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

Ghapama 
(Armenian rice-stuffed and baked whole pumpkin)

Pão de Queijo 
(Brazilian cheese buns)

Peach Cobbler 
(American peaches baked with pastry)

Banana Bread 
(Caribbean sweet quickbread)

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

Malva Pudding 
(South African apricot-flavored baked pudding)

Sweet Potato Pie 
(American, Southern-Soul sweet potato open-faced tart)

Torta de Plátano 
(Colombian plantain bread)

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

Makový Koláč 
(Czech poppy seed torte)

Pie Crust 
(American dessert pastry crust)

Lokshen Kugel 
(Israeli Jewish sweet noodle pudding)

Dresdner Stollen 
(German Christmas fruitcake)

Quesadilla Salvadoreña 
(Salvadoran sweet cheese poundcake)

Socca Niçoise au Four 
(French Provencal chickpea bread)

Pizza Napoletana 
(Italian traditional pizza from Naples)

Pâte Brisée 
(French pastry crust for savory tarts and pies)

Linzertorte 
(Austrian jam tart)

Cherniy Hleb 
(Russian black bread)

New York Cheesecake 
(American Mid-Atlantic cream cheese dessert)

Makroud el Louse 
(Makroud el Louse)

Papaya Pie 
(Caribbean papaya-filled tart)

Bibingka Especial 
(Filipino sweet coconut and rice flour cake)

Strawberry Shortcake 
(American strawberries with a sweet biscuit)

Kulich 
(Eastern Orthodox sweet Easter bread)

Gingerbread Men 
(English spiced Christmas cookies)

Yemarina Yewotet Dabo 
(Ethiopian spiced honey bread)

Lekach 
(Israeli Jewish honey cake)

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

ANZAC Biscuits 
(Australian, New Zealand oatmeal and coconut cookies)

Irish Soda Bread 
(Irish soda-leavened bread)

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

Basboosa 
(Egyptian semolina cake)

Torta di Mele 
(Italian apple torte)

Broa de Milho 
(Portuguese yeast-leavened cornbread)

Empanadas 
(Latin savory stuffed pastries)

Torta Rustica di Mele 
(Italian rustic apple cake)

Hamantaschen 
(Israeli Jewish filled tricorner Purim pastries)

Baklava 
(Eastern Mediterranean nut and phyllo sweet pastry)

Panforte 
(Italian Christmas honey fruitcake)

Challah 
(Israeli Jewish braided Sabbath bread)

Cornbread 
(American cornmeal bread)

Koulourakia 
(Greek Easter butter cookies)

Torta di Noci 
(Italian walnut cake)

Apple Cake 
(American tender cake with apples)

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