Baking is one of the most important developments in the evolution of the way humans have lived on Earth, and it started a long time ago. Baking is up there in importance with the control of fire, the invention of the wheel, farming, textiles (blankets, clothing and rugs), cement, the internal combustion engine (gas motors), electricity, and the Internet. No matter what part of the world a person is from, baked goods are a staple (essential) part of their diet. The Ancient Egyptians who built the pyramids over 4000 years ago relied on bread as part of a diet that maintained their strength for the demanding physical work they did. Bread, rolls, pitas, tortillas, cakes, muffins, cookies, and many other baked goods have supported the health of people who made and ate these items over thousands of years.
Today, baking essential items like bread and tortillas continues, generally in large industrial kitchens that look a lot like bread and tortilla 'factories'. In these large buildings with millions of dollars worth of equipment inside, thousands of pounds of products are made daily. But along with these necessary staples we find on grocery store shelves, there are hundreds of delicious desserts and delicacies that are also made through baking. To name just a few, there are sweet rolls, hallah, buns, Bourekas, Bakpia Pathak, Krémes, pies, and hundreds more. If you would like to learn more about foods from around the world, try this website: www.
https://www.tasteatlas.com/More useful information that will help you with questions in this test follows...
•People who bake in their home kitchen, as well as bakers and chefs who prepare foods to be served in, and out of restaurants, need to be organized and keep perishable ingredients sealed and fresh. Perishable means things, especially foodstuffs, that are likely to decay or go bad. •"Mise En Place" is a French expression that is used in the culinary industry that means, "Everything in its place."
•An updated inventory of ingredients needs to be maintained to avoid 'running out' of an essential ingredient like eggs, butter, sugar, flour, or oils at the time a baked item is to be made. This applies to tools and supplies like measuring spoons, whisks, sealable containers, parchment paper, and cake boxes as well.
•Foods, and many ingredients used to prepare dishes, must be kept refrigerated or frozen until the time the food is heated and served. Bakers and cooks need to be familiar with these temperature guidelines, or they risk making their customers or family members ill.
•Water, eggs, and milk are the only three ingredients used in baking and cooking that take up the same amount of volume in ounces, and weight in ounces. Therefore, bakers and chefs can either use a measuring cup or a scale when assembling these ingredients for a recipe.
•Recipes are one of the fundamental tools of cooking and baking. If the wrong ingredients are used, or the wrong amount of an ingredient is used, or the batter is baked at the wrong temperature, or for the wrong amount of time, the results will be disappointing.
•A strong understanding of baking math, meaning units of measure (grams, kilograms, ounces, pounds, cups and pints, milliliters and liters), along with oven temperatures and time is indispensable to the success of a baker. Then there is the issue of cost (money) coming into the bakery in the form of customer purchases, and going out, in the form of expenses for ingredients, gas, electricity, employee's pay, rent, advertising, insurance, waste disposal and other costs. Without managing costs well, a baking business will surely fail.
