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)

Snickerdoodles 
(American cinnamon-scented sugar cookies)

Pasta per Torte Salate 
(Italian olive oil dough for savory tortes)

Baklava 
(Eastern Mediterranean nut and phyllo sweet pastry)

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

Coca-Cola Cake 
(American cocoa-cola cake)

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

Basboosa 
(Egyptian semolina cake)

Lokshen Kugel 
(Israeli Jewish sweet noodle pudding)

Broa de Milho 
(Portuguese yeast-leavened cornbread)

Cherniy Hleb 
(Russian black bread)

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

Linzertorte 
(Austrian jam tart)

Pita 
(Mediterranean pocket bread)

Ghapama 
(Armenian rice-stuffed and baked whole pumpkin)

Quesadilla Salvadoreña 
(Salvadoran sweet cheese poundcake)

Scones 
(Scottish quick teacakes)

Dresdner Stollen 
(German Christmas fruitcake)

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

Bauernbrot 
(German farmer-style rye bread)

Socca Niçoise au Four 
(French Provencal chickpea bread)

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

Banana Bread 
(Caribbean sweet quickbread)

Torta di Noci 
(Italian walnut cake)

Lekach 
(Israeli Jewish honey cake)

Koulourakia 
(Greek Easter butter cookies)

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.