Baking

High school (ages 12+)
Food & Cooking

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/baking

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary heat transfer mechanism?Convection and radiation within an oven, facilitating dry heat cooking
2. What is the contemporary trends?Focus on health-conscious alternatives (gluten-free, low-sugar), sustainable sourcing, and innovative flavor profiles
3. What happens when we bake cookies?When cookies bake, heat makes the proteins in the dough set and the sugars brown, giving them a yummy flavor and a nice golden color.
4. Why do bread and cakes rise?Yeast or baking powder makes tiny bubbles that get trapped in the gluten network, so the dough expands and becomes light and fluffy.

Gluten Development: The process where flour proteins hydrate and form elastic strands, essential for dough structure and rise.
Maillard Reaction: A complex chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars that creates hundreds of flavor compounds and brown pigments.
Artisanal Baking: Baking that emphasizes traditional methods, high-quality ingredients, and often small-batch production, focusing on craftsmanship.