Bakery Goods and Sweets

Ever wonder why baked goods are generally brown on the outside?  The dry heat of baking alters starches, causing the outer surfaces of bread and cookies to brown and seal in moisture. The browning results from the caramelization of sugars. Because moisture isn't entirely sealed in, baked items eventually become dry, some sooner than others, depending on baking time and temperature, as well as the food's moisture content.

What’s the most common bakery item? You probably guessed that it’s bread, and you’re right.

Pastries generally have a higher fat content than bread, which contributes to their flaky or crumbly texture. A good pastry is light, airy. and fatty but sufficiently firm to support the weight of the filling.

 In general, the more margarine, butter or vegetable shortening  in a product, the more it will spread out during baking, so, when putting cookie dough on a baking sheet, leave more space between each unbaked item if it’s high in fat.

Foods rich in simple carbohydrates, such as sugar, are most generally associated with sweetness. However, some natural and artificial compounds are much sweeter than sugar and are used as sugar substitutes. One natural compound is glycyrrhizin, the sweet component of the licorice root.  It is about 30 times sweeter than sucrose (better known as table sugar). Another example is stevioside, from the South American shrub Stevia rebaudiana. It is roughly 250 times sweeter than sucrose. Artificial sweeteners include saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, neotame, and acesulfame potassium.