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

Pizza Napoletana 
(Italian traditional pizza from Naples)

Peach Cobbler 
(American peaches baked with pastry)

Irish Soda Bread 
(Irish soda-leavened bread)

Malva Pudding 
(South African apricot-flavored baked pudding)

Coca-Cola Cake 
(American cocoa-cola cake)

Bauernbrot 
(German farmer-style rye bread)

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

Basboosa 
(Egyptian semolina cake)

Pavlova 
(Australian meringue with whipped cream and fruit)

Gingerbread Men 
(English spiced Christmas cookies)

Pflaumenkuchen 
(German plum tart)

Koulourakia 
(Greek Easter butter cookies)

Yemarina Yewotet Dabo 
(Ethiopian spiced honey bread)

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

Hamantaschen 
(Israeli Jewish filled tricorner Purim pastries)

Naan 
(Indian, Pakistani tandoor-baked bread)

Scones 
(Scottish quick teacakes)

Challah 
(Israeli Jewish braided Sabbath bread)

Torta di Noci 
(Italian walnut cake)

Dresdner Stollen 
(German Christmas fruitcake)

Lavash 
(Southwest Asian thin flatbread)

Torta Pasqualina 
(Italian Easter spinach, ricotta and egg torte)

Pie Crust 
(American dessert pastry crust)

Torta di Mele 
(Italian apple torte)

Bichak 
(Afghan stuffed savory and sweet pastries)

Barmbrack 
(Irish fruit bread)

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.