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This page lists common bread baking terms from D-O. For more information on bread making, refer to the tools & resources listed in the right menu bar or check out how to make bread.
Bread Baking Terms D-O
Deck is the shelf of an oven. It is also another name for a stone or brick shelf oven.
Degassing is the expulsion of carbon dioxide from fermenting dough during the dividing or shaping stages, also referred to as punching or a punch down. The degree of degassing contributes to the final crumb structure, as any pockets of gas remaining from the first fermentation can serve as a foundation for larger holes in the final rise.
Diastatic is a product containing active diastase, a family of amylase enzymes. Usually refers to enzyme-active malt powder derived from barley or wheat.
Direct Method refers to adding all the ingredients in one step and then mixing the dough until ready. It is also referred to as the straight dough method.
Docker is any tool used to cut, score, or degas a shaped dough. Can be a knife or a roller with spikes.
Elasticity refers to the ability of a dough to stretch and be molded into shapes.
Endosperm is the starchy part of the wheat berry. It is the primary ingredient in flour. Read more about flours and grains.
Enriched dough is bread dough made with added fat, sugar, eggs, or dairy. If the dough is heavily enriched, it is called a rich dough.
Fermentation is this process where the yeast breaks down sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas. The bubbles of this gas are trapped by a substance in the dough called gluten. As the gas expands, the gluten stretches, causing the dough to rise. The alcohol produced by the fermentation evaporates in baking. Baking also destroys the yeast.
Flakes also known as rolled grain, as in rolled oats or rolled triticale. The kernels are steamed first to they won’t shatter when rolled. They can be added directly to dough but can also be cooked first, as in oatmeal.
Germ is the embryo portion of a grain, containing oils, vitamins, and enzymes. Because it is mostly fat, the germ can go rancid and cause spoilage in whole grain flour that isn’t stored in a cool, dry area.
Gluten is the substance in flour that gives dough both elastic qualities and properties of a thick fluid. Gluten forms and develops when flour is mixed with water and the dough is kneaded. The term is used most often in reference to wheat flour, but gluten also occurs in rye, barley, and certain other cereal flours. Read more about flour.
Grits are similar to groats, but cut into small bits rather than large. Usually refers to alkaline-treated corn (hominy), but not exclusively.
Groats are grains that have had their hulls removed. They are sometimes, but not always, crushed into large or small bits, but not into flour. Steel-cut oats, rye chops, cracked wheat, and buckwheat bits are the most common form of groats.
Hearth refers to the deck on which loaves can be baked. It usually refers to deck or hearth ovens. This process can be replicated at home by using a pizza stone or unglazed ceramic tiles.
High-gluten flour is made from hard spring wheat with at least 13 percent to 14.5 percent gluten-forming protein. It is best to use this flour with other flours to provide more structure. Read more about flour.
Hydration refers to the absorption of liquid, primarily water, by the other dough ingredients. Flour must hydrate in order for the gluten to gond. The yeast also needs to hydrate to begin the fermentation process.
Indirect method is the method of making dough in stages. It usually refers to making a pre-ferment or sponge and building a dough after it has fermented.
Kneading refers to the process of working the dough by using the heel of your hands. Kneading strengthens the gluten fibers, and transforms the dough from a wet, soggy mess to a soft, pliable dough. Read more about kneading dough.
Lame is a curved razor blade that is used to score, or slash, bread dough.
Lean Dough is bread dough made without enrichments such as fat and sugar. Examples include French, Italian, and Vienna breads and rolls, and many rye breads. One of the most well know is pain ordinaire.
Levain refers to an intermediate starter or a type of bread, pain au levain, made from the starter.
Malt is a food product that results when barley and certain other grains are specially treated. It is used as a source of flavor or aroma in a variety of baked goods. Malted barley flour is often added to commercial flours.
Mash is grain that has been hydrated in water hot enough to activate some enzymes and to deactivate others in order to bring out its sweetness without breaking down its structure completely.
Meal is whole grains that are milled to a sandy or gritty consistency not quite as fine as flour.
Mixing refers to combining the dough by hand or using a mixer or food processor. Read more about mixing dough.
Mother Starter is a wild yeast starter that is kept alive indefinitely in the refrigerator through regular refreshments (feeding it with flour and water), and from which other starters are elaborated to be used in dough as leavening and as a flavor enhancer.
Old dough is dough that is held back from a previous batch and used to add flavor and leavening to a new dough.
Oven Spring is the additional rise that a dough undergoes when placed in the oven unless it has been overproofed. Ideally, bread dough will rise 10% to 15% during the first 10 minutes of baking.
Additional bread baking terms:
Sources:
Ashe, Arthur J. , III. “Yeast.” World Book Online Reference Center. 2008. Gwinnett Public Library. 2 July 2008.
www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar613160.
MacRitchie, Finlay. “Gluten.” World Book Online Reference Center. 2008. Gwinnett Public Library. 2 July 2008 www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar226760.
Wych, Robert D. “Malt.” World Book Online Reference Center. 2008. Gwinnett Public Library. 2 July 2008 www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar340680.
www.flour.com
Reinhart, Peter. Crust and Crumb. Ten Speed Press 2006.
© 1996-2007 ACH Food Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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