The Craft

Baking glossary

Every term defined plainly — no assumed knowledge, French terms glossed.

• Bicarbonate of soda

  Bicarbonate of soda is a raising agent that needs acid to work, driving spread and browning in cookies. How it differs from baking powder.

• Blind baking

  Blind baking cooks a pastry or biscuit case before its filling so the base stays crisp — how to do it and why it prevents a soggy bottom.

• Blooming cocoa

  Blooming cocoa means dissolving it in hot liquid to deepen the chocolate flavour — why the batter looks thin, and why that's correct.

• Buttermilk

  Buttermilk tenderises crumb and activates bicarbonate of soda for lift. What it does, plus an easy lemon-and-milk substitute.

• Chilling dough

  Chilling cookie dough firms the butter so cookies set before they spread — the trick behind height, chew and deeper flavour.

• Cocoa powder

  Cocoa powder adds chocolate flavour and colour — natural vs Dutch-processed, and why the type matters for your raising agent.

• Cream cheese frosting

  Cream cheese frosting balances tang and sweetness — use full-fat cream cheese cold and mix minimally, or it turns runny. Here's how.

• Cream of tartar

  Cream of tartar is a mild acid that stabilises whisked egg whites so meringue holds its peaks, and stops sugar crystallising. What it does.

• Creaming

  Creaming means beating butter and sugar to combine and aerate — fluffy for cakes, barely combined for chewy cookies. Here's the difference.

• Crumb

  Crumb is the internal texture of a bake — open or tight, tender or chewy. What it means and what shapes it.

• Crumb coat

  A crumb coat is a thin first layer of buttercream that traps loose crumbs, so the final coat goes on clean. How and why to do it.

• Curd

  Curd is a tangy fruit spread thickened with egg yolks and butter — how it sets, and why you cook it low and slow so the eggs don't scramble.

• Drip (chocolate drip)

  A drip is ganache poured at just-pourable temperature so it runs partway down a chilled cake and sets. Why temperature is everything.

• Drizzle

  A drizzle is a sugar-and-citrus syrup spooned over a warm cake so it soaks in — adding flavour and keeping the crumb moist for days.

• Folding

  Folding gently combines a light mixture into a heavier one to keep the air in — the cut-sweep-turn motion, and why you stop early.

• French meringue

  French meringue is whisked raw whites and caster sugar — the base for macarons and meringue kisses. How it differs from Italian and Swiss.

• Ganache

  Ganache is chocolate melted into warm cream — the ratio makes it a filling, glaze, drip or whipped frosting. How to make it smooth.

• Macaron feet

  Macaron "feet" are the ruffled frill at the base of a shell, formed when rested shells rise outward under a skin. Why they form — and don't.

• Macaron ratio

  Macarons are a weighed ratio of almonds, icing sugar, egg whites and caster sugar — why you weigh the whites rather than counting eggs.

• Macaronage

  Macaronage is folding the almond mix into meringue to a "flowing lava" batter — the make-or-break step for smooth macaron shells with feet.

• Purée

  A purée is fruit blended smooth for toppings, fillings or sauces — drain tinned fruit well first so it sits neatly and doesn't run.

• Ribbon stage

  Ribbon stage is when batter falls in a thick ribbon that holds briefly before sinking back — the consistency test for macarons and génoise.

• Rubbing-in

  Rubbing-in works cold fat into flour until it looks like breadcrumbs — the base for pastry, scones and cobbler toppings. How to do it.

• Self-raising flour

  Self-raising flour is plain flour with raising agent blended in. What it's for, and how to make your own with plain flour and baking powder.

• The Maillard reaction

  The Maillard reaction is the browning of proteins and sugars under heat — the toasty colour and flavour on a good cookie edge or crust.