CAKES, BUNS AND SWEETS
WEEK 2
CLASS: SS 2
SUBJECT: FOOD AND NUTRITION
TOPIC: FLOUR MIXTURE
CONTENT: (c) Flour mixture
(i) Cakes, buns and sweets
(ii) Pastries
(iii) Breads
Sub-Topic 1:
CAKES, BUNS AND SWEETS
1. CAKES
General rules for making cakes
(a) Get all necessary materials and utensils ready and within reach
(b) Prepare all ingredients i.e. sift flour, weigh out flour and other dry ingredients, grease the pans, heat the ovens.
(c) Use good quality ingredients, e.g. fresh eggs, dry flour, fresh fat etc.
(d) Beat cake mixture in an upward direction and handle lightly. Bake immediately after mixing.
(e) Add egg gradually to avoid curdling.
(f) Avoid opening the oven door frequently while baking. This reduces the temperature of the oven. Also, avoid banging the oven door to prevent in rush of cold air.
(g) Do not bake cakes, pastries and other foods together. Steam from the other foods can affect the crispness of pastries and cakes.
(h) Allow cake to set before moving it for any reason.
(i) Cool cakes with high proportion of ingredients in the tin. Never store cakes until they are cold.
(j) If a skewer or clean brown straw inserted into a big cake comes out clean, then the cake is cooked. A cooked small cake leaves no impression when the centre is pressed with a finger.
(k) Cool cakes away from draught. Wrap in grease proof paper.
Methods of making cakes
(a). Rubbing-in-method: This method is used when a small amount of fat to flour is used. The fat is rubbed into the flour with the finger tips, until the mixture look like ‘garri’ or fine bread crumbs.
(b). Creaming method: Fat and sugar, which are often in equal proportion in this method, are beaten together until they are fluffy and creamy.
(c). Whisking method: Unlike the creaming method, in this method, the egg and sugar are whisked together until thick and frothy. At this stage, the flour is folded in lightly. This type of cake goes stale very easily.
(d). Melting method: The fat and the sweetening agent e.g. sugar, treacle, syrup are heated together until they melt. This method is often employed in the production of ginger bread.
Common faults in cake making and their causes
1. Uneven texture- i. Fat insufficient rubbed in
ii. Too little liquid
iii. Too much liquid
2. Close texture- i. Too much fat
ii. Hands too hot when rubbed
iii. Fat to flour ratio incorrect
3. Bad shape- i. Too much liquid
ii. Oven too cold
iii. Too much baking powder
4. Cake sunk in the middle- i. too much liquid used.
ii. too much baking powder used.
iii. cake was removed before it had set
5. Dry- i. Oven door open and banged before cake has set.
ii. too much baking powder used.
iii. oven too hot
Characteristics of a good cake
These are:
1. Externally the cake symmetrical in shape and slightly rounded.
2. The crust is soft, golden brown in colour with no suggestion of sugar crystals
3. The cake feels light.
4. When cut, the cake holds its shape without excessive crumbling
5. The odour and flavour are pleasing.
Recipe of cake
Creaming period
1. Queen cakes
200g flour
125g sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon baking powder
25gm candied peel
125g fat
2 eggs
10cl milk
50g dried fruit
PROCEDURE
(a) Cream sugar and fat until the mixture is soft, white and can drop from a spoon at its own accord. Use a wooden spoon.
(b) Add the beaten eggs gradually, continuing with the creaming. Add a little flour if mixture curdles as you are creaming.
(c) Use a metal spoon to fold in a little portion of the flour (about a quarter). Add a little milk.
(d) Add another quarter of the flour and the remaining milk.
(e) Add the dried fruit and the last half of the flour to which baking powder has been added. Add vanilla.
(f) Mix to a dropping consistency, that is, it should be soft enough to drop from the spoon.
(g) Half-fill well greased tins and bake in a moderately hot oven for 20minutes, a little longer for bigger cake.
Rock Buns
Rubbing-in method is used in the making of buns.
Rock buns Recipe
250g of flour
2egg
3 table spoons of milk
A pinch of salt
25g candied peel
½ teaspoon mixed spice or ground ginger
100g sugar
100g fat
1 table spoon baking powder
PROCEDURE
(a) Wash and dry a mixing bowl, sieve flour and baking powder and salt into bowl.
(b) Using the tip of the finger, rub fat into flour until mixture resembles fine “garri” or fine bread crumbs. Entrap air into the mixture by lifting the flour high in the bowl while rubbing.
(c) Stir in the sugar
(d) Beat egg and use it to bind the mixture to a stiff consistency. If a soft consistency is required, add a little milk.
(e) Pile in rough heaps on a greased baking tray
(f) Bake in a moderately hot oven for 20minutes
Swiss Rolls
Swiss roll (whisking method is used here)
100g flour
3 eggs
1/2 tea spoon baking powder
100g sugar
3 table spoon of tepid water
½ tea spoon vanilla essence
PROCEDURE
(a) Grease a Swiss roll tin and paper. Line the tin with the paper.
(b) Sieve flour with baking powder and sieve sugar separately
(c) Break egg into a mixing bowl, add sugar and whisk vigorously until it double its size and become thick and white. Place the bowl over a pan of hot water while whisking. This help to thicken the mixture and makes i to increase in volume. If water is too hot it will curdle milk and spoil the texture.
(d) Remove bowl from the pan and fold ½ of the flour using a metal spoon. Do not this lightly so as to retain the air which has been whisked into the egg
(e) Fold the remaining flour and everything is absorbed. Add tepid water to make a thick pouring consistency.
(f) Put the mixture into the prepared tin and tilt it to spread it evenly over the surface of the tin.
(g) Bake in a hot oven for about 8 – 10 minutes till golden brown and firm
(h) Turn out on a piece of sugared paper and remove the baking paper carefully.
(i) Trim off all the crisp side edges with a sharp knife and quickly spread with a warm jam.
(j) Make a long cut half way through the sponge, one inch from the end to ease it when rolling.
(k) Roll up. Make the first two twists quite firmly, then roll lightly and leave the roll wrapped in the sugared paper for 10minutes to keep it a good shape.
(l) Remove paper and cool the roll on a cake rack.
Sub-Topic 2: PASTRIES
PASTRIES
Pastry is a mixture of flour, fat and milk or water, used to make the counter part of baked foods such as pies. The flour for pastry is often all-purpose flour. The texture of pastry increases with increase in fat.
General Rules for Pastry Making
(a) Flour should be sieved immediately before use; sieving aerates the flour and removes slumps.
(b) All ingredients and the pastry should be kept as cold as possible throughout the process of making and rolling, so as to prevent the fat from melting and making handling difficult.
(c) Use cool water for mixing.
(d) Dough should be soft and elastic, not wet and sticky. If the correct quantity of water is used.
(e) Board and rolling pin should be properly floured. Roll in one direction with short, quick, forward strokes, lifting the rolling pin between each stroke.
(f) Over-dredging the board with flour spoils the proportion and makes the pastry rubbery and tough.
(g) Stretching pastry during rolling makes pastry to shrink when baked.
(h) Maintain normal baking temperature; too hot oven makes pastry to set before expansion, too cool an oven makes fat to melt and run out before it is absorbed by the starch.
(i) Pastry that contains baking powder goes dry when kept for some time. Use immediately.
Common faults in pastry and their causes.
1. Tough crust- i. insufficient fats.
ii. Too much water
iii. Over mixing.
iv. Too much flour on the rolling board.
2. Crumbly crust- i. Too little water
ii. Too much fat.
iii. Self raising flour used.
iv. Insufficient mixing.
3. Crust does not brown- i. Too little water.
ii. Much fat.
iii. Too much flour on board.
4. Shrinks in pan- i. Unbalanced recipe
ii. Too much handling
iii. Tough stored too long in refrigerator
iv. Pastry stretched tightly in pan.
5. Pastry shell blister- i. Pastry fitted too tight in pan.
ii. Oven temperature too low
Types of pastry
1. Short crust pastry: sieve the flour and salt into a bowl. Add fat and rub in gently. Mix to stiff dough with the water. Knead very lightly and handle as little as possible, then roll out evenly and lightly.
2. Flan pastry: sieve the flour and salt together into a bowl. Add the shredding suet and mix well. Pour the water on the flour. Turn the dough on a floured board and kneel very lightly for a minute or two to form into a ball. Cover and leave to relax for five minutes.
3. Rough puff pastry: sieve the flour and salt into a bowl. Cut the butter into walnut- size pieces. Mix these pieces into the flour- do not rub in. Turn on to a surface lightly dredged with corn flour, rest the dough lightly together. Leave to cool and relax before using cook as for puff at 220-230c.
4. Hot water crust pastry: sieve the flour and salt together in a bowl. Put a lad and liquid into a bowl and heat gently until the lad is melted, then bring to the boil. Pour immediately unto flour in one go and mix well with a wooden spoon.
Sub-Topic 3: BREAD
Steps in bread making
(a) Creaming the yeast: if fresh yeast is to be used, place it with a little sugar into a basin and cream until it liquefies. Add half the warm liquid. For dry yeast, put yeast in a little warm water, add sugar and allow to stand until it is well risen.
(b) Settling the sponge: the activity of the yeast starts with this process. Sprinkle a little of the flour over the yeast in the basin. Cover the basin with a damp warm cloth. Keep in a warm place for about 10minutes. Little bubbles are produced as the yeast begins to work through the flour.
(c) Mixing the dough: mix with the hand or with a wooden spoon; use sufficient water to form a soft elastic dough. Mix fruit, spices, eggs etc, at this stage, if they are used in the recipe.
(d) Kneading: Place the mixed dough on a well floured pastry board and knead properly until fingers are free from the dough, which must be free from cracks and lumps.
(e) Rising: Lightly flour a mixing bowl and return the dough to it. Cover it with a damp cloth to prevent it from forming a skin on top. Leave in a warm place to double its size. Grease your bread tins.
(f) Shaping: re-kneed on a floured board about three minutes cut into sizes, one third of the size of tin. Place in tin and press down using knuckles.
(g) Proving: Allow the dough to double its size by keeping it in a warm place.
(h) Baking: Bake in a hot oven to kill the yeast. Reduce temperature after 15minutes. Well cooked bread should rise and golden brown in colour.
Recipe for Bread
500gflour
15g yeast
100g sugar
1 tumble tepid water
25g fat
50ml milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
PROCEDURE
(a) Sieve flour and salt containing tepid water, add a teaspoon of sugar and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
(b) Put yeast in a bowl containing tepid water, add a teaspoon of sugar and allow to stand for 10minutes.
(c) Mix the margarine into flour.
(d) Beat the egg, mix with half of the milk
(e) Add mixture, yeast mixture to flour and mix properly
(f) Knead properly and place on a well floured bowl. Allow to rise in a warm place until it doubles it size.
(g) Knead again, lightly for a few minutes and cut into required sizes.
(h) Allow to “prove” in a well greased baking tray for about 15minutes. Glaze with beaten egg.
(i) Bake in a hot oven for 15 – 20minutes, reducing heat towards the end of cooking.
EVALUATION
1. Explain pastries.
2. Discuss four types of flour mixtures
3. List five ingredients used in making case.
4. State the step-by-step process of bread making
5. List the entire recipe for cakes, rock buns and Swiss rolls
OBJECTIVE TEST:
(1) Chin-chin can be best cooking using one of the following methods.
(a) Roasting (b) grilling (c) boiling (d) frying
(2) _________ is not a method of making cake. (a) rubbing in (b) creaming (c) roasting (d) melting
(3) _________ is not an ingredient for bread. (a) yeast (b) flour (c) alcohol (d) baking powder
(4) Which of this flour is good for making crackers (a) soft wheat flour (b) pastry flour (c) composite flour (d) cake flour?
(5) Palm wine is a raising use for making (a) cake (b) biscuit (c) scones (d) bread
(6) The flour that has just a little aleurone layer while all the other layers are retained with the endosperm is called (a) low extraction rate flour (b) high extraction rate flour (c) non- milled flour (d) middle extraction rate flour.
(7) Low extraction rate flour as compared with high extraction rate has the following advantage (a) they are white (b) they contain less fat (c) they contain phytic acid (d) all of the above.