crust
• Sweeteners- like sugar give flavor and help
crust to brown.

4. Ingredient functions
• Eggs make baked products tender, add flavor
and richness, and can help bind mixtures
together
– Beaten egg whites may be used as a leavening
agent
• Flavorings- chocolate, spices, herbs, and
extracts such as vanilla and almond

5. Dough, Batter, and Gluten
• Dough- thick enough to be shaped by hand or cut
into shapes (biscuits and cookies)
• Batter- thin enough to be poured or dropped
from a spoon (pancakes and MUFFINS)
• 2 reasons for mixing ingredients as recipe states:
– Distribute ingredients evenly
– Develop gluten (elastic substance formed by the
protein in flour) which forms structure to products
• The more you mix the stronger gluten is formed

6. How leavening agents work
• Add air or another gas to the product, helping
it rise
– Trapped air
– Steam
– Chemical leavening- 2 types
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• They are not the same thing!

7. Baking soda
• Forms carbon dioxide gas when it’s combined
with an acid.
– Acids could include buttermilk, yogurt, and citrus
juice

8. Baking Powder
• Combination of baking soda and a dry acid
– Forms carbon dioxide when mixed with any liquid
– The recipe doesn’t need to have an acid added
– You can make baking powder from baking soda by
adding 2 parts cream of tartar to 1 part baking
soda