BAKERY AND CONFECTIONERY

BAKERY:
A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven
such as bread, cakes, pastries, and pies. Bakery shops can provide a wide range of
cakes designs such as sheet cakes, layer cakes, tiered cakes, and wedding
cakes. People who work in a bakery are bakers — their work involves mixing batter,
kneading dough, and cooking baked goods in hot ovens.
CONFECTIONERY:
Confectionery is related to food items that are rich in sugar and often referred to as a
confection. Confectionery also refers to the art of creating sugar based dessert forms.
The sweets or candies produced in a sweets’ shop is also known as confectionery.
Confectionery items include sweets, lollipops, candy bars, chocolate, cotton candy, and
other sweet items of snack food. The term does not generally apply to cakes, biscuits,
or puddings which require cutlery to consume, although with exceptions such as petites
fours or meringues exist.
BAKING TERMINOLOGIES:
All-purpose flour: A wheat flour with a medium gluten content of around 12 percent or
so. Can be used for a whole range of baking, from crusty bread to cookies to fine cakes
and pastries.
Autolyze: In bread baking, combining the flour and water before adding other
ingredients and before kneading.
Bake: Cook with dry, radiant heat in an oven.
Bar: A type of cookie made by pressing dough into a pan, baking, then cutting into
squares.
Batter: A mixture of flour, eggs, dairy, or other ingredients that is liquid enough to pour.
Blanch - To partially cook food by plunging it into boiling water for a brief period,
then into cold water to stop the cooking process.
Boil: To heat a liquid until bubbles rise continually to the surface and break.
Brownie: This favorite desert is a chewy, dense, cake-like cookie that is sliced
into bars for serving. Usually, brownies are chocolate -flavored and colored brown,
hence their name.
Beat: To thoroughly combine ingredients and incorporate air with a rapid, circular
motion. This may be done with a wooden spoon, wire whisk, rotary eggbeater,
electric mixer, or food processor.
Butter: According to U.S. standards, butter is comprised of 80 percent milk fat
and 20 percent milk solids and water. It is created through churning cream into a
semi-solid, and it can be salted or unsalted. Bakers use butter on account of its
flavor and its facility for creating crispness, flaky layers, flavors, tenderness, and
a golden-brown color.
Biscuit method: Technique for blending cold fat into flour so that it achieves a flaky
texture, like biscuits and scones.
Blend: Stir ingredients together until well mixed.
Bread flour: Wheat flour with a relatively high gluten content, usually around 13 to 14
percent, and used for making crusty bread and rolls, pizza doughs and similar products
Buttercream: The most common type of frosting, made by combining a type of fat
(usually butter) with sugar.
Cake flour: A wheat flour with a lower gluten content, around 7.5 to 9 percent. Its fine,
soft texture makes it preferable for tender cakes and pastries.
Caramelization: The chemical process that causes sugars and starches to turn brown
when heated.
Chemical leavener: An ingredient such as baking powder or baking soda that uses a
chemical reaction to produce gas that causes baked goods to rise.
Combine: Stir ingredients together just until mixed.
Confectioners' sugar: White sugar that has been ground to a very fine powder. It
dissolves easily, and is used extensively in candy making, for making frostings and
icings, and for decorating or dusting the tops of cakes and other desserts.
Cream: Beat together sugar and butter until a light, creamy texture and color have been
achieved. This method adds air to the batter, which helps the leavening process.
Sometimes eggs are also added during the creaming step.
Crumb: The pattern of air holes in the structure of a baked bread or cake.
Cut In: Incorporating butter (or another solid fat) into flour just until the fat is in small,
granular pieces resembling coarse sand. This is achieved by using two knives in a
cross-cutting motion, forks, or a special pastry cutter.
Cocoa Powder: Fermented, roasted, dried, and cracked cacao beans can be
made into an unsweetened powder called cacao powder. The nibs or small pieces
of the cacao beans are ground up in order to make this powder, and 75 percent of
the cacao butter is extracted to form the thick paste that is known as cocoa butter.
Dutch cocoa is a special cocoa powder with a neutralized acidity due to its having
been treated with alkali.
Cooling Rack: Baked goods are often cooled on a cooling rack, which is typically
a rectangular grid made of thick wire with “feet” or “legs” to raise it off the
countertop and allow cooler air to circulate all around the finished good.
Crimp: To seal the edges of two layers of dough with the tines of a fork or your
fingertips.
Dash: A measurement less than ⅛ teaspoon.
Dissolve: To dissolve is to mix a dry substance into a liquid until the solids have
all disappeared. For example, bakers can dissolve sugar into water, yeast into
water, and more.
Dough: A soft, thick mixture of flour, liquids, fat, and other ingredients.
Dot: To distribute small amounts of margarine or butter evenly over the surface of
pie filling or dough.
Drizzle: To drip a glaze or icing over food from the tines of a fork or the end of a
spoon.
Dust: Coat the surface of something with a light sprinkling of a dry substance (flour,
sugar, cocoa powder)
Egg Wash: An egg wash is a mixture that gives a rich color or gloss to the crust
of a baked good when it is brushed on the unbaked surface o the product. It is
made from combining one whole egg, egg white, or egg yolk with one tablespoon
cold milk or water.
Fermentation: The process in which yeast consume starches and sugars in bread
dough and produce CO2 gas and alcohol.
Flute: To make or press a decorative pattern into the raised edge of pastry.
Fold in: To gently combine a heavier mixture with a more delicate substance,
such as beaten egg whites or whipped cream, without causing a loss of air.
Fondant: A candy paste that can be used to make candies and for covering cakes.
Grease: To rub fat on the surface of a pan or dish to prevent sticking.
Ganache: A type of frosting made from melted chocolate and heavy cream.
Gelatinization: The chemical process that causes starches to expand and absorb water
when heated.
Germ: The embryo of a seed of a cereal grain, containing protein, nutrients and fats.
Glaze: Coat with a thick, sugar-based sauce.
Gluten: Proteins in wheat flour that give baked goods their structure and texture.
Glaze: To coat with a liquid, thin icing, or jelly before or after the food is cooked.
Gluten: This protein is found in wheat and various cereal flours. Although some
people are allergic to it, gluten makes up the structure of the bread dough and
holds the carbon dioxide that is produced by the yeast or other substance during
the fermentation process. When flour is combined with liquids, gluten develops as
the liquid and flour is mixed and then kneaded. Formed from the proteins glutenin
and gliadin, gluten provides the elasticity and extensibility or stretch for bread
dough.
Gluten-Free: Some people are allergic to gluten, but there are many ways to
bake without producing the gluten protein. Gluten-free flours include rice, corn,
soy, amaranth, and potato flours. Stone-ground, graham, or whole-wheat flours
made from hard or soft wheats or both kinds are also usable. These are produced
through the milling of whole-wheat kernels or combining white flour, bran and
germ. Even though these gluten-flours may differ in coarseness from their gluten
counterparts, the nutritional value is virtually the same.
Hydration: The ratio of water to flour in bread. Higher or lower hydration results in
different dough consistencies.
Knead - To fold, push and turn dough or other mixture to produce a smooth,
elastic texture.
Leavening - Leavening refers to the production of a gas in a dough batter using
an agent like baking powder, yeast, baking soda, or even eggs. Leavening agents
work via the production of carbon dioxide in the dough, and long ago these
agents were also known as “lifters.”
Lukewarm - A temperature of about 105°F, which feels neither hot nor cold.
Milk chocolate: A type of chocolate made from cocoa butter, sugar and milk solids.
Mix - To stir together two or more ingredients until they are thoroughly combined.
Melt - To melt is to heat an otherwise solid food until it achieves liquid form. In
baking, sugar, butter, and chocolate are often melted.
No-Knead - Also known as “batter breads,” no-knead is a baking method for
yeast breads that can be produced without any kneading.
Oats - Oats are made up of any grain that is hulled, cleaned, toasted, and cooked
whole (groats).
Oat Flour - Oat flour is made up of rolled oats or groats that have been finely
ground.
Proof: Allowing bread dough to rise or yeast to activate.
Peel - To remove the skin of a fruit or vegetable by hand or with a knife or peeler.
This also refers to the skin or outer covering of a fruit or vegetable.
Preheat - To preheat an oven is to heat an empty oven to the proper temperature
for the recipe before the food product is placed within it.
Quinoa Flour - Quinoa flour made from the grinding of quinoa grain. It is free of
gluten and very nutritious. Its tender, moist crumb is favored for waffles,
fruitcakes, pancakes, and cookies.
Retarding: Chilling dough to slow its fermentation, for the purpose of increasing flavor
and color.
Royal icing: A hard, brittle icing used for decorating cakes and cookies.
Refrigerate - To chill in the refrigerator until a mixture is cool or until dough is
firm.
Rind - The skin or outer coating of such foods as citrus fruit or cheese.
Rolling boil - To cook a mixture until the surface billows rather than bubbles.
Sauté - To sauté is to cook or brown food in a small amount of hot fat or oil. This
softens the food and releases its flavors.
Shortening: Any type of fat added to a baking recipe. Fat interferes with the formation
of long gluten strands, literally shortening the strands and producing a crumbly texture.
Soft Peaks: Egg whites or cream that has been whipped to the point at which a peak
will bend or slump over to one side. To create a peak, pull the whisk or beater straight
up and out of the foam.
Stiff Peaks: Egg whites or cream that has been whipped to the point at which a peak
will stand completely erect. To create a peak, pull the whisk or beater straight up and
out of the foam.
Tunneling: A large air gap between the crust and the crumb of a loaf of bread, usually
caused by letting the dough rise for too long before baking.
Whip - To beat rapidly with a wire whisk or electric mixer to incorporate air into a
mixture in order to lighten and increase the volume of the mixture.
Whisk: A kitchen tool made of wire loops that tends to add air as it mixes substances
together.
Yeast: A microorganism that consumes sugars and starches and produces CO2 gas
which causes bread to rise.
Zest - Zest is the thin, outer skin of a citrus fruit. It is fragrant and removed with a
paring knife, vegetable peeler, or citrus so that it can be added to baked goods for
a citrus flavor.

• Culinary Terms:
A la (adj)- In the style of, (ex., a la Francaise =in the style of France)

A La Brasa (adj) - Charcoal grilled

A la carte (adj.) - separately priced items from a menu, not as part of a set meal.
Al dente (adj.) - cooked so it's still tough when bitten, often referring to pasta
A la grecque (adj.) - served in the Greek style of cooking, with olive oil, lemon juice,
and several seasonings, often referring to vegetables
A point (adj.) - cooking until the ideal degree of doneness, often referring to meat as
medium rare
Acidulation (n.) - the process of making something acid or sour with lemon or lime
juice
Aerate (v.) - the process when dry ingredients pass through a sifter and air is
circulated through, changing the composition of the material, often referring to flour
Aspic (n.) - a dish in which ingredients are set into a gelatine made from a meat
stock or consommé
Au gratin (adj.) - sprinkled with breadcrumbs and cheese, or both, and browned
 • Au jus (adj.) - with its own juices from cooking, often referring to steak or other
meat
• A La Marinera (adj) -Cooked with white wine, onions, and tomatoes
•
• A la minut (adj) - Cooked to order
•
• a la mode (adj) - In the fashion
Au poivre (adj.) - coated with loosely cracked peppercorns and then cooked,
often referring to steak
Au sec (adj.) - the descriptor for a liquid which has been reduced until it is nearly
dry, a process often used in sauce making

Bain Marie (n.) - a container holding hot water into which a pan is placed for slow
cooking, otherwise known as a "water bath" or "double boiler"
Barding (v.) - to cover a meat with a layer of fat, such as bacon, before cooking,
effectively maintaining the moisture of the meat while it cooks to avoid overcooking
Baste (v.) - to pour juices or melted fat over meat or other food while cooking to keep it
moist
Beurre blanc (n.) - a sauce made with butter, onions, and vinegar, usually served with
seafood dishes
Bisque (n.) - a thick, creamy soup, with a base of strained broth (see coulis) of shellfish
or game
Blanching (v.) - to plunge into boiling water, remove after moment, and then plunge
into iced water to halt the cooking process, usually referring to vegetable or fruit
Braising (v.) - a combination-cooking method that first sears the food at high
temperature, then finished it in a covered pot at low temperature while sitting in some
amount of liquid
Brining (v.) - the process of soaking meat in a brine, or heavily salted water, before
cooking, similar to marination
Chiffonade (n.) - shredded or finely cut vegetables and herbs, usually used as a
garnish for soup
Concasse (n.) - to roughly chop raw or cooked food by peeling, seeding, and chopping
to make it ready to be served or combined with other ingredients, usually referring to
tomatoes
Consommé (n.) - a type of clear soup made from richly flavored stock that has been
clarified, a process of using egg whites to remove fat
Confit (n.) - meat cooked slowly in its own fat, usually referring to duck
Coring (v.) - to remove the central section of some fruits, which contain seeds and
tougher material that is not usually eaten
Coulis (n.) - a thick sauce made with fruit or vegetable puree, used as a base or
garnish
Croquette (n.) - a small round roll of minced meat, fish, or vegetable coated with egg
and breadcrumbs

Deglaze (v.) - to remove and dissolve the browned food residue, or "glaze", from a pan
to flavor sauces, soups, and gravies
Degrease (v.) - to remove the fat from the surface of a hot liquid such as a sauce, soup,
or stew, also known as defatting or fat trimming

Dredging (v.) - to coat wet or moist foods with a dry ingredient before cooking to
provide an even coating
Dress (v.) - to put oil, vinegar, salt, or other toppings on a salad or other food
Culinary Terms: E-H
Effiler (n) - to remove the string from a string bean or to thinly slice almonds
Emincer (n) - to slice thinly, similar to julienne style, but not as long
Escabeche (n) - a dish consisting of fish marinated for approximately one day in a
sauce of olive oil, vinegar, herbs, vegetables, and spices, and then poached or fried and
allowed to cool
Fillet (n.) - a boneless piece of meat, poultry, or fish; the French version, spelled
as "filet," is also used when referencing a cut of beef that is boneless, such as
filet mignon
Flambe (v.) - the process of adding alcohol such as brandy, cognac, or rum to a
hot pan to create a burst of flames
Frenching (v.) - the process of removing all fat, meat, and cartilage from rib bones on a
rack roast by cutting between the bones with a sharp paring knife, often referring to
lamb, beef, rib
Galantine (n.) - a Polish dish of de-boned stuffed meat that is poached in gelatin stock,
pressed, and served cold with aspic or its own jelly
Galette (n.) - flat, round cakes of pastry, often topped with fruitor a food prepared in
served in the shape of a flat round cake, such as "a galette of potatoes"
Gazpacho (n.) - a Spanish dish of cold, uncooked soup, which typically contain
tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, garlic, oil, and vinegar
Harissa (n.) - a spicy, aromatic chile paste made from a variety of hot peppers and
spices, often used in North African and Middle Eastern cooking
Infusion (n.) - the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from a
vegetable in water, oil, or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the
liquid over time, also known as steeping
Involtini (n.) - food such as meat, poultry, seafood, or vegetables, wrapped around a
filling such as cheese, cured meats, or nuts
Irradiation (n.) - the process of exposing food to radiation, designed to eliminate
disease-causing germs from foods
Isinglass (n.) - a pure, transparent form of gelatin, obtained from the bladders of certain
fish, used in jellies as a clarifying agent
Jacquarding (v.) - the process of poking holes into the muscle of meat in order to
tenderize it, also known as needling
Jeroboam (n.) - an oversize wine bottle holding about three liters
Jus lie (n.) - meat juice that has been lightly thickened with either arrowroot or
cornstarch

Kipper (n.) - a whole herring that has been split into a butterfly fashion from tail to head,
gutted, salted, or pickled
Kirsch (n.) - a fragrant, colorless, unaged brandy distilled from fermented cherries ,
used with fondue
Kissing Crust (n.) - the portion of an upper crust of a loaf of bread which has touched
another loaf when baking

Lactobacillus (n.) - a bacterium usually found in fermenting products, such as yogurts

Larding (v.) - the process of inserting strips of fat into a piece of meat that doesn't have
as much fat, to melt and keep the meat from drying out
Liaison (v.) - a binding agent of cream and egg yolks used to thicken soups or sauces

Macerate (v.) - the process of softening or breaking into pieces using liquid, often
referring to fruit or vegetables, in order to absorb the flavor of the liquid
Marinate (v.) - the process of soaking foods in seasoned and acidic liquid before
cooking for hours or days, adding flavor to the food
Mesclun (n.) - a salad consisting of tender mixed greens such as lettuce, arugula, and
chicory, herbs, and edible flowers
Mignonette (n.) - roughly cracked or coarsely ground peppercorns, used for au poivre
dishes or for mignonette sauce, which contains vinegar and shallots as well and is often
used for oysters
Mince (v.) - to finely divide food into uniform pieces smaller than diced or chopped
foods, prepared using a chef's knife or food processor
Mise en place (v.) -the preparation of ingredients, such as dicing onions or measuring
spices, before starting cooking

Mother (n.) - the base sauce used to make other variations of the original sauce; there
are five variations: brown or espagnole, velouté, béchamel, tomato sauce, and
emulsions

Nappe (n.) - the ability of a liquid to coat the back of a spoon or the act of coating a
food, such as a leg of lamb, with glaze
Needling (v.) - injecting fat or flavors into an ingredient to enhance its flavor
Nutraceutical (adj.) - used to describe food that provides health or medical benefits as
well as nutritional value, also known as functional food

Oeuf (n.) - the French term for egg

Oignon brule (n.) - literally meaning "burnt onion," a culinary term for a half-peeled
onion seared on a skillet
Ort (n.) - a scrap or morsel of food left over after a meal
Ouzo (n.) - an anise-flavored, strong, colorless liquor from Greece

Parboiling (v.) - the process of adding foods to boiling waters, cooking until they are
softened, then removing before they are fully cooked, usually to partially cook an item
which will then be cooked another way
Parcooking (v.) - the process of not fully cooking food, so that it can be finished or
reheated later
Pâté (n.) - a mixture of seasoned ground meat and fat minced into a spreadable paste
Paupiette (n.) - a thin, flattened piece of meat, rolled with a stuffing of vegetables or
fruits, which is then cooked before served
Persillade (n.) - a sauce or seasoning mixture of parsley chopped with seasonings,
often used as part of a saute cook's mise en place
Polenta (n.) - a mush or porridge made from yellow or cornmeal which originated in
Northern Italy
Praline (n.) - a confection of nuts cooked in boiling sugar until brown and crisp

Quadriller (v.) - to make crisscross lines on the surface of food, as part of food
presentation
Quatre-epices (n.) - literally meaning "four spices," a finely ground mixture of generally
pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or cloves, used to season vegetables, soups, and
stews

Quenelle (n.) - a small quantity of a mixture of creamed fish or meat with a light egg
binding, usually formed into a round shape, and then cooked

Remouillage (n.) - a stock made from bones that have already been used once to
make a stock, making it weaker
Render (v.) - to cook the fat out of something, such as bacon
Rondeau (n.) - a wide, shallow pan with straight sides and two loop handles, often used
for searing and poaching

Sautéing (v.) - to cook food quickly over relatively high heat, literally meaning "to jump"
as the food does when placed in a hot pan
Scald (v.) - to heat a liquid so it's right about to reach the boiling point, where bubbles
start to appear around the edges
Sear (v.) - a technique used in grilling, baking, or sautéing in which the surface of the
food is cooked at high temperature until a crust forms
Staling (v.) - a chemical and physical process in which foods such as bread become
hard, musty, or dry, also known as "going stale"

Steep (v.) - to allow dry ingredients to soak in a liquid until the liquid takes on its flavor,
often referring to coffee, tea, or spices
Sweat (v.) - gently heating vegetables in a little oil, with frequent stirring and turning to
ensure emitted liquid will evaporate; usually results in tender, or in some cases such as
onions', translucent pieces

Tempering (v.) - raising the temperature of a cold or room-temperature ingredient by

slowly adding hot or boiling liquid, often referring to eggs
Tourner (v.) -to cut ingredients such as carrots or potatoes into a barrel-like shape that
form six or seven sides on the length of the item being cut, using a Tourner knife or a
paring knife
Trussing (v.) - to tie meat or poultry, such as turkey with a string, woven through the
bird parts by using a needle, in order to create a more compact shape before cooking
Ultra-pasteurization (n.) - the process of heating up milk products to 280 degrees
Fahrenheit for a few seconds and chilling it down rapidly, resulting in milk that's 99.9%
free from bacteria and extending their shelf-life
Unleavened (adj.) - made without yeast or any other leavening agent, often referring to
bread

Vandyke (v.) - to cut a zig-zag pattern around the circumference of a lemon to create
decorative garnishes for food presentation
Velouté (n.) - a type of sauce in which a light stock, such as chicken of fish, is
thickened with a flour that is cooked and then allowed to turn light brown
Victual (n.) - any food or provisions for humans; all food is a "victual"
Vol-au-Vent (n.) - a round pastry that is baked and then filled with meat or vegetables
after the fact

Whip (v.) - to beat food with a mixer to incorporate air and produce volume, often used
to create heavy or whipping cream, salad dressings, or sauces
Whisk (n.) - a cooking utensil used to blend ingredients in a process such as whipping

Xanthan gum (n.) - a food additive, commonly used to thicken salad dressings, that is
water-soluble and produced by the fermentation of sugar with certain microorganisms
Xylitol (n.) - a naturally fulfilling alcohol found in most plants such as fruits and
vegetables, widely used as a sugar substitute in sugar-free chewing gums, mints, and
other candies

Yakitori (n.) - a Japanese dish of small pieces of boneless chicken that is marinated,
skewered, and grilled

Zest (v.) - to cut the zest, or the colorful part of the skin that contains oils and provide
aroma and flavor, away from the fruit