So far, throughout the baking and pastry course, I have gained a lot of knowledge about

baking that I have never thought about before. Because of this course, both my passion for

baking and knowledge of the subject have vastly increased. Likewise, my vocabulary regarding

the subject has also improved.

The first things that we did were pancakes and crepes. They both included a very simple

procedure, catering to the students who do not have much experience working in the kitchen

(including me.) Next, we did quick breads, which included biscuits, scones, and muffins. Each of

these recipes required a new technique called cutting, and this technique is used to mix in the

fats with the dry ingredients. We also used the biscuit method, which is adding the wet

ingredients to the dry, and the fats are liquids. Lastly, we used a method called creaming, which

is combining the butter or the fat with sugar before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.

Unfortunately, a large fraction of the class did not read the recipe well enough and did not follow

this step. Not creaming the butter and sugar together can lead to an undesirable result. On the

positive side, now we know that from now on, to cream, we need to add the sugar to the butter,

not the dry ingredients. Next, we made muffins from recipes of our choice. Here we used the

muffin method, which is sifting together the dry ingredients (including sugar), and mixing them

together with the wet ingredients. My group did a (sweet) peanut butter and jelly muffin with a

(savory) bacon cheese muffin. Both were delicious. I liked having the freedom to determine what

flavor we were making, and also the diversity of flavors throughout the class. Next, we made

bread, pretzels, and bagels, which all require a simple procedure. However, it is extremely

important that you let the dough rise 24 hours prior to baking it. This allows the yeast to rise,

therefore making the baked dough fluffier. Sift together the dry ingredients (including sugar).

One key thing that I have learned from this class that no matter what you do, wrong or right,

could affect the outcome of the recipe.
Maddie P

                                                                                                                                    March 5, 2014

So far we’ve made pancakes, crepes, muffins, and an assortment of quick breads. Through the process so far, I have learned that it is very important to always read the directions all the way through before beginning to bake. Also, you have to gather your ingredients in the proper order and have that at hand for best results. Knowing which cooking instruments will be necessary in the process is also crucial.

I’ve really enjoyed what we have done so far and cannot wait for what is to come. I will continue to learn and use the lessons I have already learned to make the best baked goods that I can! And always remember… Become the whisk!        -Cassie E.

 

In this unit we learned how to make non-knead or yeast required breads. Instead of using yeast and letting the dough rise for a good day or so the substitute ingredient was baking soda and/or powder. Mostly the breads that were made were crepes or pancakes. It was all very quick and simple. We also made buttermilk biscuits for the unit that came out nice and fluffy and no-knead bread which was very simple and quick to put together. It was fun, quick, and simple to put together. -Mary Kate H.

I enjoyed the quick bread unit. We started off with a simple pancake recipe, which went fairly well for our group. We whisked all the ingredients together and started to cook the batter on a pan. The finished product came out a little raw in the middle but we all learned from that mistake. We also made crepes, where my group and I learned how to use both a hot plate and a pan to cook them. The scones were one of my favorite quick breads we made. I learned how to cut the butter into the rest of the mix. My group worked well together to finish the task and create a good end product. I also enjoyed the Grandma’s muffins. We had to cream the butter and sugar together and then add the rest of the ingredients to form a perfect batter. Although we were faced with a few minor faults and problems, overall I thought the quick bread unit was enjoyable, and a good learning experience. -Ali M.

Over the course of this unit we learned about different Quick Breads and how to make them. A Quick Bread is made from a dough that does not have the living organism of yeast. During this unit we worked on: pancakes, biscuits, crepes, scones and muffins. Each class we either came in with a recipe for our group, or were assigned a recipe to make for that particular period. At the start we made basic recipes, such as pancakes, but as our knowledge and skill improved we made more complex recipes. The most challenging part of the class was being able to procure a finished product by the end of the period. Another challenge was communicating clearly with all the other members in my group. We had to do our part but when there was some miscommunication it slowed us down, making it harder to finish in time. During this Quick Breads unit we also learned different techniques, some of which included: beat, knead, whisk, fold and cut in. In each recipe we used at least one of these techniques. The techniques that we used most were: whisk, and cut in. These techniques are used in many recipes that involve dough. To whisk is to simply stir the mixture until it is combined to a certain point. Cutting in is when you cut the butter into the dry mixture without totally combining them. Overall, this unit taught us that many doughs do not require yeast, and it also gave us a good basic understanding of tools and techniques used in baking. Elliott B.

Caroline L.

I enjoyed the pie unit, however I am not a big fan of pies so I gave my pies to my friends.  Most of my pies came out very well.  My favorite was the pumpkin pie.  The filling was very creamy and the crust was crispy and flaky.  Another girl in my group her pumpkin pie, the crust around the edge fell off.  My group works very well together.  We have great mise en place and we are always  the first group finished.  Our pinwheels were not finished int time so I never got to taste them but I'm sure they were great too.  Rolling out the dough into circles was the hardest part because it was sticky and didn't easily form into a circle.  We even were asked to roll out dough for the Veteran's Day breakfast.  Sauteing the apples was my favorite part because the cinnamon, apples, and butter smelled very good and it was a new thing we hadn't done before.
 

In the pie unit my table made apple pie, pumpkin pie, and other crusts. Overall, I think everything turned out great and our table made little to no mistakes in the process. My least favorite was the pumpkin pie, because I am not a fan of pumpkin and we didn't let the pie sit for long enough, so it was a liquid. My favorite was the apple pie because I loved the apples and it was very sweet. conrad morris /Users/conrad/Downloads/photo-3.JPG