As a kid, I always used to hate the subject of mathematics and science. I am sure many of you sailed in the same boat as I did. However, never, for the life of me, did I ever imagine, that these two subjects would play such an important role in what I would end up doing for a living. No, I am not talking about the complex mathematical concept of Pythagoras theorem or some chemical formula, but simple ratios, proportions and the science behind baking.
Unlike cooking, where there is a huge scope of playing around with the recipes, in terms of ratios of ingredients, baking is a bit more scientific and precise. Each ingredient has to go in a certain quantity, at a certain moment of the process, for it to react with the other ingredients correctly and give the desired end results. Because of this reason, every baked product has a tried, tested and well-researched recipe that all bakers need to follow.
Baking might be a therapeutic process but the part of remembering staggering numbers of recipes can be unnerving for some, especially if you are a new baker. A small practice that helped me through my baking journey was understanding the baking ratios. Recipes are difficult to memorise, while ratios are comparatively easier to remember. Trust me when I say that if you remember the ratios of basic recipes, you can bake almost anything.
How do baking ratios work?
All things we see around us are made of different proportions of various elements, to make it whole. The same is the case with baked goods. All recipe ratios can be broken down into parts. You just need to understand and remember how many parts of each basic ingredient (butter, sugar, flour or eggs) are required in the recipe.
The key point to remember is that each part must be measured using the same unit of measurement. For instance, if a recipe calls for one part egg and one part sugar (i.e., 1:1 ratio), both the ingredients have to be measured in one unit. That is to say, if you are measuring the sugar in grams, the broken eggs have to be measured in grams too. If you have all this basic information, you can easily scale up or modify the recipe.
Understanding ratios and their importance
Ratios not only help you to remember recipes easily but also help you to understand the science behind it. You may encounter a new recipe and can easily break it down by checking which basic ratio it fits. Once you are aware of that, you can tweak it, enhance it and make it your own. Basic baking ratios will always apply to all complex baked good recipes.
5 recipe ratios you need to know
I know this is the information you are truly here for and I am finally going to share that with you. Out of the many baking ratios, I am sharing the 5 basic and most important ones below.
Pound cake
• 1 part butter, 1 part sugar, 1 part egg, 1 part flour (1:1:1:1 ratio)
Pound cake, as the name suggests, is a basic cake made with a pound of each ingredient, making it a ratio of 1:1:1:1. This implies that if you are using 100 grams of butter, you will need 100 grams of sugar, eggs and flour each to complete the recipe.
The method starts with creaming the butter and sugar first. This would be followed by slowly mixing the eggs and then folding in the flour, till the batter is lump free. Baking powder or soda can be added to make the cake more softer and rise further.
Cookie
• 1 part sugar, 2 parts butter, 3 parts flour (1:2:3 ratio)
This ratio produces a basic shortbread cookie. As per the ratio, if you start with 100 grams of sugar, you will need 200 grams of butter and 300 grams of flour.
You just need to cream the butter and sugar first, to make the mixture light and fluffy and finally fold in the flour.
Pie
• 1 part water, 2 parts butter, 3 parts flour (1:2:3 ratio)
A basic pie dough can be achieved using this ratio. It is made by first mixing together the butter and flour till you achieve a parmesan cheese like texture. This is followed by incorporating the water till a smooth dough is obtained.
Muffin
• 1 part gg, 1 part fat, 2 parts liquid, 2 parts flour (1:1:2:2 ratio)
A basic muffin is made by mixing together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and the dry ingredients in another. This is followed by folding the dry ingredients in the wet ones, to form a muffin batter.
Bread
• 1 part egg, 1 part fat, 2 parts liquid, 2 parts flour (1:1:2:2 ratio)
Breads made with this ratio require the addition of salt and yeast or baking powder. About 5 to 10 grams of yeast and 10 to 20 grams of salt needs to be added for every 1 kilogram of flour.
Note:
• Sugar, even though dry, is considered a wet ingredient in baking.
• You can be creative with ingredients and develop your own recipes by building on these ratios.
Which basic recipe, out of the above, would you like to learn in-depth? Tell us at food@gulfnews.com
