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

Irish Soda Bread 
(Irish soda-leavened bread)

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

Ghapama 
(Armenian rice-stuffed and baked whole pumpkin)

Pflaumenkuchen 
(German plum tart)

Kulich 
(Eastern Orthodox sweet Easter bread)

Makový Koláč 
(Czech poppy seed torte)

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

Pão de Queijo 
(Brazilian cheese buns)

Bichak 
(Afghan stuffed savory and sweet pastries)

Peach Cobbler 
(American peaches baked with pastry)

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

Focaccia Genovese 
(Italian olive oil bread with sea salt and rosemary)

Dresdner Stollen 
(German Christmas fruitcake)

Tarte Tatin 
(French caramelized apple tart)

Apple Pie 
(American apple tart)

Apfelstrudel 
(Austrian apple strudel pastry)

Baklava 
(Eastern Mediterranean nut and phyllo sweet pastry)

Gingerbread Men 
(English spiced Christmas cookies)

Banana Bread 
(Caribbean sweet quickbread)

Empanadas 
(Latin savory stuffed pastries)

Lavash 
(Southwest Asian thin flatbread)

Koulourakia 
(Greek Easter butter cookies)

Coca-Cola Cake 
(American cocoa-cola cake)

Pan de Muerto 
(Mexican anise-scented bread for the Day of the Dead)

Pita 
(Mediterranean pocket bread)

Naan 
(Indian, Pakistani tandoor-baked bread)

Socca Niçoise au Four 
(French Provencal chickpea bread)

Baking Powder Biscuits 
(American breakfast quickbread)

Pan de Jamón 
(Venezuelan ham, raisin and olive bread)

Cherniy Hleb 
(Russian black bread)

Torta de Plátano 
(Colombian plantain bread)

Torta di Noci 
(Italian walnut cake)

Snickerdoodles 
(American cinnamon-scented sugar cookies)

Scones 
(Scottish quick teacakes)

Torta Rustica di Mele 
(Italian rustic apple cake)

Glazed Pumpkin Spice Cookies 
(American cinnamon-scented baked treat)

Lefse 
(Norwegian potato flatbread)

Panforte 
(Italian Christmas honey fruitcake)

Torta di Mele 
(Italian apple torte)

Hamantaschen 
(Israeli Jewish filled tricorner Purim pastries)

Tah Chin 
(Persian layered rice and chicken dish)

Linzertorte 
(Austrian jam tart)

Quesadilla Salvadoreña 
(Salvadoran sweet cheese poundcake)

Torta Maria Luisa 
(Latin marmalade-filled layer cake)

Strawberry Shortcake 
(American strawberries with a sweet biscuit)

Whats4eats is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.