The Science Behind Baking

The Science Behind Baking

You remember when you were in school thinking…when am I ever going to use this?!  Well…Baking cookies seems simple, especially if you cook pre-made cookie dough, but it’s really a set of chemical reactions.It’s all about the chemistry.  Bakers are not just cooks, they are scientist!

When you put raw cookie dough into the oven you are setting off a series of chemical reactions.  By playing around with the ingredients and how you build the cookie dough in your recipe you can change these chemical reactions and make the perfect cookie.  Do you want it chewier?  Or maybe you like a crispy cookie.  Some like big fat cookies while others like thin ones.  There are three main chemical reactions that occur in the oven while your cookie bakes.

1. Spreading:  As the cookie dough starts to heat up the butter inside it starts to melt.  And as the butter starts to melt the cookies start to spread out.
2. Rise: At about 212 degrees Fahrenheit, the water in the dough turns into steam. This causes the cookie to start to rise as the steam starts to push it’s way up through the dough. Eventually, the baking soda or powder starts to break down into carbon dioxide gas, which raise up the cookie further. All these gases leave little holes in the cookie, which makes it light and flaky.
3. Color and flavor:  Just as the cookie is almost done baking the flavor and color starts to deepen.  This is due to the chemical reaction called caramelization.  Through the baking process, sugars start to break down going from a clear crystal into a brown flavorful liquid.

So next time you want to bake some cookies try a few of these different tips:

• Butter:  Creamed, Melted, or Browned?  Melted butter will result in a fudgier texture, whereas creamed butter will allow a little more air into your cookie.  browned butter, whether you add it melted or let it cool and solidify somewhat, it’s all a matter of taste. As an ingredient, browned butter adds a nutty, enhanced caramel flavor to the cookie.
• White Sugar or Brown Sugar: The more white sugar you have, the more crispy your cookie will be. The more brown sugar you have, the softer your cookie. This has to do with the moisture content of the different sugars.
• Flour:  All Purpose flour is an ideal flour for cookies because it results in a pleasantly chewy texture, rather than dense or cakey cookies.  However if you are avoiding gluten this is not an option.  Some other options are rice flour, almond flour, or coconut flour.  However if you use one of these other flours it is suggested to add Xanthan Gum to help the cookie rise a bit more due to the lack of gluten.
• Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder: You’ll notice that most cookie recipes call for baking soda rather than baking powder, so it’s important to understand the reason why if you’re considering making a substitution. Baking powder is considered “double acting,” where it activates with both moisture and heat. It will begin developing in the bowl as the ingredients come together, and continue working in the oven to give your baked goods a big rise…SCIENCE!  Baking powder is when you want a bigger pop, like for cake or muffins.  Baking soda is going to give you a little pop, which is why you use it mostly for cookies.  Unless you specifically want puffy cookies, baking soda is the way to go.
• Mixing the dough: How you build the cookie dough also has a scientific impact on its outcome. Very few cookie recipes call for you to put everything in a mixer all at once. Typically, butter and sugar are creamed together, then additional liquids are added, then dry ingredients. How you handle each step can change the outcome.  With the creaming method, combining the fat and the sugar, you can mix that as long as you want, you can make that light and fluffy and airy and creamy, but after that, for the remaining ingredients it’s just about mixing enough until they come together. This is especially important with the eggs, which should be lightly beaten first before being added to cookie dough, so they can be easily incorporated into the mixture.  I find if you over mix the eggs in a cheesecake recipe it will end up tasting like eggs.  YUCK!  When it comes to cookies…If you whip up your eggs with a bunch of air, you’re going to have big cakey cookies,  The goal with adding the dry goods is not to overly develop the gluten content in the flour.  You don’t want your cookies to be tough.
• Resting the dough: While you definitely can have fresh cookies baked in under 20 minutes, there is a scientific rationale for making yourself wait, even just an extra half hour.  One of the most important things when it comes to cookies is controlling the temperature of the fat.  The best thing that you can do once you’ve mixed them is to put them in the fridge for about half an hour.  Resting the cookies is the key to making the perfect cookie.  If you’ve ever had cookies that you were trying to make right now, you put them in the oven, and they turn into basically just a puddle.  Been there done that!   It’s because your fat was too warm, and it melted before everything else had a chance to do its thing.

So the next time you want cookies try to plan ahead.  Or remember to delay your gratification so you can enjoy the perfect cookie.

P.s. Don’t feel like baking?  Want the perfect cookie every time?  Just order some cookies from Simply Doughlicious Cookies by clicking here and enjoy!

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