Pastryscoop

A yeast cake, usually containing raisins or currants, that is baked then soaked in a rum or kirsch syrup. Typically the baba is baked in a tall, cylindrical mold although round shapes are also commonly used. See savarin.

A sweet Polish yeast bread containing almonds, raisins, and orange zest that is flavored with rum.

A dense yeast roll, shaped like a doughnut, which is boiled before being baked in order to ensure a chewy crust.

A popular French white bread that is shaped into a long, very thin loaf. It is chewy, with a crunchy crust.

A technique in which a container of food requiring gentle, even heat (e.g., custard or chocolate) is placed into or over a shallow pan of warm water to cook.

An American dessert made from sponge cake and ice cream that is encased in meringue. The cake is baked briefly at a very high temperature in order to give color to the meringue, which insulates the ice cream from the oven’s heat.

An American dessert made from sponge cake and ice cream that is encased in meringue. The cake is baked briefly at a very high temperature in order to give color to the meringue, which insulates the ice cream from the oven’s heat.

Also called unsweetened chocolate or bitter chocolate. Chocolate that does not contain added cocoa butter, sugar, or lecithin and which by law must contain 50-58 percent cocoa butter.

A chemical leavener that, upon coming into contact with moisture, releases the carbon dioxide gases that make batters and doughs to rise. It consists of a mixture of baking soda, corn starch, and cream of tartar.

A baking soda that reacts twice: first when it is mixed with wet ingredients, then again, when it is heated during the baking process.

An alkali used as a leavener in baked goods. When combined with an acid ingredient such as yogurt, buttermilk, or molasses, baking soda produces carbon dioxide gas bubbles, causing a dough or batter to rise.

A popular Greek and Turkish pastry which is made from layers of phyllo pastry, spices, and chopped nuts. After being removed from the oven, the baklava is soaked with a spiced honey-syrup.

Red apples streaked with yellow that have a mild sweet-tart flavor.

A sundae of ice cream, sauces, and whipped cream that has a sliced banana as its base.

A popular American dessert created in the 1950s and named for a regular customer at Brennan’s Restaurant, New Orleans. Bananas are sliced lengthwise, sautéed in rum, brown sugar, and banana liquer and accompanied by vanilla ice cream.

Created in Banbury, England. It is actually flaky pastry, rather than a cake, that is filled with dried fruits.

A cloth-lined basket in which bread is allowed to rise before baking.

Consumed at breakfast or tea, bannocks are Scottish cakes made from barley and oatmeal that are cooked on a griddle.

A Scottish soft yeast roll, usually eaten at breakfast.

See cookie, bar.

Referring to cookies that are baked in a sheet pan then unmolded and cut into individual portions.

Due to their high acidity, these red berries are almost always cooked, usually in the form of pies, preserves, and syrups. They may also be candied or, if in their green form, pickled. They are native to New England and Europe.

Although it is used mainly for making spirits or as animal feed, barley has regained popularity in some health food circles due to its nutritive properties. Because of its low gluten levels, barley must be combined with a heavier wheat flour in order to make bread dough.

An Irish bread of raisins or currants and candied fruit peel, usually eaten at tea time.

Bite-sized pastry shells baked in tins that are shaped like boats

A sweet and juicy pear, large in size, with a light green skin. Bartletts may be consumed raw or cooked in dessert preparations. They are in season from late summer through fall.

Created in Bath, England during the 18th century, these are sweet yeast buns containing candied or dried fruits.

A French term describing a white loaf of bread that is smaller than a baguette. “Baton” may also refer to foods, savory or sweet, that are shaped like a stick.

Mixed from eggs, milk, and flour, a wet mixture of varying consistency that is cooked to form pancakes, sweet breads, cakes, or muffins.

Looser in consistency than other doughs, batter bread is beaten rather than kneaded in order to develop the flour’s glutens.

Made by adding gelatin and flavorings, like fruit purees, chocolate, or liqueurs, to a custard, then folding in whipped cream. The mixture is poured into a mold and chilled before serving. Also known as bavarois.

See Bavarian cream.

A five-sided, torpedo-shaped tropical fruit native to Ecuador. The flavor of the fruit’s creamy flesh can be compared to a blend of banana and pineapple with overtones of papaya and strawberry.

A French term describing a white loaf of bread that is larger and broader than a baguette.

A French Christmas dessert made from génoise that is traditionally filled with mocha or chocolate buttercream, rolled, then frosted. In order to make the cake resemble a yule log, the outer glaze is ridged with a knife or fork then covered with mushroom-shaped meringues and other seasonal decorations.

A very tart wild plum that grows along the Atlantic coast, used for making jams and jellies.

An old Southern specialty. Unlike traditional fluffy biscuits, beaten biscuits are dry and crumbly. The dough is pounded using a rolling pin or mallet for at least 30 to 45 minutes to achieve proper consistency.

A traditional Hungarian rolled yeast-dough pastry that is filled with either a ground walnut (dios) or ground poppy seed (makos) filling. The poppy seed filling is flavored with raisins; butter or milk; sugar, honey, or apricot preserves; rum; and vanilla. The walnut filling is often flavored with lemon zest instead of vanilla. Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or clove are sometimes added.

Created in New Orleans, a small yeast pastry that has been deep fried, sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar, and served immediately after it has been cooked.

A waffle with very deep pockets, often served with fruit and whipped cream or ice cream. See waffle.

A proofing process to allow yeast dough to relax and make it easier to shape without tearing the dough. Also known as intermediate proofing.

A thin Southern cookie made with brown sugar, pecans, and sesame seeds.

A pale yellow flour made from dried ground chickpeas. This high protein flour is used in doughs, dumplings, noodles, as a thickener for sauces, and in batters for fried foods. Also known as gram flour.

The butter portion of puff pastry and other laminated doughs.

The French word for butter.

From the French for “hazelnut butter,” in English usage, “brown butter.“

A round flat yeast roll of Jewish-American origin. The dough is lightly covered with cooked onions before being baked.

See baking soda.

Similar to the blackberry though more tart in flavor, these blue berries grow wild in many parts of Europe and are picked to make jams, jellies, syrups, and pies.

The cherry most often found in American supermarkets, Bings are large and sweet and are used in baking or are eaten out of hand.

A crumbly Italian cookie, variously flavored with spices, nuts, or liqueurs. The dough is formed into a loaf, baked until golden brown, and then cut into individual pieces. The slices are returned to the oven until baked through.

In American baking, biscuits are savory or sweet, light quick breads formed from leavened dough. In the United Kingdom, the term biscuit refers to flat crisp cookies or crackers.

An oblong doughnut filled with jelly and covered with frosting or confectioner’s sugar. Also known as a Long John or Berlin doughnut.

Chocolate to which sugar, lecithin, and vanilla has been added. By law it contains at least 35 percent chocolate liquor.

An American pie made by smoothing a layer of rum custard over dark chocolate custard. It is traditionally garnished using chocolate shavings and whipped cream.

A European peasant bread that is almost black in color. Made with dark rye flour, toasted dark breadcrumbs, molasses, cocoa powder, dark beer, and coffee.

A spicy mixture of nuts with dried and candied fruit enclosed in a rich pastry crust.

Known in its native Germany as Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, this torte is made by filling Kirsch-soaked chocolate cake layers with cherries and Kirsch-flavored whipped cream. It is garnished with more whipped cream, cherries, and chocolate shavings.

A large purple wild berry that grows throughout Europe and the United States. They are eaten out of hand and used to make tarts, jams, jellies, and syrups.

The black syrup derived from the third boiling of sugar extracts during the sugar refining process. Some health food advocates falsely claim that blackstrap molasses offers more significant health benefits then regular molasses. Because of its bitter taste, it is most often used as cattle feed. See molasses.

To make white or light in color. In baking, this term often refers to creaming eggs/egg yolks and sugar together until pale and fluffy.

A cooked pudding made from milk, sugar, and vanilla and set with cornstarch or gelatin. It is served unmolded with a dessert sauce or fruit.

Flour that is chemically whitened, most often using chlorine dioxide.

Pre-baking a pastry shell, either partially or completely, for use with fillings that require little to no cooking. The shell is often lined with foil or parchment paper then filled with dried beans, rice, or pie weights in order to prevent blistering or shrinkage of the crust during baking.

Originating from Russia, a small

buckwheat flour pancake, traditionally served with sour cream and caviar or smoked salmon.

A thin crepe-like pancake that is filled with sweetened ricotta or fruit then sautéed until golden and heated through.

1. The harmless grayish-white streaks of crystallized

cocoa butter that come to the surface of chocolate that has been stored at too warm a temperature. 2. The process of softening gelatin sheets or dissolving powdered gelatin in water before adding it to a recipe.

A meringue-like frosting made by slowly adding hot sugar syrup to stiffly beaten egg whites. The mixture is whipped until it is voluminous and shiny.

A molded frozen dessert made by layering a number of flavors of softened ice cream or sherbet around a core of custard mixed with fruit. The bombe is frozen until solid then unmolded, sliced, and garnished with a dessert sauce for service. Also known as bombe glacèe.

A bite-sized candy that has been dipped in chocolate, usually with a fondant and fruit or nut center.

A fold used to produce many layers in a laminated doughs. Roll the dough long, fold the ends to the middle, and fold in half. Also known as double fold.

A large pear with golden brown skin that comes into season from October through April. These pears are sweet and tart and because they hold their shape well throughout cooking, are popular for use in poaching and baking.

A hearty, sweet steamed bread made from rye and wheat flours, cornmeal, and molasses.

Actually a cake. It consists of two layers of sponge sandwiching a custard filling, covered in a chocolate glaze or a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

A round loaf of white bread. From the French for “ball.”

An American corn whiskey made in Bourbon County, Kentucky. After distillation it is aged in charred oak barrels for at least two years.

A hybrid berry created in 1923 by crossing a blackberry, raspberry, and loganberry. In appearance it resembles a large purple raspberry.

A red and yellow apple with a sweet-tart flavor and crisp texture; good for baking.

The outer protective layer of grains. It is high in fiber.

A distilled alcohol made from wine or fermented fruit juices and aged in wood.

Not a true nut but actually a seed that grows clustered inside pods on Amazon rainforest trees. This white “nut” is very fatty and has a rich taste.

Dating back to prehistoric times, bread is a dietary mainstay found in cultures throughout the world. It is made by mixing a batter or dough from flour, liquid, and, in some cases, a leavener and cooking it over a fire, in an oven, or on top of a griddle. (Flat breads, such as matzo or tortillas do not contain leaveners.)

A high-gluten flour fortified with malted barley and vitamin C or potassium bromate additives to enhance yeast function and dough elasticity.

A homey dessert made by baking pieces of bread that have been soaked in custard. Vanilla, fruits, nuts, and chocolate are all popular flavorings for bread pudding. Bread and butter pudding is a variant of the standard bread pudding in which slices of bread are buttered before being soaked.

A rich French yeast bread that contains a high proportion of eggs and butter. Brioche may be shaped into loaves or rolls. Brioches à tête, the classic breakfast roll, is made by baking a round of brioche, which has been topped by a smaller ball of dough, in a special fluted tin. Brioche has many applications in the sweet kitchen, for instance, for use in French toast and bread pudding.

Potassium bromate is added to wheat flours to speed up the aging or maturing process which improves its bread making qualities.

Known as “beurre noisette” in French. Brown butter is made by cooking butter over low heat until it takes on a light brown color and a nutty aroma.

White sugar that has been combined with molasses. Dark brown sugar has a stronger taste than light brown sugar although they can generally be used interchangeably.

A moist, dense cookie with a cake-like consistency, usually flavored with chocolate.

A thin fried pastry of Mexican origin, served with a dusting of cinnamon-sugar.

Ground from the seed of the Russian herb Fagopyrum and used most frequently to make breads,

blinis,

and Breton crêpes.

melted butter

Made from wheat kernels that have been steamed, dried, and crushed. It has a tender, chewy texture and comes in course, medium, and fine grinds.

A tube pan used to bake cakes. The classic Bundt pan has fluted sides though the term may also refer to any type of unfluted tube pan.

The British version of the French créme brûlèe.

Butter consists of 80% milkfat, 20% water, and milk solids and is made by churning cream until it becomes solid. Unsalted butter is preferred for baking.

Made by combining sugar, egg yolks, and milk or cream, adding softened butter, and then beating the mixture until the frosting is fluffy. Buttercream can be flavored in countless ways and used to fill or frost cakes and other sweets.

Skim or low-fat milk to which a bacteria is added in order to thicken it and give it a distinctive tangy flavor. Buttermilk may also be purchased in a dry or powdered form.

A classic Southern pie filled with buttermilk, butter, eggs, flour and sugar, plus flavorings like lemon juice, vanilla, and nutmeg.

A flavor derived from a mix of butter and brown sugar, used in candy, sauces, frostings, and cookies.