Baking: Method and Recipes

Ingredients for baking
Image by Markus Spiske

Baking is a way of cooking sweet or savory items in the dry heat of an oven. Although baking itself is a relatively easy process, it is good to have some knowledge of the role each ingredient plays in creating the final dish.

Different ingredients strengthen, bind, thicken, sweeten, leaven and add moisture. Some ingredients, like milk and sugar, perform multiple roles. And others will only carry out their duties under very specific conditions. For this reason baking is often compared to the science of chemistry.

You shouldn’t be intimidated by baking though. A reasonable knowledge of basic methods and ingredient functions opens up a world of variety and creativity that is the raison de faire cuire au four of the typical pastry chef.

International Baking Recipes

Ghapama 
(Armenian rice-stuffed and baked whole pumpkin)

Bibingka Especial 
(Filipino sweet coconut and rice flour cake)

Dresdner Stollen 
(German Christmas fruitcake)

Pie Crust 
(American dessert pastry crust)

Semita de Piña 
(Salvadoran jam-filled pastry)

Apple Cake 
(American tender cake with apples)

Linzertorte 
(Austrian jam tart)

Banana Bread 
(Caribbean sweet quickbread)

Papaya Pie 
(Caribbean papaya-filled tart)

ANZAC Biscuits 
(Australian, New Zealand oatmeal and coconut cookies)

Blueberry Pie 
(American blueberry-filled double-crust tart)

Baking Powder Biscuits 
(American breakfast quickbread)

Makový Koláč 
(Czech poppy seed torte)

Malva Pudding 
(South African apricot-flavored baked pudding)

Apfelstrudel 
(Austrian apple strudel pastry)

Coca-Cola Cake 
(American cocoa-cola cake)

Bichak 
(Afghan stuffed savory and sweet pastries)

Lekach 
(Israeli Jewish honey cake)

Snickerdoodles 
(American cinnamon-scented sugar cookies)

Irish Soda Bread 
(Irish soda-leavened bread)

Pavlova 
(Australian meringue with whipped cream and fruit)

Tarte Tatin 
(French caramelized apple tart)

Acharuli Khachapuri 
(Georgian boat-shaped cheesebread with egg and butter)

Torta di Mele 
(Italian apple torte)

Empanadas 
(Latin savory stuffed pastries)

Lokshen Kugel 
(Israeli Jewish sweet noodle pudding)

Broa de Milho 
(Portuguese yeast-leavened cornbread)

Challah 
(Israeli Jewish braided Sabbath bread)

Bauernbrot 
(German farmer-style rye bread)

Koulourakia 
(Greek Easter butter cookies)

Pflaumenkuchen 
(German plum tart)

Pastel de Tres Leches 
(Central American cake of three milks)

Gingerbread Men 
(English spiced Christmas cookies)

Peach Cobbler 
(American peaches baked with pastry)

Torta de Plátano 
(Colombian plantain bread)

Basboosa 
(Egyptian semolina cake)

Tah Chin 
(Persian layered rice and chicken dish)

Lefse 
(Norwegian potato flatbread)

Pita 
(Mediterranean pocket bread)

Hamantaschen 
(Israeli Jewish filled tricorner Purim pastries)

Panforte 
(Italian Christmas honey fruitcake)

Apple Pie 
(American apple tart)

Torta Rustica di Mele 
(Italian rustic apple cake)

Cherniy Hleb 
(Russian black bread)

Clafoutis 
(French cherry flan)

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