415C Baking & Pastry Fundamentals 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What role does gluten play in bread making?
- It adds sweetness to the dough
- It provides structure and elasticity, trapping gas bubbles produced by yeast (Correct answer)
- It acts as a leavening agent by releasing COâ‚‚
- It prevents browning during baking
Correct answer: It provides structure and elasticity, trapping gas bubbles produced by yeast
Gluten, formed when flour proteins (glutenin and gliadin) hydrate and are worked, creates an elastic network that traps COâ‚‚ from yeast, giving bread structure and rise.
Question 2: What is the approximate ratio of flour to water (by weight) in a standard bread dough?
- 100% flour to 100% water (1:1)
- 100% flour to 60–65% water (Correct answer)
- 100% flour to 30% water
- 100% flour to 90% water
Correct answer: 100% flour to 60–65% water
A standard bread dough uses approximately 60–65% water to flour by weight (baker's percentage), producing a workable, slightly tacky dough.
Question 3: What is the purpose of 'proofing' yeast dough?
- To cool the dough before shaping
- To allow yeast to ferment and produce COâ‚‚, causing the dough to rise before baking (Correct answer)
- To incorporate fat evenly throughout the dough
- To develop a crust on the shaped loaf
Correct answer: To allow yeast to ferment and produce COâ‚‚, causing the dough to rise before baking
Proofing is the final fermentation stage where shaped dough rests and rises as yeast produces COâ‚‚, giving the bread its final volume before baking.
Question 4: What leavening agent is used in quick breads such as Canadian bannock?
- Active dry yeast
- Baking powder or baking soda (Correct answer)
- Sourdough starter
- Steam only
Correct answer: Baking powder or baking soda
Quick breads use chemical leaveners like baking powder or baking soda for rapid leavening without the fermentation time required by yeast.
Question 5: In pastry making, what is 'blind baking'?
- Baking a pie shell without a filling, using weights to prevent puffing (Correct answer)
- Baking a cake in a dark pan to prevent over-browning
- Decorating a tart without measuring ingredients
- Baking dough that has not been chilled
Correct answer: Baking a pie shell without a filling, using weights to prevent puffing
Blind baking pre-bakes an unfilled pastry shell using weights (beans or pie weights) to hold the crust flat and prevent it from puffing and shrinking.
Question 6: What is the main difference between puff pastry and shortcrust pastry?
- Puff pastry contains yeast; shortcrust does not
- Puff pastry uses lamination with layers of butter for flakiness; shortcrust uses rubbed-in fat for crumbly texture (Correct answer)
- Shortcrust pastry uses more butter than puff pastry
- They are interchangeable and can be substituted freely
Correct answer: Puff pastry uses lamination with layers of butter for flakiness; shortcrust uses rubbed-in fat for crumbly texture
Puff pastry is laminated dough where layers of butter are folded in repeatedly to create hundreds of distinct flaky layers, while shortcrust uses fat rubbed into flour for a crumbly, tender texture.
415C Baking & Pastry Fundamentals 1
What role does gluten play in bread making?