Flour mixtures are blends of flour, liquid, and other ingredients used to make baked goods. They are classified as batters or doughs depending on their consistency. Batters contain more liquid than doughs. Common batters are pour, drop, and high-ratio cake batters. Common doughs are soft doughs for biscuits and bread, and stiff doughs for piecrust. Basic mixing methods include creaming, muffin, pastry, and one-bowl methods. Gluten development is important and controlled through flour selection, shortening, liquid, and mixing time. Proper preparation of pans and following baking instructions are also essential for success.

1. Flour Mixture
Flour mixtures are blend of liquid and
flour with other ingredients in certain
amounts intended for a specific product.

2. Classification of flour Mixtures
• Batter – flour mixtures with enough liquid to
be beaten or stirred can be pour batters or drop
batters
• Dough – less liquid proportion to flour than
batters can be handled or kneaded

3. Four kinds of batters and
doughs
Pour batters: thin enough to pour in a steady
stream. Ex: Cakes, pancakes, waffles

4. Drop batters: are thick and are usually
spooned into pans. Ex: some quick breads and
cookies

5. Soft doughs: are soft and sticky but can be touched
and handled. Ex: rolled biscuits, yeast breads and
rolls, and some cookies start with soft doughs

6. Stiff doughs: are firm to the touch, easy to work with
and cut. Ex: Piecrust and some cookies

7. BASIC METHODS OF MIXING
BATTERS AND DOUGH
• Muffin method- dry
ingredients are sifted
together in a bowl. In
another container, eggs are
beaten. The oil or melted
fat is added to the beaten
eggs. The liquid mixture is
now added gradually to the
bowl of dry ingredients. The
extent of mixing depends on
the product to be prepared

8. BASIC METHODS OF MIXING
BATTERS AND DOUGH
• Pastry method- dry
ingredients are sifted
together in a bowl and
the fat is mixed lightly or
cut into the dry
ingredients. Liquid is
added last. This suitable
for pastry and biscuit
making

9. BASIC METHODS OF MIXING
BATTERS AND DOUGH

10. BASIC METHODS OF MIXING
BATTERS AND DOUGH
• Conventional cake method- fat and sugar are
creamed together. Beaten eggs are added to the fat-
sugar mixture. Dry ingredients previously sifted
together are then added alternately with liquid
ingredients. A modification of this conventional
method is used for lighter and more delicate cakes.
The egg yolks and whites are separately beaten. The
yolks are creamed with sugar and the beaten egg whites
are folded in as the last step.

11. BASIC METHODS OF MIXING
BATTERS AND DOUGH

12. BASIC METHODS OF
MIXING BATTERS AND
DOUGH
• One bowl method- this is also called single stage
method because the dry ingredients, melted fat or oil
and most of the liquid are mixed in one blend. The
beaten eggs are added at the end of the mixing when
the last portion of the liquid is added.
These are the basic methods of mixing batters and
doughs. However, some recipes may modify each of
the above mentioned methods as bakers learn to work
with different ingredients and modern tools and
equipment.

13. MIXING AND GLUTEN
DEVELOPMENT
What is Gluten?
• Gluten is a substance made up of proteins
present in wheat flour; it gives structure and
strength to baked goods

14. MIXING AND GLUTEN
DEVELOPMENT
In order for gluten to develop, the proteins
must first absorb water. Then, as the dough or
batter is mixed or kneaded, the gluten forms long,
elastic strands. As the dough or batter is leavened,
these strands capture the gasses in tiny pockets or
cells, and we say the product “rises”. When the
product is baked, the gluten, like all proteins,
coagulates or solidifies and gives structure to the
product.

15. BASIC METHODS OF
MIXING BATTERS AND
DOUGH
How does the baker control gluten?
• Flour is mostly starch, but its protein or gluten
content, not its starch, concerns the baker most. Without
gluten proteins to give structure, baked goods would not
hold together.

16. BASIC METHODS OF
MIXING BATTERS AND
DOUGH
• The baker must be able to control the gluten,
however. For example, we want French bread to be
firm and chewy, which requires much gluten. On the
other hand, we want cakes to be tender, which means
we want very little gluten development.

17. BASIC METHODS OF
MIXING BATTERS AND
DOUGH
• Ingredients proportions and mixing methods
are determined, in part, by how they affect the
development of gluten. The baker has several
methods for adjusting gluten development.

18. Methods for Adjusting
Gluten
Selection of flour
Classification of wheat flour:
•Weak flours- come from weak wheat and
have low protein content. Usually for cakes.
•Strong flours- come from hard wheat and
have high protein content. Usually for breads
Only wheat flour develops gluten. To make bread
from rye and other grains, the formula must be balanced
with some high gluten flour, or the bread will be heavy.

19. Methods for Adjusting Gluten
Shortening
•Any fat is called shortening because it shortens
glutens strands. It does this by surrounding the
particles and lubricating them so they do not stick
together. Thus fats are tenderizers. A cookie or a
pastry that is very crumbly, due to high fat
content, is said to be “short”.

20. Liquid
• Because gluten proteins must absorb
water before they can be developed, the amount
of water in a formula can affect toughness and
tenderness. Pie crust and crisp cookies are made
with very little liquid to keep them tender.

21. Methods for Adjusting Gluten
Mixing method
• In general, the more a dough or batter is
mixed, the more the gluten develops. Thus, bread
doughs are mixed and kneaded for a long time to
develop the gluten. Cakes, pie crusts, muffins, and other
products must be tender and mixed for a short time.
• It is possible to over mix bread
dough, however. Gluten strands stretch only so far. They
break if the dough is over mixed.

22. Describe each mixing method
• Beat- Agitating
ingredients vigorously to
add air or develop gluten
• Blend- Mixing or
folding two or more
ingredients together until
they are evenly
combined
• Cream- Vigorously
combining softened fat
and sugar to add air

23. Describe each mixing method
• Cut in- Mixing solid fat
with dry ingredients until
lumps of the desired size
remain
• Fold- Gently adding
light, airy ingredients
such as eggs to heavier
ingredients by using a
smooth circular
movement

24. Describe each mixing
method
• Knead- Working a dough by hand or in a bench mixer
with a dough hook to develop gluten and evenly
distribute ingredients
• Sift- Passing dry ingredients such as flour through a
wire mesh to remove lumps, blend, and add air
• Stir- Gently blending ingredients until they are
combined
• Whip- Vigorously beating ingredients to add air

25. Most of the time, you wouldn’t even need a recipe
to follow. For most cakes and cookies, just
follow standard baking procedure using the 5
step ‘creaming method”:
Use an electric mixer to save time!
Use medium speed on your mixer.
Air + egg whites = volume

26. Sifting eliminates
lumps, helps in the
even distribution of
ingredients, and
adds air
Add 1/3 dry, then 1/3 wet…repeat ‘til all
ingredients are used
An electric mixer at this point would break
up the chips, raisins, nuts, etc.

27. Mix other ingredients
together, and carefully
fold in the eggs using a
rubber spatula. Use care
to preserve the pockets
of air in the whites.
Cakes using the foaming
method may contain
little or no fat.
For cakes with a lighter texture, such as angel food cakes
or chiffon cakes, the baking procedure you would
follow is called the ‘foaming method’.

28. Some cakes and breads are made by the ‘straight dough
method’. It requires no creaming; no foam preparation.
All ingredients are simply combined together and
blended.
Cakes and breads made
by this method may
have a moist or sticky
texture.

29. Some cakes and breads are made by the ‘two-stage
method’. Combine the melted or liquid fat with the dry
ingredients first. Blend in ½ of the liquid(s)s first. Then
gradually add the remaining liquid(s).
Doughs and batters made
by the two-stage method
have more sugar than
flour. They are called
high-ratio cakes. They
have a very fine, moister
crumb. Devil’s food cake
is an example.

30. Grease & flouring a pan is one way
of preparing it for baking a cake.
Apply grease to sides and bottom
of pan. Then add a scoop of flour,
shaking it all over the greasy pan
until the entire pan is dusted with
flour. Discard extra flour.
If you are planning to remove the cake from the pan in one
piece, you might try lining the pan with waxed paper. Cut the
paper to fit the pan perfectly; you still need to grease and
flour the sides of the pan and perhaps even the paper.
Aerosol cooking spray
can be used on pans, but
is a better choice for
stove-top cooking rather
than baking; avoid
overspray; avoid inhaling
contents;especially good
for low-fat diets.

31. Baking pans are costly, and may start to look old and
well-worn after only a few uses. To save the
appearance of your pans, eliminate the need for
greasing, and to make removal of baked goods easy…
you may line the pan with parchment paper. Parchment
paper is NOT the same as waxed paper.

32. Space cookies
on the cookie
sheet for
baking, leaving
enough space
so they won’t
touch.
Preheating the oven to the
correct temperature is
critical! Adjust oven racks
so you can bake in the
middle of the oven! If rack
is too low, food gets too
brown on the bottom; if
rack is too high, food gets
too brown on top.
Pour cake batter into pan. Tap
filled pan firmly to settle the
batter and break air bubbles.

33. You will remove your cake from
the pan by a method called
“inversion” Place a cooling rack
on top of the cake pan and
flipping the two together upside
down. The cake pan then lifts
off and leaves the cake sitting
on the rack.
Cookies are
removed from the
oven, cooled for a
couple of minutes,
removed from the
pans with a
spatula, and placed
on a wire rack for
cooling.

34. Frying a hamburger or heating up a soup?
Assembling a casserole or preparing a sidedish?
… all that is “just cooking”.
Not everyone can bake successfully, and it takes time. That makes baking
something pretty special. It’s perfect for special occasions and gift-giving.