Question 1

What is baking?

Accepted Answer

Baking is when you cook food, like cakes or cookies, in an oven. The heat from the oven makes the ingredients in your food come together and change to become something delicious.

Question 2

Why do cakes rise when they bake?

Accepted Answer

Cakes rise because they have ingredients like baking powder or baking soda. When these ingredients get hot, they make tiny bubbles of air that get trapped in the cake, making it fluffy.

Question 3

What does flour do in baking?

Accepted Answer

Flour is like the glue in your baking. It holds everything together and gives cakes, cookies, and bread their shape.

Question 4

Why do we need eggs in baking?

Accepted Answer

Eggs help mix the ingredients together and make the baked goods soft and fluffy. They also act like glue, holding everything together.

Question 5

How does sugar help in baking?

Accepted Answer

Sugar makes your baked treats sweet. It also helps make cakes and cookies soft and gives them a nice color when they bake.

Question 6

What’s the purpose of butter in cookies?

Accepted Answer

Butter makes cookies taste rich and yummy. It also helps them stay soft and chewy.

Question 7

Why do we use yeast in bread?

Accepted Answer

Yeast is a tiny living thing that eats sugar and makes bubbles of gas. These bubbles make the bread rise and become fluffy.

Question 8

What happens when you mix baking soda with something sour?

Accepted Answer

When baking soda meets something sour, like lemon juice or vinegar, it makes bubbles. These bubbles help make your baked goods rise.

Question 9

Why do cookies get hard if they are left out for too long?

Accepted Answer

Cookies get hard because they lose moisture to the air. It's like how wet things dry out and get stiff.

Question 10

Why do some recipes need both baking soda and baking powder?

Accepted Answer

Some recipes need both because baking soda works fast with sour ingredients, while baking powder gives the baked good extra bubbles and helps it rise even more.

Question 11

What is gluten?

Accepted Answer

Gluten is a stretchy part in flour that helps hold dough together. It makes bread chewy and gives it structure.

Question 12

Why do we chill dough before baking?

Accepted Answer

Chilling dough makes it firmer, so cookies spread less and stay chewy. It also helps flavors mix and become richer.

Question 13

What does salt do in baking?

Accepted Answer

Salt adds flavor and makes sweet treats taste even better. It helps balance the sweetness and strengthens the dough.

Question 14

Why does bread have holes inside?

Accepted Answer

The holes in bread come from the bubbles made by yeast. As the dough bakes, these bubbles get trapped inside, making it airy.

Question 15

How does milk help in baking?

Accepted Answer

Milk adds moisture and helps make baked goods soft. It also adds a nice flavor and helps the dough mix well.

Question 16

What is frosting made of?

Accepted Answer

Frosting is usually made of sugar, butter, and a little milk or cream. It's whipped together to be spreadable and adds sweetness to cakes.

Question 17

Why do cakes sometimes sink in the middle?

Accepted Answer

Cakes can sink if they aren't baked long enough. It can also happen if there's too much baking powder, making them rise too fast then fall.

Question 18

What makes chocolate chip cookies spread in the oven?

Accepted Answer

As cookies bake, the butter inside melts, causing them to spread. The heat from the oven also helps the dough flatten out.

Question 19

What happens if you overmix the batter?

Accepted Answer

Overmixing the batter can make baked goods tough and chewy. That's because it creates too much gluten, making the dough too tight.

Question 20

What role does air play in baking?

Accepted Answer

Air helps make baked goods fluffy and light. When you mix or beat dough, tiny bubbles get trapped inside, which expand in the oven.

The Chemistry of Baking - 20 FAQs Explained Simply