The Big Baking Glossary A-Z

This Baking Glossary A-Z is my comprehensive list of baking terms, techniques, & different names ingredients go by in the UK & the US. As a bonus for the baking lessons students, I have included the names of some popular recipes from around the world.
Baking Terms A-Z
Comprehensive A-Z Glossary Of Baking Terms & Techniques, By A Self-taught Baker

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What Is This Baking A-Z?
This is my comprehensive guide to baking terms, baking ingredients & techniques & other baking words you might come across in recipes.
In A-Z order, you will not find anything so detailed online or on paper! Includes different terms or names ingredients go by in different countries.
I have also included the names & descriptions of some popular word recipes.
Where To Find More Information
If you know me and my recipes and tutorials, you will know they are in depth and from experience. I specialize in recipe development & testing in both grams, and cups for accuracy. You can check out my Baking Ingredient Conversions Table, and other handy information in the Baking Info Page, with articles such as oven temperature conversions & more.
How To Use The Glossary
To use the glossary, scroll to the letter you want, or use the Table of Contents above. Clicking the option letter above will allow you to jump directly to your chosen letter.
A
Abernethy Biscuit – Scottish sweet biscuit/cookie, invented in 18th century by surgeon John Abernethy, as a digestive improver1. Softer and sweeter than a Digestive Biscuit, it is more buttery and contains caraway seeds.
Absorption, Absorption Rate – the amount of liquid a dry ingredient will take on (absorb). With flour, different types, different places & methods of milling, results in different absorption rates.
Acid, Acidic – baking examples being buttermilk, lemon, vinegar, cocoa powder & dark brown sugar, & is needed to activate baking soda/bicarbonate of soda.
Active Yeast – a form of dried yeast, often in small packets, not needed to be ‘bloomed’ first. See my Yeast Conversion Tables.


Aerate – to add air, for example to cake batter by ‘creaming together’ butter & sugar to incorporate air bubbles, resulting in a taller & lighter cake.
Air Fryer Recipes – quicker and more economical way of baking & cooking. But only try tested air fryer recipes. Go to Air Fryer Recipes page.
Alcohol-free Extracts/vanilla – made with vegetable glycerine instead of alcohol – Non-alcoholic Extracts.
Alcohol-free Fruit Cake – see cranberry apricot cake.
Alkaline – Baking Soda/Bicarbonate Of Soda, whereas Baking Powder contains both alkaline & acidic elements
All Purpose Flour – (A.P. Flour), US equivalent of British Plain Flour.
Almond Flour, Almond Meal – see Ground Almonds.
Altitude– height/location above sea level. If baking in a high-altitude location, recipes may need adjusted due to drier conditions and lower air pressure. You can learn more in Foodle Club’s High Altitude Cooking & Baking article.
Aluminium Foil – Tin Foil in UK & used in the oven.
American Buttercream – standard buttercream of butter & icing/powdered sugar (sometimes vanilla), with no cooking/heating required.
Ancient grain: varieties of wheat- barley, buckwheat, oats, spelt, chia, Khorasan wheat (Kamut), Einkorn & Emmer.
Angel Cake – British kind of layered cake, served in fingers, consists of a yellow & a pink layer of cake, topped with an icing/glaze & finished with a pink drizzle.
Angel Food Cake, Angel Cake (2) – tall cake made from a lot of egg whites, sugar & flour. Often made in its own kind of bundt/tube pan that has little ‘feet’ as this is the only cake that requires to be turned upside down when cooling. This prevents the cake falling back on itself and should also not be greased, to allow the cake the ability to grip the pan and rise.
Anise – ground spice used in some baking & in some spice blends such as UK Mixed Spice. Gives a nice hint of aniseed & works really well subtly mixed with the likes of cinnamon, cardamon, & ginger. Also pairs great with figs. Try my fig anise curd. As a substitute, you can grind the pods from Star Anise.
Anzac Biscuit – sweet Australian & New Zealand biscuit/cookie. Including oats, & Golden Syrup, & sometimes coconut, & often made to commemorate Anzac Day & the Australian & New Zealand army in World War II.
A.P. Flour – see All Purpose Flour above.
Apple Brown Betty – traditional US dessert, from baked apples, brown sugar, breadcrumbs and butter. Similar to apple crisp/cobbler, but layered instead.
Apple Strudel – a German strudel (meaning ‘swirl’). Sweet or savoury layered pastry made from an extremely big & thin sheet of filo/phyllo pastry, filled with apple mixture & rolled up into a log.
Aquafaba – the liquid from cooking chickpeas, or the water from a can/tin of chickpeas. Can be used as a vegan alternative to egg whites in baking, like in these Mini Aquafaba Baked Alaska from Nut Free Wok.com.
Arctic Roll – British ice-cream cake roll, consisting of a roll of ice-cream, covered in raspberry sauce & then a thin vanilla cake. Kept frozen, this cake is served in thin round slices.
Arrowroot – starch from tropical plants & used as a thickening agent.
Arroz Con Leche – Spanish for sweet rice pudding.
Ascorbic acid – vitamin c basically, used in bread making, to increase the lift & volume of the dough for a lighter texture.
Ashure, Anoushabour, Noah’s pudding, Trigo koço – traditional to Turkey (pronounced A-shoo-re), this is a sweet spiced pudding, made from various grains & dried fruits & nuts. Including pomegranate & even chickpeas.
Autolyse – a technique in bread making, whereby flour & water are first mixed & rested, before adding more ingredients.
B
Bagel – dense ring shaped bread roll. (See bagel recipe)
Baguette – long narrow French bread with crispy crust.
Bain Maire – also known as a water bath, or double boiler, used in science & baking, to gently melt or heat an ingredient. See in action in my Blueberry Curd recipe.
Bake (v) – to cook with dry heat in an oven/air fryer. Also refers to ‘baked goods’ as in items baked or prepared by a professional baker or home baker.
Baker – person not only making sweet & savoury items that are ‘baked’ in an oven, but other typical items such as pastry cream, jam/curd making, sweets/candy. See my baking lessons website for many ideas of what to make.
Baker’s Dozen – 13 baked items, such as 13 rolls/buns.
Baker’s Math(s), Baker’s percentages – is a formula used by professional and home bakers, where ingredients are expressed as a percentage relative to the flour content. Knowing these percentages, ensures scaling up or down of the recipe is accurate. Read more at The Perfect Loaf.com – Baker’s Math.
Baker’s Sugar – another name for Extra/Super Fine Sugar in the US. UK equivalent is Caster Sugar.
Bakewell Tart – classic British, sweet shortcrust pastry tart, filled with a layer of raspberry jam, frangipane & topped with flaked almonds, drizzle of icing & a glace cherry. Try my quicker Bakewell Bundt Cake.
Baking Beads, Silicone Beans -re-usable beans/beads to line an unbaked pastry shell/crust. Only used in the ‘blind baking’ of the pastry. Alternatively use uncooked pulses/dried beans or rice. Cool and store for using again. See them used in my Rhubarb Pie Recipe.
Baking Equipment – see Essential Baking Equipment
Baking Paper – brown or white heat-safe paper for oven.
Baking Powder – a leavening agent, containing alkaline baking soda/bicarb & the acid cream of tartar, used for example, in cakes to help them rise.
Baking Soda – (AKA Bicarb, Bicarbonate of Soda, Sodium Bicarbonate), is a chemical leavener. By interacting with an acid, (such as vinegar, brown sugar or cocoa powder), this raising agent, creates carbon dioxide bubbles & is activated by liquid. Often used for cookies & to help cakes rise.
Baking Stone -food-safe, very heavy stone, placed in the oven during pre-heating. Absorbs & retains heat, promoting crispy bakes such as pizza bases & crusty loaves.
Baking Tray/Baking Sheet – US & UK terms, rectangular (or square) vessel for baking such things as cookies. (See first photo in collage). Can be flat, or with a lip, and in the US come in standard sizes ranging from full size (26″× 18″ – 66 cm × 46m), to half size (18″ × 13″ -46 cm × 33 cm), to an Eighth at 6.5″ × 9.5″ (16.5cm x 24cm). (See photo & read more in my Essential Baking Equipment Lesson.)
Baking Tin/Baking Pan – UK & US terms respectively, for square or rectangular baking vessels. Deeper than baking trays/baking sheets/cookie sheets. Used to bake the likes of traybakes/cake squares/bars, & even cook roast dinners.
Bannock -Scottish (and Irish), yeast-free, oat-based bread, often cooked on the stove-top. Check out Bigger Bolder Baking’s Bannock recipe.
Bar – American term for baked (and sometimes no-bake) item such as a cookie bar or cake bar. UK equivalent could be termed a ‘slice’ or ‘square’. Or even traybake, as often prepared in a rectangular oven dish/pan (such as a 9×12″ – 23×30.5cm). Try my lemon curd (or apricot) oat bars.
Barbados Sugar – also known as Muscovado Sugar. Can be unrefined (or partially refined), is more coarse in texture than light or dark brown sugar with more molasses & a resulting more complex flavour.
Batard – French name for short oval or oblong crusty loaf.
Batch – 1 yield from a recipe – for example 1 batch/recipe of bagels might make 12. Double the batch and make 24.
Batch Bake (v) -refers to making multiple batches of the same recipe, often for freezing to save making again.
Batter – term used for the wet mixture produced, for example, for baking a cake or making pancakes. Can be thick or a thinner consistency.
BBQ cooking – UK term for US ‘Grilling’.
Beat (v) – vigorously mixing ingredients together, by hand, with a hand-mixer or a stand-mixer. The purpose being to incorporate as much air as possible, & in turn produce a lighter texture, (example being beating butter & sugar together). Or to beat eggs till frothy (this activates the protein, which in turn helps with structure in your bake).
Bench Knife, Bench Scraper, Dough Scraper – hard metal piece of equipment, can be used to scrape dough off the counter/worktop, as well as dividing dough, scooping, transferring and even using to knead wet sticky dough.
Bicarb, Bicarbonate Of Soda, Sodium Bicarbonate – see Baking Soda above.
Biga (bee-guh) – a starter/pre-ferment of thick flour, yeast & water mixture, left to ferment for several hours before adding other ingredients to make a bread dough.
Bind, Binding, Binding Agent – wet ingredient such as egg that brings the dry ingredients together into a manageable mass.
Biscuit (UK) – British word for a cookies, of any form, hard, crispy or soft. The word ‘cookie’ came into use in UK in late 1990’s with supermarkets selling large ‘American-style’ soft cookies.
Biscuit (US/Canada) – not the same as a UK biscuit (see above), but rather a savoury quick-bread similar in outer structure to UK Scones. Often served with a creamy gravy sauce for breakfast, alongside the likes of sausages, or as a dipping bread with evening meals. Read this American heritage biscuits recipe – Oma Messer’s Buttermilk Recipe
Biscuit Cutter – UK name for cookie cutter, or pastry cutter. Most commonly round & can have fluted edging, can be square or any shape and size you like for specialty cookies etc. Also use to cut out pastry & fondant.
Biscuit Method – technique referring to US biscuits in the name, but simply put involves working with the dry ingredients first, then ‘cutting in’ the fat (usually butter), by rubbing between your fingertips or using a pastry cutter/pastry blender, until it resembles breadcrumbs consistency. The method is also used in making pastry, Scottish shortbread & in British scones
Bitter Chocolate, Bittersweet – equivalent of higher cocoa content Plain or Dark British chocolate, with no sugar. Bittersweet is less bitter and has lower cocoa percentage and might have some sugar added.
Black Forest Gateau – originating from Germany, this layered chocolate cake is filled with cherry jam, usually brushed with Kirsch syrup (a cherry brandy), covered in cream and grated chocolate before being topped with cherries. Try my Air Fryer Black Forest gateau recipe.
Black Treacle – British baking ingredient, commonly used in conjunction with Golden Syrup, in Gingerbread cake.. A extra thick, very dark syrup, and is a byproduct of refining sugar. Thicker than molasses, Black Strap Molasses is the best substitute. Read where to buy Black treacle.
Blanch – to scald fruit, vegetables or nuts in boiling water for a very short time, before submerging in ice cold water. This stops the cooking process and preserves freshness and colour of the food. Try blanching fresh rhubarb before freezing for out of season use. Learn how to blanch rhubarb at Tasty Bakes Kitchen. In the case of nuts, it is used to remove the skins.
Blend – a mixture of different ingredients, ie. spice blend. (v) – to mix 2 or more ingredients together until they are one mass/mixture that is homogenous.
Blender – other UK names are liquidiser or mixer. Electrical machine used to liquidize, chop or puree, as well as blend everything together.
Blind Bake (v), Blind Baked Crust – to part-bake a pastry case/shell, with no filling. Usually paper or foil-lined before weighing down with silicone baking beans or dried beans/pulses. This can prevent a ‘soggy bottom‘. Learn more in my Pastry 101 tutorial.
Blitz – using a food processor, stick blender etc, to break up fruit or vegetables for example. Or you might be instructed to give a ‘pulse’ knob on your blender, a few turns or pushes to ‘blitz’ the ingredient(s).
Bloom – 1. term used for the white coating that can occur on the surface of chocolate. Known as Fat Bloom, it occurs due to temperature changes in the chocolate that result in the separation of the cocoa butter & the cocoa solids.
2. Blooming can also be used to enhance flavours. For example, cocoa powder, is bloomed by adding some hot water to enhance the chocolate flavour (or combining with coffee powder). Spices can be bloomed by dry-frying on the stove top.
3. Gelatin sheets are bloomed by soaking in water before use.
Boil (v), Boiling – heating a liquid till bubbles form & turn to vapour. Cooking food in boiled water/liquid. For water, boiling temperature occurs at a temperature of 100°C (212°F) at sea level. To bottles for canning.
Boiled Fruit Cake – more common in the UK, this is a dense fruit cake, where all the wet ingredients & dried fruits are boiled & then simmered, to allow the fruits to plump up and take on flavour. The dry ingredients are then added to make the batter, which is baked on a lower heat for a longer time. Often used as a base for Traditional British Christmas Cakes, these boiled fruit cakes can last weeks because of the sugar in the fruits.
Boiler, Double Boiler – using 2 dishes to gently heat or cook. For example, heating eggs in a bowl, on top of a cooking pot, with low level of boiling water, but with the pot not touching the water. Or melting chocolate slowly, to prevent the chocolate seizing. Other terms are Bain Maire, or water bath. (See below)
Boule (Miche – mish) – meaning ‘ball’ in French, this is a round shaped bread, originating in France.
Braid, plait (v)- divided strands of dough, weaved together in a repeated pattern (like with plaiting/braiding hair).
Bran – the outer layer (husk), of grain that is left-over during the milling process to make white flour. This bran is left intact however, when milling wholemeal/wholewheat flour, preserving its high fibre & nutrient content2.
Brandy Snaps – British crispy rolled up thin wafer, made from a gingerbread-type batter, moulded into a tube shape by hand and typically filled with cream. A little similar to Italian cannoli. Read Diana’s review of Mary Berry’s Brandy Snaps recipe (see photo below)
Bread Flour – UK term is Strong Flour or Extra Strong Flour, with higher protein content than Plain/All Purpose flour.
Bread Pan, Bread Tin – rectangular shaped baking tin/pan for baking a loaf of bread. Sizes can vary, but generally a 1lb (1 pound/450g) loaf tin is 21.5 x 11.5cm by 7cm deep. (8.5″ x 4.5″ x 2.75″).
And a 2lb (2 pounds, 900g) loaf tin is about 24x12x8cm (9.5x5x3″), at its widest points. (*Note all dimensions are angled, with no straight box sides).
You can get 1lb tins for air fryers, that are not as long but have straight sides, such as a Masterclass 1lb loaf tin @ 15x9cm x 7cm deep (6×3.5×3″).
Bread scoring – see Scoring below.
Break – in break making, oven spring occurs once in the oven, before the crust hardens. Seeking the path of least resistance, & because of temperature changes, the rising bread might ‘break’ out the side(s) of the loaf. This is often why scoring is performed, to encourage the bread to split where you want it to.
Broil, Broiler, Broiling (v) – US terms for the grill, or grilling.
Brown (v) – to brown the meat before adding to a pie filling for example. Frying the outside of the mean, till a brown colour.
Browned Butter – the process of clarifying butter (separating the fat from the liquid), before cooking a little longer till browned. For more details, see my Brown Butter Tutorial & video, or how to make Browned Butter Cookies.
Brown Flour – toasted flour, in the oven, stovetop or microwave, to remove raw flour taste, as well as produce a nutty flavour.
Brown Sugar – can be unrefined or partially refined, soft sugar with residual molasses. Light brown sugar will contain less molasses than dark brown sugar, but both add a caramel flavour. In the UK, brands Billington’s & Tate & Lyle are unrefined.
Bûche de Noël – also known as a Yule Log, made from a Swiss Roll/Jelly Roll cake, cut to form a branch and covered in ganache or frosting to resemble tree bark. See my Buche de Noel Tutorial.
Buckwheat Flour – despite the name, buckwheat flour is a gluten-free flour, made from the milled and de-hulled seeds of the buckwheat plant. Can be used with other gluten-free flours or on its own.
Bulger, Bulger Wheat – cereal made from partially boiled and dried out whole wheat, particularly popular in Turkey.
Bundt Cake – ring shaped cake, baked in a bundt tin/pan (in large or mini size).
Bundt Pan/Tin – used to bake bundt cakes. Ring shaped pan, with curved, fluted or a vast array of intricate designed sides. Makes for very pretty but minimally decorated cakes. Check out my bundt cake recipes, that can even be baked in the air fryer!
Burger Buns -type of round bread roll for burgers. Also known as baps. Try my Quicker Burger Buns recipe.
Burner – US word for Hob, Stovetop
Butter, Salted Butter, Unsalted Butter – used a lot in baking, unsalted is recommended for best results. Salted butter has higher water content, and this amount can vary from brand to brand. Seems to have increased too in recent years since Covid.
Buttercream – used as a frosting to cover or fill cakes, as well as on cookies & easy to make from icing (powdered) sugar & butter (Simple/American Buttercream). Can be flavoured for example with vanilla extract or coloured (like strawberry buttercream with strawberry puree).
Other types of buttercream include Swiss Meringue Buttercream, Italian Meringue Buttercream, French Meringue Buttercream or 7 Minute Frosting. The meringue buttercreams, begin with making the meringue by one of the 3 methods, which you can learn about in my Air Fryer Meringue By 3 Methods tutorial.
Buttermilk – liquid naturally leftover from churning butter from double/heavy cream. Slightly acid, if you don’t have any for a recipe, you can fake it, by adding vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk. See my buttermilk hack video, or why not make your own butter & buttermilk from cream on sale?
Butterscotch – deeper flavour than caramel.
Butterscotch Glaze – a delicious icing made by caramelizing brown sugar and butter & adding to icing/powdered sugar, to make a very pliable glaze, suitable for detailed drip cakes. See my Butterscotch glaze recipe on my pumpkin gingerbread bundt cake.
C
(cm) Centimetre(s) – unit of mesurement used in UK. 1 inch (“) = 2.54cm. 100cm = 1 metre/25.5″ 1cm= 2/5″.
Cacao, Cacao Tree – an evergreen tropical tree, from which pods are cultivated for cocoa butter & cocoa powder.
Cacao Nibs – crushed cacao beans, with a bitter, chocolatey flavour. Read more @ Healthline.com/Cacao Nibs/
Cake Bars, Cake Squares -like UK traybake, where the cakes are cut into squares or rectangles (bars).
Cake Flour – US type of flour made from soft wheat & finely milled, with lower protein content for lighter fluffier cakes. Typical protein content ranges from 5-83
Cake Goop – see lining paste below.
Cakelets – smaller sized cakes but not as small as mini bundts, cupcakes or muffins. Often can be bundt or shaped in snowflake design for example. See these Gingerbread Cakelets my friend baked.
Cake Pan/Tin – round, square or even rectangular pan for baking cakes and not as shallow of trays for cookies. See my baking equipment lesson.
Can – 1. Glass jars, jam/jelly jars & used for preserving, (see below). 2. Metal container, for example can of peas. British word is ‘tin’, tin of peas, or tinned peas.
Candy – US term for sweets and chocolates.
Canning (v)– US term for preserving foods in glass jars, with boiling water, such as jams, pickles, preserves, even meats.
Cannoli – Italian, little deep-fried pastry tubes with a sweetened ricotta cheese filling. Similar idea to a British Brandy Snap, which is oven baked instead.
Capping – happens when breads are under-proved and the inside of the bread pushes up & out of the top crust, creating a sharp edge along the sides, resembling a cap/hat edge. To learn about proving & more, read my working with yeast dough article.
Caramelized, Caramelization – involves the heating of sugar. Caramelization occurs at 160°C (320°F), when the sugar molecules turn a brown/caramel colour. Read my Caramel Sauce 101 tutorial for lots more details.
Caramel Sauce – made from caramelizing sugar & adding dairy. Try my salted caramel sauce recipe.
Caster Sugar – common sugar used in British baking. Is made from cane sugar and smaller, finer granule size than granulated sugar. Very similar to extra/super fine sugar in the US, you can make your own and it is important in many recipes.
Celiac Disease – condition where the immune system attacks the person’s own body, after consuming gluten. This adverse reaction occurs when exposed to wheat, barley or rye, that all contain gluten.
Celsius – (° c) unit of measurement for heat in UK ovens. For Gas Mark & Fahrenheit equivalents, see my Oven Temperatures Conversions Table.
Chantilly Cake – layer cake filled with Chantilly cream (see below).
Chantilly Cream – (Crème Chantilly) light whipped cream flavoured with sugar & vanilla extract.
Charlotte Cake – sweet pudding cake, served cold. Consists of bread, sponge or biscuit outer, filled with a cream mixture such as custard, whipped cream or mousse.
Cheesecake – sweet dessert, normally with a crushed biscuit/cookie & butter base, topped with a soft filling made from fresh soft cheese, eggs & sugar.
Chemical Leavener – raising agents that cause a bake to rise, resulting in a lighter & less dense/compact texture. Examples are – yeast, baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), baking powder & cream or tartar. While whisking eggs to the ribbon stage, is considered a natural leavener. To learn more about ingredients & how they interact, read my Baking Science article.
Chiffon Cake – very light cake made with oil & whipped egg whites, baked in a tube pan (like Angel Cake).
Chiboust cream – a kind of crème pâtissière (pastry cream), combined with meringue (or sometimes whipped cream). Used as a filling for the Gâteau St-Honoré.
Chill – to place a dough or curd for example in the fridge (or somewhere cold), to cool and sometimes thicken. For things like pastry, dough, this relaxes the gluten strands in the dough and prevents a tough bake. Delicate biscuits like Scottish Shortbread, is also chilled directly before baking to help keep its shape better. I always say, the fridge is our friend in baking!
Chocolate Digestive(s) – chocolate topped version of Digestive Biscuits, (see below).
Chop (v) – to cut fruit, vegetables etc, into small pieces, about bite-sized and thicker than slices.
Chorley Cake – British flattened dried fruit filled pastry, associated with town of Chorley in Lancashire.
Choux pastry – a type of pastry, also known as the French term pâte à choux. Egg based dough, or more of a batter, piped to make desserts such as Eclairs or cream buns.
Christmas Crack – a US sweet snack made from a layer of crackers, topped with a hot praline mixture & covered with chocolate & sprinkles. Broken up into pieces that ‘crack’. Also known by names such as Cracker Candy, Saltine Toffee Bark, Saltine Crack Toffee & more, try my Praline crackle recipe for a Christmas food basket.
Churro -Spanish sweet snack, made from a batter into a strip shape & deep-fried before being dusted in cinnamon sugar.
Cinder Toffee – another name for Honeycomb.
Clarify (v), Clarified Butter, Clarified Buttercream – the process of heating butter until the fats separate from the liquid. The melted butter can then be used after a little cooling or allowed to solidify again and used in baking a firmer buttercream like in these chocolate orange sandwich cookies. Leave the separated fats & liquid to colour and you have browned butter.
Clingfilm – UK word for Plastic Wrap
Cloverleaf roll – US small bread roll, with shaping created by joining 3 small balls of bread dough together & forming a cloverleaf pattern.
Coarse – in baking terms, ingredients that are more rough, and larger in size than regular or fine versions. For example coarse cornmeal, coarse semolina or even the term coarse sugar for decorative sugar, or pearl sugar.
Coarse Oatmeal – see steel-cut oats below.
Coat (v) – to completely cover, not just dip or top with. For example coating the egg dipped fish in breadcrumbs. Or for my chocolate coconut Scottish shortbread, half the biscuit is coated in chocolate & coconut.
Cocoa Powder – essential for any Baker’s pantry. Finely ground brown powder produced from the cacao beans of the cacao tree. Used to provide an intense chocolate flavour to cakes, drinks and desserts. Try my popular gooey chocolate brownies.
Coconut Ice – classic British no-bake sweet treat/candy. Made from dried coconut, icing/powdered sugar & pink food colouring. Try Diana’s Coconut Ice recipe for gifting.
CO2 – Carbon dioxide; the gas released from leavening reactions and fermentation that creates bubbles and space in a batter or dough.
Coconut Oil – edible oil from the milk, kernels & meat of the coconut. Solidifies at room temperature and can be used in baking, usually in liquid state, as alternative to other oils.
Cocktail Stick – wooden stick, also known as a toothpick, used to check if a cake is done, by inserting in the centre. Coming out clean of crumbs is generally rule of thumb for a fully baked cake.
Combine – in baking terms, mixing the ingredients together, until incorporated and coming together as one mass of batter or dough. A common term is “Mix just until combined” (see below).
Compôte – French word for stewed fruit, cooked in a sugar syrup & served as a dessert. Common British example is stewed rhubarb that would be served with custard.
Conditioned Raisins -simply moistening or re-hydrating raisins by soaking in tap water for 10 minutes, before using in your baking. Plumps up the fruit, to stop it trying to absorb moisture once mixed into the cake batter for example.
Confectioners’ Sugar – similar to icing/powdered sugar, but with added Corn Flour/Cornstarch.
Concentrated Puree – also known as a reduction, this is a puree (of fruit or vegetables), that has been reduced even more than when making a puree, resulting in a lower volume but more concentrated taste and often deeper colour.
Consistency – in baking terms, the thickness of a batter, dough, icing/glaze or buttercream. You might hear or read descriptions like “mix in enough water until the icing has a thick but pourable consistency“. You can check consistency by observing it drip off the end of a spoon. Or for bread dough, consistency can be how it looks or feels. Might be described as a little sticky, or a shaggy dough (and not smooth).
Convection Oven – see Fan Oven below.
Conventional Oven – oven with heating elements on both the top and bottom of the oven cavity (not with a fan).
Cook (v) – preparing the food(s) & heating until a safe edible state. For cakes, in the oven, “bake/cook until well risen, golden and wooden cocktail stick comes out clean of crumbs”.
Cookie – British name is biscuit. See my Cookies page.
Cookie Cutter – used to cut out cookies, US biscuits, British scones, pastry shapes & fondant & coming in many shapes & sizes.
Cookie sheet – also known as a half sheet pan, is basically the US term for a cookie tray or baking tray (although US ovens are much bigger). Some don’t have a lip, but if they do and it is deep enough, some can be used for Swiss/Jelly Roll cakes.
Cookie bar – US term for cookies/biscuits, often baked in a square or rectangular tin and cut into rectangles or squares. Can be multi-layered too.
Cooling Rack – metal rack used to cool baked items on top of. Consists of rows of thin metal bars, allowing heat to escape underneath. Can be single or multiple tracks, that stack on top of each other for space saving.
Core (v) – to remove the tough inner part of a fruit (also known as the core). For example centre of an apple where the pips are, using a knife or an apple corer.
Cornbread – US (and in particular Southern American staple), quick bread (with no yeast), and containing cornmeal.
Cornflour (UK) – British word (one word), for Corn Starch. Used as a thickener in sauces, can also be used in soft cookies like these Soft Sandwich Sugar Cookies.
Corn Flour (US) -American word for fine flour made from dried corn kernels & usually yellow.
Cornmeal – a meal (course flour), made from dried corn/maize. Can be fine, medium or coarse consistency. Harder to find in the UK, and nearest equivalents are Polenta or Semolina. Read my Fig Polenta Bundt Cake Review.
Corn Starch – US word for Cornflour (see above).
Corn Syrup – US product, in light or dark corn syrup form. Made from starch of corn/maize, it consists of the sugars glucose, maltose and higher oligosaccharides. Not available in the UK, apart from on ingredient lists, labeled as Glucose-Fructose Syrup. Can be used to soften texture, enhance flavour and prevent crystallization.
Counter, Kitchen Counter – US term for kitchen worktop.
Course Semolina – not semolina flour but more gritty. Leftover hard grains from milling flour. Use sprinkled on Pizza bases. Cornmeal could also be used.
Couverture chocolate – French word for “covering”. Is a chocolate with higher percentage of cocoa butter, used by professional bakers or chocolatiers & comes in drops, bars & slabs.
Cream – Double (Heavy/Whipping) Cream, Single Cream (Light cream).
Cream Cake – any kind of cake with cream. Try Summer berry Griestorte.
Cream of tartar – leavening agent, helping activate alkaline baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), & often mixed together to form baking powder. Also stabilises egg whites when whisking meringues, preventing collapse & giving a bright white colour. On the flip side, combined with boiling sugar, it acts as an interfering agent by preventing sugar from crystallizing (see caramel making).
‘Cream Together’ – phrase often used in recipes to describe beating sugar and butter together. The process involves the mixture being ‘creamed’, beaten until smooth, spreadable & paler in colour. Very important for a good rise on cakes & light texture, as the friction between the sugar granules and butter creates air pockets in the mixture. With gently folding of the remaining ingredients and no over-mixing, this ‘creaming’ acts as a natural leavening/raising agent.
Creme Pat, Crème Patissière – also known as Pastry Cream. A thick egg-based filling, similar to British custard, but a little firmer, making it perfect for filling pastries like cream puffs.
Crème Anglaise – French for British custard, pouring custard. Made from sugar, egg yolks, hot milk & vanilla.
Crème Brûlée – dessert of rich custard-like base, topped with hardened caramelized sugar.
Crémeux – see custard.
Crimp (v) – with the definition of crimp to compress into small folds or ridges, in baking terms it is to make a decorative edging around the rim of a pie crust.
Crock Pot – US term for Slow Cooker.
Croquembouche -French dessert of filled Pâte à choux/choux pastry buns, stacked around a cone, often with sugar work as decoration.
Croissants – French crescent shaped pastry, made from a sweet flaky pastry containing yeast.
Crumb – refers to the inner spongy white texture of a loaf of bread. The crumb can look very special in sourdough breads.
Crumb Coat – refers to the process of applying a thin layer of buttercream frosting or ganache to a layer cake. Used like a primer, it catches any crumbs of cake (especially if the cake has been trimmed), preparing the cake for its final smooth, crumb-free buttercream layer. **Tip – be sure to chill after the crumb coat before applying the final layer. As an example, see my Carrot Layer Cake.
Crust – the outer layer of a bread or cake. Often harder and darker than the inner, due its surfaces coming into contact with heat sooner & more direct.Crystallize/Crystallise (V), Crystallized, Crystallization – when sugar molecules go back to their former state of crystal structure. In caramel making, it can spread rapidly & spoil the caramel. Things like water & lemon juice can reduce chances of crystallization. Read more in my Caramel 101 tutorial.
Cup, Measuring Cup – US/Canadian standard unit of measurement for baking and cooking. Come in sizes 1/8. 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 1 & sometimes 2 cup. Only for dry ingredients, when they have a straight edge and liquid measuring with a spout. See my hand tested conversions table of common baking ingredients. 16 tablespoons in 1 cup.
Cupcake Cases/Paper Cases/Paper Liners – single use, paper cases for baking cupcakes or muffins, inside a cupcake/muffin tin/pan, making removal easier.
Cupcake sheet, Cupcake Tray – 6 or 12 hole tray for baking cupcakes.
Curd (Fruit Curd) – sweet spread, smoother than jam/preserve, used as a topping or to fill pastries and other desserts. Made of fruit, sugar, eggs, butter & zest, it is a great way to use up fruit. Try one of my curd recipes, or most recent blueberry orange curd. (See photo below).
Curdled, curdling – when a mixture separates, looks lumpy. Can also mean when something goes bad & spoils over time.
Custard – Like a pudding, thinner than creme pat/pastry cream.
‘Cutting In‘ – term used when making pastry, scones, etc. Process of cutting the butter pieces, to smaller pieces, while at the same time, coating the small butter pieces in flour, when they resemble breadcrumbs. Can be performed with a pastry blender/cutter, 2 butter knives, of by rubbing the flour & butter pieces through your finger tips. See photo collage below & my Scones recipe for more.
D
Dacquoise – (dah-kwaz) 1.a dessert cake of layers of almond & hazelnut meringue, fillings of ganache, buttercream or whipped cream. 2. Can refer to the nut meringue layer.
Danish Pastry – small laminated & yeasted pastry made from a flaky dough and often filled with pastry cream or fruit & nuts.
Dark Chocolate – UK term for Plain, Bitter chocolate. Lower cocoa content & possibly sweetened, is more like Bittersweet in the US.
Dark Brown Sugar – darkest of the brown sugars, with more molasses.
Dark Corn Syrup – darker version of Corn Syrup, brands like Karo. See above.
Dash – less than 1/8 tsp: “dash/splash of vanilla extract“.
Decrease a recipe – see reduce a recipe.
Degerminated – past tense of degermination – process of removing nutritious germ & bran from milling cornmeal & makes it shelf stable.
Demerara Sugar – British light brown cane sugar, usually from Guyana. More coarse textured than soft brown sugars, but more complex flavour than granulated.
Depression Cake – chocolate cake made without butter or eggs. See my butter & egg-free chocolate cake.
Desiccated Coconut – used a lot in British baking, the nearest US equivalent is unsweetened shredded coconut. It is larger pieces so for some recipes a light chop might be required. (See comparison photos above).
Détrempe – French word for the base dough used to fold with the butter block, during the lamination process of making Puff Pastry.
Devil’s Food Cake – a type of rich chocolate cake, usually with a chocolate frosting. Try my Devil’s Food Cake Bundt.
Digestive Biscuit(s) – classic British biscuit/cookie, with less sugar and oat based. Learn where the name came from, in my Chocolate Digestives recipe. (See photo below).
Dissolve (v) – combining a dry ingredient with liquid, to form a solution. For example, sugar can be dissolved on the hob with water, for many recipes, including simple sugar syrup.
Divide (v) – equally dividing/separating or portioning out something. A cookie batter might be divided in 2, if adding a filling. Braiding bread, can involve dividing the dough into 3 to as many as 8 strands.
Divinity – nougat-like candy, made with whipped egg whites, corn syrup & sugar.
Dobos Torte – (Dobosh) Hungarian multi-layered sponge cake, with chocolate buttercream, topped with caramel and decorated with ground nuts around the sides & sometimes sugar work on top.
Dock (v), docking – in pastry making & in Scottish Shortbread preparation, the pastry shell/case, or the cut-out shortbread, is ‘docked’ by inserting a fork, several times over the surface. Piercing halfway down, this allows any moisture produced while baking, to evaporate. This in turn can stop a soggy bottom in a pie. In the case of Scottish shortbread, docking is not for decorative purposes but rather to stop the shortbread spreading too much.
Domed Cake – in the case of British cakes like Victoria Sandwich cake, or Madeira cakes, you expect doming. A nice gradual doming, like a hill that goes up & down. Any dome/bump in the cake, that is more than half the height of the flat area of cake, your oven might be running hot.
Dominostein – had to include this as been eating them last few Christmas’, buying from Aldi & Lidl. According to Wikipedia, it is described as “a confection primarily sold during Christmas season in Germany and Austria”4 .Slightly like a Jaffa Cake or Opera Cake, it is a small cube with a light gingerbread base, middle layer of apple or apricot jelly, top layer of marzipan, covered in dark chocolate.
Dot – to “dot jam on top of the cake batter before swirling through“. Dropping small amounts of jam, in a repetitive pattern, like a pattern of dots.
Double Boiler – see Boiler above.
Double Cream – UK term for whipping cream/heavy cream. Roughly same percentage of fat, but can still be whipped. See how to whip cream.
Double In Bulk, Double In Size – term used in bread making, or for any yeast dough. Period when the dough is having its first rise – proving and when you want it to double in volume.
Dough – used for referring to the mass made for making bread, or cookies for example. Cakes and pancakes are a batter, and more fluid like. Dough is more cohesive and comes together by hand easily, making it ideal for manipulating into free-hand shapes.
Dough Scraper – also known as a bench scrapper, or Bench Knife – see above.
Downsize a recipe – see my reduce a recipe guide.
Drain (v) – to use a drainer (colander, sieve), to separate liquid from solids.
Dredge (v), Dredging – process of lightly coating food with a dry ingredient. For example, the process of dipping egg covered fish in a bowl of breadcrumbs, turning and dipping to completely coat before cooking/frying.
Dried Yeast – yeast that is not fresh (ie not a block), is in tiny granule form. Often in small premeasured packets. Dried yeast is modern yeast doesn’t require any blooming before using. Can be referred to as ‘fast acting yeast’, ‘instant yeast’, ‘active dry yeast’ or ‘instant dry yeast’. Check out my Yeast Conversion Table for more info.
Drippable Consistency – describes the way a glaze/icing falls off the end of a spoon. Enough liquid is added to make the icing fall easy off the spoon, but in a drip, rather than one large drop of icing. Perfect for when you want drips down the side of a cake.
Drizzle – 1. a thin decorative glaze of icing. 2. (v) to let the glaze drop off a spoon, in a thin stream of icing, while waving the spoon above the cake, normally in diagonal lines, to create a rough diagonal pattern of lines of icing on the cake. A ‘rustic’ or casual way of decorating, while also adding some sweetness.
Dry Ingredients – as opposed to wet ingredients like liquids, eggs and sugar (yes sugar is considered a wet ingredient because it dissolves). So flour, baking powder, spices, coconut, ground almonds etc.
Dry Measuring Cups – US measuring cups instead of using scales, but for dry ingredients, the cups will be flat edged. Whereas, cups for liquids, have a spout.
Dundee Cake – Scottish dried fruit cake, often with Glacé cherries, and almonds on the top. See my Cranberry Apricot Cake.
Dunk/Dip (v) – To submerge or partially submerge in another wet or dry ingredient. For example, dunking glazed cookies, while still wet, in coconut or sprinkles. (See photo).
Dutch-processed cocoa – US ingredient, with reduced acidity due to being treated with an alkalizing agent. Darker in colour than cocoa powder, but can taste milder.
Dusting (v) – for example, using a fine sieve (or tea strainer), to let icing/powdered sugar fall thinly and evenly on the top of a cake. Sugar sifters are not as good as the holes are quite large.
E
Eccles Cake – British small, round & flat cake containing currants & made from a pastry dough.
Eclair – long thin cream filled choux pastry, topped with chocolate icing/glaze.
Eggs – used a lot in baking, for a variety of important reasons. (Read my Eggs In Baking article). They add protein, fat & moisture and act as a binding agent. Instrumental in defining the bake structure, they also provide richness, tenderness & colour to the bake. Read lots more & tips in my Science Of Baking article.
Egg-free – recipe without eggs, such as egg-free chocolate cake, or egg-free cookies like Scottish shortbread.
Egg Wash – egg mixed with either milk or oil, brushed on the top of bread or pastry, providing a golden colour & sometimes also being used to adhere seeds etc.
Egg White – just the white (clear) part of an egg. Less fat content, but great for whisking to make meringues.
Egg Yolk – just the yolk (orange) part of the egg. Can still be used for an egg wash, on its own or best mixed with a little milk or oil.
Einkorn wheat, also Emmer – Known as one of the earliest cultivated forms of wheats in the Fertile Crescent, domesticated about 10,000 years ago (8,650 BC).
Elasticity – how much/well a dough for example stretches without tearing. As well as how well it recovers shape after stretching. In baking, if bread dough has been worked/kneaded enough, the gluten will have been developed enough to stretch well for a ‘window pane test’.
Emulsify (v), Emulsification, Emulsified emulsifier – to make into or become an emulsion. Mixing two liquids to form one smooth mixture. Repetitive movement or motion, causing enough friction to thoroughly combine liquids that would normally not stay mixed together.
Endosperm – largest part of the wheat kernel, used to make white flour.
Enriched Dough – a standard dough, with added rich ingredients such as eggs, butter, oil etc. An example of an enriched bread dough, is my Burger Buns recipe, that is enriched with egg whites & oil.

Essence – example being vanilla essence. Not really worth it as often don’t even have any real vanilla extract in them.
Extracts – flavour extracted and used in our baking, like Vanilla extract, or orange extract. Learn how to make alcohol-free extracts.
Extra Fine Sugar – Super Fine Sugar, UK equivalent is Caster Sugar. Read more about UK & US baking ingredients.
Extra Thick Double Cream – UK term for richer Double Cream (whipping/heavy cream), with higher fat content allowing it to whip even thicker.
Extra Strong Flour – UK term for Bread Flour, but even higher protein percentage than Strong Flour.
F
(fl oz) Fluid Ounces – volume unit of measurement for liquids. UK imperial fluid ounces 28.9ml per ounce, slightly different with US 29.5ml per fluid ounce. Most glass measuring jugs will have this on them.h even higher protein percentage than Strong Flour.
Fan Oven – convection oven & common in UK ovens. The fan circulates hot air (from elements on the bottom & on top), resulting in more efficient cooking/baking & a higher temperature. Temperatures should be reduced by 20c for fan ovens. See more in my Oven Conversions Table.
Fahrenheit (° f) – unit of measurement for heat in US ovens. For Gas Mark & Celsius equivalents, see my Oven Temperatures Conversions Table.
Fast Acting Yeast – type of modern dried yeast. No need to bloom this type of instant yeast first, use directly in recipe. See my Yeast Conversions table.
Feed, Feeding (v) – 1. Involves spreading on a tsp of alcohol ever 7 – 10 days to a British Christmas fruit cake, to add moisture, flavour & to preserve the cake. 2. Sourdough starters require regular feeding, which involves providing a small amount of fresh flour and water to the starter, to keep it active.
Fermentation – in baking terms, fermentation is an anaerobic biological process, by which sugars and starches are broken down by yeast & bacteria, into carbon dioxide and alcohol5. This in turn causes the yeast dough to rise. Fermentation is also used in the production of dairy products, Xanthan Gum, chocolate & more
Filo Pastry – a type of pastry made from flour and water, & rolled out into very very thin sheets. Also known as Phyllo, is one of the harder pastries to make, just because you need to roll extremely thin and usually into very big pieces. Used in layering types of desserts and sweets, like Baklava or as vessels for desserts such as my Blueberry Apple Filo Nests..
Fine Almond Meal – similar to Ground Almonds.
Fine grater -used to grate/shred into fine pieces/strands. Smaller holes than a box grater, but not as fine as a micro plane.
Fine Lining Pastry – another name for Pâte à Foncer
Fine Semolina – finer version than Semolina, but more course than regular wheat flour.
fiori di sicilia — in literal terms “flower of Sicily”. A flavoured extract of vanilla and citrus.
Flaked Almonds – very thin slices of almonds, used in British baking, US known as Sliced Almonds. (See photo for ground almonds below).
Flaky Pastry – also known as Quick Pastry, Rough Puff or Blitz pastry, it consists of lots of thin flaky layers & quicker to make than Puff Pastry. Try Ugly Duck Bakery’s rough puff recipe.
Flaky pie dough – flaky textured pastry, (Flaky Pastry) used for a pie shell.
Flambé – French for ‘flamed’, involves setting alight alcohol in a hot pan, reducing it & creating a caramelized flavour. Or, covered for example a Christmas Pudding in alcohol & setting it alight.
Flan – similar to a tart, with a shallow pastry casing but with an egg-based filling.
Flatbread – as the name suggests, a flat, rather than tall well risen bread. Often yeast-free but some do have yeast. Try my Turkish Ramazan Pidesi, (mini version in the photo collage).
Flour-free – cakes etc free of any flour, and so often suitable as gluten-free bakes. See my flour-free chocolate Swiss roll/Cake Roll or chocolate orange vertical Swiss roll (shown in the photo).
Flute (v), Fluted – To make or press a decorative pattern into the raised edge of pastry. A pie dish/pan, might already have ‘fluted’ sides.
Foam – 1. stage when egg whites are beaten and beginning to hold air, but before any soft peaks are formed. 2. Yeast foam is when yeast is added to a liquid and a creamy bubbly layer forms, signalling that the yeast is active and ready to be used.
Focaccia – Italian, yeasted flat bread, with finger-sized holes on the surface, stuffed with olives and herbs & typically drizzled with olive oil. Try Bewitching Kitchen’s Focaccia recipe.
Fold (v) – 1. to carefully fold ingredients into an aerated batter or fold whisked egg whites into a batter. Instead of mixing, a silicone or rubber spatula is used, by hand, and the ingredient is incorporated with a motion resembling a number 8. The spatula is like a pen and the batter the paper, where you fold like writing a number or figure 8. (See photo collage). Reduces amount of deflation of batter.
2. During preparation of puff pastry, there are folds of the rolled-out dough, repeated several times, in-between resting the dough in the fridge, that contribute to puff pastries many layers.
Fondant – 1. thick (sugar paste) rolled out to cover large cakes. 2. Fondant Icing – pourable glaze covering Fondant Fancy petit four mini cakes.
Fondant Moulds – mats, and moulds used for decorative fondant detailing & shapes.
Fondant Rolling Pin – a hard silicone smooth rolling pin, without handles, coming in different sizes, that is non-stick, not requiring any icing/powdered sugar. Patterned fondant rolling pins are also available.
Formula percentage – see Baker’s math(s) above.
Frangipane – an almond flavoured custard, or paste, used to fill pastries and tarts, made from eggs, butter, sugar and often ground almonds.
French Buttercream – French buttercream uses egg yolks, butter and sugar heated to the softball stage.
French Meringue Method – most basic method for making meringue, whereby egg whites are whisked to firm peaks, before gradually adding sugar till stiff and shiny peaks are formed. Italian & Swiss meringue methods both involve some cooking as well as whisking. French is the least stable of meringue types. See my Meringue 3 Methods lesson.
Fresh Yeast – old-style fresh blocks of Bakers’ yeast, needing blooming before using in a dough. For how much to use & comparing to dried yeasts, see my Yeast Conversion Tables.
Freezer Burn – discolouration or other damage caused to frozen foods, from evaporation. Double/triple protect your frozen baked goods to prevent this (ie. paper, then foil or cling film/plastic wrap and finally a labelled food bag or airtight container & place at the back of the freezer.
French rolling pin – type of rolling pin with no handles. One piece of solid wood, often with tapered edges & often preferred for rolling out very thin & evenly. (See photo collage).
Frost (v), Frosting – to apply a frosting – a buttercream or icing to a cake for example.
Frying Pan – skillet
Full Rolling Boil — term often used for jam making, whereby the boiling mixture is almost ‘rolling’ & bubbles do not subside when stirred.
Funfetti Cake – a cake with funfetti (rainbow sprinkles) in the frosting and in the cake batter. Try my Funfetti Layer Cake tutorial using oven-safe sprinkles.
G
(g) Gram(s) – unit of measurement used in British baking & cooking. A more accurate unit of measurement than cups, digital scales will have grams & ounces. 1000 grams is 1 kilogram, which is about 2.2 pounds (lb) 1 pound is about 453 grams.
Ganache -a chocolate whipped filling or covering, often used in confectionery too, it consists of chocolate & whipped cream. Try my whipped chocolate orange ganache tutorial for more information. (See photo below).
Gas mark 1 – 9 – equivalent of 140-250 oc, 275of to 475 of. See my temperature conversions for more.
Gateau – (gâteau) is more complex version of a layer cake. Consisting of cream, and fruit fillings, and often highly decorated, it is often considered more of a dessert. Example being Black Forest Gateau.
Gâteau St-Honoré – also called St. Honoré cake & St. Honoratus cake, is a pastry dessert named after patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs, Saint Honoré. Consisting of a circle of shortcrust pastry base with a ring of pâte à choux piped on the outer edge. Then topped with a layer of choux puffs dipped in a caramelised sugar.
Gelatin – colourless & tasteless stabilizer and thickener, used to set jellies & some mousses for example. Mostly meat based; some pork gelatin, some beef & vegetarian version available – pectin & agar agar.
Gelatinized, Gelatinization: process of using heat to cause starch granules to become a thick, transparent gel. In baking, gelatinization occurs when flour absorbs liquid during baking.
Genoa Cake – fruit cake with sultanas (golden raisins), glacé cherries, orange peel & almonds.
Genoise – type of sponge cake, with no flour, butter or oil or added leavening agent. Try my Summer Berry Greistorte recipe.
Gingerbread Cake – cake usually without butter, and lots of warming spices & dominated by ginger. Try one of my Gingerbread Cakes.
Glacé Cherries – cherries preserved in a thick sugar syrup, with stones removed. Closest alternative is Maraschino Cherries (Cocktail cherries), although candied cherries can be used too. (See the cherries in this photo of a Bakewell Bundt Cake below).
Glaze (v) – a sweet icing on top of cake, cookies or pastry. The action of drizzling or spreading on a glaze.
Gluten Free – ingredients that do not contain any wheat or gluten. Needed for anyone with Celiac Disease (see above). Try my flour-free Swiss roll cakes for a gluten-free dessert.
Gluten Free Flour – special flour blends for people with Celiac Disease. Some are a 1:1 swap, some require you to add Xanthan Gum as a binder. Try my chocolate orange Oreo-style cookies, that work using Gluten-free versions of Plain/All Purpose flour.
Golden Caster Sugar– golden coloured kind of UK Caster Sugar (like extra/super fine sugar), but unrefined from cane sugar & with a caramel-like flavour. Not so easy to come by in the UK so does not feature in lots of recipes.
Golden Granulated Sugar – less processed than white granulated sugar, retaining some of the molasses for a mild golden colour and flavour.
Golden Syrup – common UK ingredient, but not the same taste, consistency or colour to US Corn Starch. Golden syrup is thick, sweet & golden/amber coloured. It differs too by the way it is made. According to popular manufacturer Lyles – “Golden syrup is an inverted sugar syrup and a by-product of refining sugar cane to create sugar”6. Also known as Light Treacle, Golden Syrup has a translucent appearance and more sweet than sugar. Corn Starch is made from corn by extracting glucose from the corn, & has a lighter colour & no real taste so is used a lot in recipes without affecting taste. You can learn in my Gingerbread recipe, where in the US & Canada to buy Golden Syrup & Black Treackle, both used in a lot of British recipes.
Graham Crackers – US cracker type biscuit made from graham flour (a coarse-ground wholewheat flour). Nearest equivalent to British Digestive biscuits, it too is used to make cheesecake crusts.
Grainy – texture that is not as smooth as it should be.
Granulated Sugar – white, regular, or ‘tea sugar’. Larger size than UK Caster Sugar or US Extra/Super Fine Sugar and take a bit longer to break down. *Note, US granulated granule size is slightly smaller than the UK equivalent.
Grate (v), Grater – to use a grater to make smaller pieces, for example a cheese grater/shredder – to shred. Equipment used to grate/shred the food.
Grease (v) – in baking terms for example, “grease & line the cake tin” is to not only paper line the cake tin/pan but also grease by way of using a cake release spray, Cake lining paste (cake goop), butter etc. The purpose of the greasing is to hold the paper in place but also to make removing the cake easier too.
Grease-proof Paper – used for greasy foods, but not as good as baking/parchment paper.
Greistorte – a type of cake where ‘torte’ by definition, is a multi layered cake, often filled with cream, jam, etc. Often made from a Genoise type of sponge. Try my Summer Berry Griestorte recipe below.
Griddle (v) – to cook or heat with a large heavy flat iron plate, sometimes with ridges. Best UK equivalent is smaller cast iron frying pan.
Grill, Grilling (v) – UK term for broiler, broiling.
Grill, Grilling (v) – US term for BBQ cooking.
Grind (v) – to reduce an ingredient to small pieces or powder by crushing. For example to grind coffee beans or spices.
Ground Almonds – UK ingredient, common in cakes such as Madeira Cake,. Closest equivalent is fine almond meal or almond flour (that is not too fine). Provides moisture as well as structure.
Ground Meat – US term for mince(d) meat.
Gugelhupf – see Kugelhupf below.
Gum Paste – a form of icing/fondant with added Tylose (a powdered thickener), making it paste-like & used for edible modeling.
H
Half-&-Half – US cream, consisting of half from milk, and half from double/whipping cream. Higher fat content than UK Single Cream.
Hand Blender – see Immersion Blender below.
Hand-mixer – hand-held electric mixer for whisking & mixing.
Hand Pie – US term for a small Pastry, Pastie, Pasty.
Hard Ball Stage – baking term for when a sugar mixture has come to a temperature 250° -266° F (121° – 130°c), and when it can form a hard ball when dropped in cold water. The syrup would also form thick ‘ropy’ threads when dripping off a spoon. Used in candy/sweet making, this term will be marked on a candy thermometer.
Heaped Teaspoon – a baking measuring teaspoon (tsp), but instead of level, the ingredient is more rounded. (See photo below).
Heavy Cream – US term for Whipping, or Double Cream.
Hob – UK term for stovetop, range, burner.
Hokey-Pokey – see Honeycomb below.
Honey – a sweetener, used in baking to add flavour, moisture, colour & binding properties.
Homogeneous – a mixture of 2 or more ingredients, that have been mixed together sufficiently, for them to be one equal mass, with even distribution, so composition is exactly the same throughout. In other words, no lumps and does not look like it has separated.
Honey – a sweetener, used in baking to add flavour, moisture, colour & binding properties.
Honeycomb – British term for Sponge Candy, Cinder Toffee, Sponge Toffee or Hokey-Pokey. Made from sugar, & Golden Syrup (or Corn Starch), when Bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Soda) is added, carbon dioxide is produced, which in turn results in the characteristic hexagonal (Bee honeycomb) texture. Hence where the name comes from. Try my Honeycomb recipe.
Hooch – grey/brownish liquid, formed on top of a sourdough starter when needing feeding. Results from fermentation producing alcohol.
Hot Dog Buns – oval bread rolls/baps for hot dogs. Try my Quicker Hot Dog Bun recipe.
Hundreds & Thousands – UK name for the tiny dot/ball shaped, multi coloured sprinkles, also known as Nonpareils.
Humectant – A moistening ingredient; ingredient that promotes retaining moistness in a baked product, or stops loosing moisture.
Humidity – The concentration of moisture in the air. In baking, the percent of humidity required for proofing or baking bread. Humidity can also affect if meringues will whip sufficiently.
Hummingbird cake – banana & pineapple, spiced layered cake popular in the US & often topped with cream cheese frosting.
Hydrate – to combine with a water or liquid to moisten.
Hydration – the process or to cause something to absorb water.
I
Ice (v), Icing – to apply a type of frosting to cover cakes, cupcakes, cookies. Can be a thin spreadable mixture (glaze) of icing/powdered sugar and water, or thick sugar paste, that is rolled out, (also known in the UK as fondant but not the same as fondant icing used on fondant cakes).
Icing Sugar – British word for Powdered Sugar. Not the same as Confectioners’ Sugar as it does not contain Cornstarch/Corn Flour. A powdered version of granulated cane sugar, it is used for making icing/glaze, buttercream and dusted for decoration.
Illusion Cake – a cake made to look like something other than a cake. See my Illusion Stack Of Pancakes Video.
Immersion Blender – wand shape blender/liquidizer, also called stick blender, hand blender or wand blender.
Inch(es), (in, “) – 2.54cm (centimetres) = 1 inch. 12 inches in 1 foot (‘). 1cm = 2/5″.
Incorporate, Incorporated (v) – to mix ingredients together, until evenly worked through and distributed.
Increase a recipe – see my guide & tables on how to increase a recipe for bigger sized tin/pan.
Instant-read thermometer – food thermometer that allows you to very quickly check the food’s temperature.
Instant Yeast – modern fast-acting yeast. See Active yeast.
Invert Sugar, Inverted Sugar, Inverted Sugar Syrup – is a mixture of glucose & fructose, that has been produced by breaking down sucrose (table sugar), with exposure to heat & a little acid (hydrolysis). With reduced sized crystals, invert sugar syrup is ideal for fondant icing. Is 3 times sweeter, helps retain moisture better and crystallizes less easily than regular sucrose.
Irish Oats – see steel-cut oats below.
Isomalt -sugar substitute, made from sugar beets with half the calories. Also used in sugar art.
Italian Meringue Method – the most stable of the 3 meringue methods, Italian meringue is more complex to make. Egg whites are whisked to stiff peaks, while sugar & water is heated till 120°c/250°f. This is then gradually whisked into the egg whites till firm and glossy.
J
Jam – British term for thick spreadable cooked mixture of fruit & sugar. Can also be referred to as a Preserve or Jelly in the US. UK jam can be any thickness (seeded or seedless).
Jammie Dodgers – Popular British soft sandwich biscuit/cookie, with a jam & buttercream filling. Try my Seasonal Jammie Dodgers recipe.
Jello – US word for jelly – sweet fruit flavoured dessert (or cubes/granules containing a gelatine & used to make other desserts).
Jelly – 1. UK word for Jello, (see above). 2. US word for Jam. For example PBJ sandwich – a peanut butter & jelly (jam) sandwich.
Jelly-roll pan – rectangular, shallow pan for making Jelly-roll cake. Can also be known as “half-sheet pan”, but can vary in recipes from 15.5 x 10.5″ to 18 x 13″ . For more see Swiss Roll Tin.
“..Just Until Combined“ – See “Mix just until combined”.
K
Kilogram, Kilo, Kg – UK unit of measurement. 1000 grams (g) in 1 kilogram. 1 kg equals about 2.2 pounds (lb).
King Cake – sweet ring-shaped pastry, served during the Epiphany, made from a rich brioche dough, filled with cinnamon, cream cheese & chocolate, topped with icing & green, purple & gold sprinkles for Mardi Gras.
Kitchen Counter – US term for kitchen worktop.
Kitchen Paper, Kitchen Roll – single use, paper for using in the kitchen. US term paper towels.
Knead – process of working a yeasted dough sufficiently, until the gluten strands have developed enough elasticity to be rolled out or shaped. Common for most bread doughs, (especially for a very good rise), this can be done by hand (taking at least 10 minutes of massaging & squeezing the dough, & a lot of energy), or by using the ‘dough hook‘ on an electric stand-mixer for about 8 minutes.
‘Knock Back The Dough’ – important step in making yeasted dough. After the dough has been kneaded and had its first rise/prove, the dough should be deflated by using your knuckles. (See photo collage above). This allows the yeast to redistribute to work again & make the dough rise in the second prove and on baking. Read more in my Beginners’ Yeast Guide.
Kosher Salt – table salt, naturally occurring, coarse salt, & non-iodized.
Kouign-amann (queen a-mahn) – from Britanny region of France, combining the words for butter & bread, this is a pastry full of flaky caramelized layers.
Kugelhupf – (Gugelhupf) yeast leavened tall cake, baked in a distinctive ring pan/tin, like a bundt.
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(lb) Pounds – often used in US baking measurements. 2.2 pounds to 1 kilogram.
Lactose – sugar that naturally occurs in milk.
Ladyfingers – small finger-shape sponge cake, with soft inner, crispy outside & sugar coated. Used in such desserts as trifles or Tiramisu.
Laminate (v) – to create many thin layers on top of each other. In baking, a laminated dough would be puff pastry, with anywhere between 100 & 700 layers, created by repeated rolling out and folding of the butter encased dough (détrempe). A good lamination will produce perfect flaky puff pastry in the likes of croissants & Danish pastries.
Laminated Dough – see Laminate above.
Lamingtons – light sponge cake, (no leavening & like a Genoise), in finger or small square shape, covered in raspberry jam or chocolate, & coated with coconut. Learn how to make Lamingtons with my tutorial.
Lardy Cake – enriched English tea bread with spices & dried fruits.
Layer Cake – cake of 2 or more layers, filled with cream, buttercream or ganache and sometimes covered too.
Lean Dough – dough with little or no fat, sugar or milk.
Leavening, Leavening Agent – used in dough making to help it rise, such as yeast or baking powder. These are chemical leaveners, whereas whisked eggs is a natural leavener.
‘Leaves A Trail’ – term used when whisking eggs/egg yolks with sugar, or for some cake batters like brownies. Essentially is a test to see if enough whisking has been done, by lifting a spoon or whisk attachment, letting the mixture fall back into the bowl, where it is observed. If it can leave a trail, or ‘ribbon-like’ pattern that does not disappear immediately, then it has been whisked sufficiently and is ‘leaving a trail’. See my lesson on The Ribbon/Trail Test.
Lemon Drizzle Cake – British lemon cake, with extra lemon flavour from a lemon sugar syrup drizzled on top after making some holes on top of the cake, to take on more flavour. Try with poppy seeds too, and bake in a bundt or as mini lemon poppy seed bundts.
Lemon Curd – sweet but tart, spread or used as a filling. Made from lemon, eggs & butter- try my Lemon Curd recipe.
Lemon Meringue Pie – sweet shortcrust pastry case, filled with a lemon curd & topped with meringue! Learn how to make Lemon Meringue Pie from scratch.
Lemon Sugar Syrup – sugar syrup made with lemon juice and/or lemon zest. Typically used for Lemon Drizzle Cake.
Levain – French name for a natural leavening agent, such as sourdough starter in bread making.
Level Teaspoon – a baking teaspoon (tsp), filled & leveled by flattening the top of the ingredient, by running a knife on top.
Lifter – 1. a leavening agent in baking, 2. large round utensil to lift and transfer cakes.
Lifters – see Leavening agent above.
Light Brown Sugar – refined or unrefined, soft sugar with a little molasses, less than dark brown sugar but still with a caramel flavour.
Light Cream – UK name Single Cream, not for whipping.
Light Corn Syrup – light version of Corn Syrup, (see above).
Lining Paste – also known as Cake Goop, This is a homemade mixture used for greasing in baking & cooking. Use for example on cake or pastry tins, in place of cake release spray or butter & flour. Made from flour, vegetable shortening & oil, it is a money saver. Learn how to make your own lining paste, ready to use whenever you need it.
Linzer Torte – pastry with shortbread-type base, jam filled & almond flavoured lattice top, traditional to Austria.
Liquidiser – Another UK name for a blender.
Liquid Measure, Measuring cup – US measuring cups with a spout to enable pouring, but not for dry ingredients.
Litre (L) – UK unit of measurement for liquids. 1000 ml (millilitres) in 1 litre. 1 litre = 33.8 US fl oz.
Loaf – term used for bread.
Loaf cake – cake baked in a bread loaf tin/pan. Try my Coconut Pineapple Banana Bread.
Loose-base Pan/Tin – cake or tart tins that have a loose base that allows you to lift out the bake easier.
Lukewarm – a temperature that is tepid, not hot not cold. Can be between 16-38°c (60-100°f) and the best temperature to use if you burn yourself in the kitchen.
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Macaron – a delicate & chewy French confection, consisting of 2 shells sandwich together with a filling, & made from whisked egg whites, sugar, ground almonds & sometimes food colouring. Can be made using the French, Swiss or Italian meringue methods. (See my Air Fryer 3 Meringue Methods Tutorial). Watch my friend Sally from Bewitching Kitchen bake macarons for a Facebook group bake-along. Or take a look at Bewitching Kitchen’s vast array of beautiful macarons. (Also see photo below).
Macaroon – not to be confused with almond macarons, macaroons are small sweet bundles made from coconut egg whites & sugar, & sometimes dipped in chocolate.
Macerate – to soften a food by soaking in a liquid. Strawberries for example however, can be macerated in sugar as the sugar breaks down. This is because sugar is hygroscopic, by drawing water out of the fruit by osmosis.
Madeira Cake – classic British cake, not from Madeira, nor does it contain Madeira wine. Learn more in my Madeira Cake recipe.
Madeleines – Classic French scallop-shaped, bite-sized buttery cakes, enjoyed plain or half-coated with the likes of jam, chocolate or coconut.
Make-up – a term for shaping bread dough.
Malt Extract – a sweet sticky substance that is made from the infusion of malt or barley. Adds flavour, colour & texture in baking.
Marzipan – yellow or beige paste, made form ground almonds, sugar & egg whites. Very similar to US almond paste. US version is usually in a log shape, whereas UK marzipan is in a rectangular block like fondant icing. Used in British Christmas Cakes, covering the fruit cake before topping with fondant or Royal icing.
Mash – to make a soft mass, by crushing motion. For example mashed potato or mashing roasted pumpkin into a puree without a blender.
Measuring Cups – most common way to measure ingredients for cooking or baking in the US. Cup sizes range from 1/8, to 1/4, to 1/3, to 1/2 to 1 or 2 cups. Used for dry ingredients as a volume measurement. See my Conversions Table.
Measuring Jug – jug, often glass to see the level, with lines of measurements for wet ingredients. UK jugs will have ml, fl oz, pints & litres. US typically have fl oz and cup measurements marked on them.
Measuring Spoons – equipment for baking or cooking. Used for small amounts of dry or wet ingredients, in teaspoons & tablespoons (tsp & tbsp respectively). These range from 1/8tsp, 1/4, 1/2, 1 tsp, 1 tbsp
Mealy pie dough – pastry where the fat is cut in until very small pieces & it resembles course cornmeal. Completely coats the flour in fat, & as a result, less liquid needed to bring the dough together. Ideal for more liquidy pie fillings.
Melt – to heat an ingredient & change from a solid mass to a liquid. Examples being chocolate or sugar.
Melting point – temperature when butter for example will start changing from a solid to liquid state. For butter it is usually 27°C/82° F. Whereas sugar takes long & is at 185.5°C/366°F.
Meringue – sweet baked treat, produced from whisking egg whites & sugar to stiff peaks & baked in the oven, to produce a crispy outer shell and chewy centre. Meringue can also be browned with a baking blow torch. 3 types of method for making meringues include – French Meringue, Italian Meringue & Swiss Meringue. Check out Lemon meringue pie that is topped with meringue or make a Pavlova with meringue nests. Can also be used as an ingredient to make more stable buttercreams.
Milk Chocolate – Mostly UK term for sweet chocolate with added milk and less cocoa solids than dark/bitter chocolate but more than white chocolate.
Millefeuille, mille-feuille – French for ‘thousand-sheets‘, it consists of thin layers of puff pastry, sandwiching a tall filling of pastry cream, or cream and fruits. Filled with a custard, this is known as a Custard Slice or Vanilla Slice in the UK. A Napoleon in North America, Milhojas in Latin America & Gâteau de mille-feuilles in French.
Millet Flour – a gluten-free kind of flour, produced by grinding seeds from millet plant.
Milligram (mg) – British metric unit of measurement. Smaller than grams, 1000mg in 1 gram. Not used much in home baking, as it is an extremely small amount. As an example, 1 tsp flour would be about 2600mg.
Millilitre (ml) – British metric unit of measurement for liquids, such as water, but yoghurt comes in ml tubs. 1000ml in 1 litre. 1000ml is about 33.8 US fl oz. Measuring spoons are in ml too, for example 1 tsp milk would be 5ml, and 1 tbsp 15ml.
Mill (v) – to process flour, meal, bran, cereal etc from hard grains by a process of grinding.
Mince – To cut or chop into very small pieces, for example meat. US word for minced meat is ground meat.
Mincemeat – UK minced (finely chopped) sugary dried fruits mixture, used to fill mince pies.
Mini Bundts – mini version of bundt cakes, usually little smaller than palm size. Slightly larger version are about ‘cakelet‘ size.
Mini Cakes – smaller, individual cakes, such as mini bundts, cakelets, mini layer cakes, or mini loaf cakes.
Miche – (mish) rustic round loaf made from sourdough starter and wholewheat flour. “la miche” is French for “the round loaf.”
Mississippi Mud Pie – sweet American pie, made with crushed chocolate biscuit/cookie crust, filled with a rich chocolate mousse and cream.
Mixed Spice – UK nearest equivalent to US Pumpkin Spice blend and used a lot in Autumn/Fall & winter baking & lattes.
‘Mix Just Until Combined’ – Phrase often used in recipes describing how much mixing should be done. In cakes for example, mixing only till everything is together, looks all mixed through and no dry patches of flour at the bottom. Mix or beat beyond that stage and you run the risk of over-mixing and producing a dense bake that doesn’t rise well. See my Over-mixing Cake Batter Lesson.
‘Mix until just moistened‘ – mix only till the mixture is moist and no longer a mix of dry ingredients.
Mise en place (mee-zon plahs) – reading the recipe and having all the ingredients ready, in place and measured out before starting preparing the process.
Modeling Paste – firmer type of sugar paste/fondant icing used to form & mould edible decorations & figures.
Moisten (v) – to stir, brush or sprinkle a dry ingredient with a fluid.
Mousse Cake – light and fluffy cake of mousse, or a regular cake with single or multiple mousse layer.
Muffin – small sweet or savoury, version of a cake, but bigger than a cupcake & often without a frosting. Try some cheddar & mozzarella muffins for a change.
Muffin Liners/Paper Liners – larger paper cases (or even reusable silicone), for baking muffins into directly before adding to a metal or silicone muffin tin/pan.
Muffin Method – technique of mixing the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls, before mixing all together. Method is intended to limit the amount of gluten production during mixing, to keep the muffins light texture.
Muffin pans/trays – most often a 6 or 12 hole tray/pan for baking muffins in.
Muscovado Sugar – partially refined to unrefined, cane sugar with strong molasses content. Extra Light, Light & Dark Muscovado Sugar versions are available.
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Naan – a type of flatbread, from South Asia, leavened, large and teardrop shaped.
Nanaimo Bars – no-bake Canadian dessert bar. Consisting of 3 layers of a wafer, nut & coconut base, custard icing centre & topped with chocolate ganache.
Napoleon – like a Mille-feuille, but with almond paste layers.
Natural Leavener – helps batter rise naturally without chemicals, examples being whisking eggs or using a sourdough starter.
Natural starter – see Levain, a sourdough starter.
Neenish Tart – small, round sweet Australian pastry, consisting of a shortbread or pastry case, gelatin-set cream, topped with brown and pink icing.
Net Weight – weight of the contents of a package/jar, excluding the packaging/jar weight.
New York Cheesecake – most popular of cheesecakes, this one is extra dense & rich with the addition of heavy/whipping cream, has a taller topping & often served without anything else.
Nibs – result of roasting cocoa beans, separating from the husk & breaking into small pieces. Can be used as a topping.
No-bake – usually sweet, treats & desserts that can be made without ‘baking’ in an oven or air fryer. Can also include such recipes where no cooking at all is required. Try chocolate truffles as a tasty no-bake sweet.
Normandy Apple Tart, Norman Tart – shortcrust pastry tart from Normandy, (France), filled with apple and sliced almonds, topped with a custard filling & baked till caramelized. Known in France as la Tarte Normande.
Nonpareil(s) – (US) 1. decorative topping, sprinkled on top of cakes and cookies. These are ‘sprinkles’ in dot and strand shapes, come in many colours and made from sugar. 2. Also can refer to small discs of chocolate, covered in small coloured sprinkles. **Tiny dot shaped sprinkles are known as ‘Hundreds & Thousands‘ in the UK.
No-knead – yeasted dough that does not need kneading, (working the dough by hand or machine for at least 8 minutes). Flatbreads or smaller breads can sometimes be no-knead, but yeast-free breads can be termed this too, as baking powder or bicarb (baking soda) provides the lift (leavening).
Nonstick – coating on many pieces of bakeware. However, things like cupcake cases and paper lining cookie sheets/trays and cake pans is always recommended, to make easier removal and increase longevity of the bakeware.
Nougat – sliced & cubed candy/sweet, made from sugar or honey & egg whites.
Nougatine – chocolate coated bar of Nougat (see above).
Nun’s Puffs – small round pastry dessert from France, (pets de nonne). Produced from a cross between a batter and a dough, made from butter, milk, flour, sugar & eggs.
Nut Brittle – also known in the UK as Peanut Brittle, (see below).
Nut Flour – blanched nuts that are ground down to a fine powder to use as flour in baking and cooking.
Nutmeg – a hard shell spice, that can be freshly ground when needed, or bought in ground powder form. With woody undertones, it is hard to describe the flavour, but often used in Autumn/Fall & winter recipes, along with spices such as cinnamon, mixed spice (pumpkin spice) & ginger. Perfect added to a carrot cake.
O
(oz) ounce – unit of weight measurement more common in the US but still used sometimes in the UK. 16 ounces in 1 pound (lb). 1 ounce = 28.3 grams (g).
Oats, Old Fashioned Oats – old world cereal still used today. Scottish porridge is made using oats (Old Fashioned Oats). Used in baking – try my apricot oat bars.
Oat Flour – made by grinding oats to a fine flour. In most cases can be gluten-free.
Oat Bran – produced during the grinding of oats & separated from the flour, this is “high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants”7
Off-set Palette Knife – Metal knife used in baking, off-set type is at an angle, allowing use at awkward angles/areas of applying buttercream for example. (See Palette Knife for more).
Old dough – term for a yeasted dough that is overproved and may have tripled in volume or fallen. See my Beginners’ Guide To Yeast to check is proved enough.
00′ Flour – (doppio zero flour), Italian flour, finely milled & commonly used in pasta making or for pizza dough.
Open Up The Dough – a term you might hear when referring to rolling out a dough.
Opera Cake – French fine cake, consisting of thin even layers of almond cake, (soaked in coffee syrup), chocolate ganache, French buttercream & topped with a chocolate glaze. Famous for its precise layers & hand piped ‘Opera’ wording on the top, this is a hard cake many wish to master.
Oven mitt – used to protect your hands when taking hot things form the oven, ‘mitt’ being the kind shaped like a mitt, with just a whole for the thumb.
Oven Thermometer – additional thermometer to gauge your oven’s true temperature. (See photo). Inexpensive and good to have.
Over mix (v) – often used when referring to mixing a cake batter too much. Steps are taken to get as much air into the batter as possible (creaming & sieving), but mixing too much can negate these actions and produced a dense cake. See my Over-mixing Cakes lesson.
Oven-spring – refers to when a yeast bread first starts to bake & has a growth spurt, before the yeast dies & the starch gelatinizes & holds the final bread shape & size.
Over-proved – when a yeast dough has been left too long to prove (grow). This can be evident if the dough has risen much more than expected or instructed in the recipe. To test it, gently push a finger or knuckle on the dough & if it leaves an indent that does not spring back, it is over-proved. If left to bake, this would result in a bread that collapses in the oven & has an uneven and ragged appearance to the crumb. You can salvage over-proved bread, by ‘knocking back the dough’ (see above) & reshaping before leaving to prove again for the correct time.
P
Packed – refers to measuring soft light or dark brown sugar when using dry measuring cups. The sugar should be spooned into the cup, pressed down, firmly packed & leveled off. Once out of the cup, the sugar should hold its shape like a sandcastle.
Pain de mie – French to English translates as ‘bread of crumb’ or ‘sandwich bread’. Every-day sandwich bread, in white or whole grain, often enriched with butter, milk & sugar, & baked in bread tin/pan or Pullman pan.
Palette Knife – used in baking to spread frostings or cream on top of and around cakes, as well as to carefully lift & transfer. Come in standard, straight edge with rounded end, tapered end or offset. (See Photo)
Pan – 1. UK term for both frying pan (skillet), cooking pan/pot. 2. Whereas a US cake pan or bundt pan would be a UK cake/bundt tin.
Pancake – thin round, flat cake of batter. Made from the same ingredients as cakes, this is cooked on a frying pan/skillet on the stove top. UK pancakes are thin, Scotch pancakes thicker & nearer to fluffy American-style pancakes.
Pandoro – Italian for ‘golden bread‘, a sweet very light yeasted cake, often found in UK & American shops at Christmas time.
Pan Dulce – sweet Mexican pastries.
Panna Cotta -Italian for cooked, (cotta) & cream (panna), this is a delicate cold dessert, made from a double cream (whipped cream) & gelatin filling & topped with a caramel syrup.
Panning – simply means to add the prepared dough to a prepared pan or tin etc. (See Pan above).
Paper Cases – see cupcake cases.
Paper-line – refers to paper lining a cookie tray/sheet, cake tin/pan with baking/parchment paper (after greasing of course), and even to paper-lining for cupcakes, with paper cases.
Paper Liners – refers not just to paper cakes for cupcakes or muffins, but for the round deep paper cases for round cake tins/pans too.
Paper Towels – US word for Kitchen Paper, Kitchen Roll.
Par-bake (v) – to part bake. For example blind baking a pastry crust/shell before adding the filling & baking fully.
Par-boil (v) – to part boil a food. Not fully boiling till cooked. For example par-boil potatoes, before roasting in the oven till fully cooked. A baking example might be some apple for an apple pie, par-boiling then cooking fully inside the pie crust.
Parchment Paper – brown unbleached baking paper, white paper is bleached.
Pare (v) – removing skin or outer covering of a vegetable or fruit, by trimming/peeling, using a small knife or peeler.
Parfait – 1. Rich, smooth pâté, 2.Rich, chilled dessert of double cream (whipped cream), eggs & fruit.
Parkin – originating from North England, (and Yorkshire), this is a gingerbread cake with oats & Black Treacle.
Pastry – 1. Dough made from flour a fat (usually butter) & water. Can be sweet or savoury, shortcrust, puff pastry, filo etc, used to encase a sweet or savoury filling. Examples being pies & cream puffs. Read my Pastry 101 Tutorial. 2. Name for a sweet or savoury bake made from pastry, can be filled or unfilled.
Pastie/Pasty – UK name for a small pastry (Hand pie), but not just round/oblong ‘pie’ shaped. Can be square, triangle or rectangular.
Pâte à choux -type of pastry, but a thick batter rather than a dough. Made from eggs, milk and flour, this is used for cream buns & a Croquembouche.
Partially set – not fully set. For example a jelly or mousse.
Pastel de Nata – Portuguese egg custard tart.
Pastry Blender, Pastry Cutter – metal, manual tool for cutting in butter & flour, when making pastry or British scones. Good if your hands get sore or tired easily.
Pastry Brush – wooden brush for using in baking. Not just for pastry but anytime with each wash for example. No need to buy a pastry brush, less expensive to buy or use an unused artist brush. You can get these in various sizes too/ Much better than a silicone brush that leaves brush lines.
Pastry Cream – see Crème Patissière above.
Pastry Flour – finely ground flour with lower protein and hence gluten than regular flour. Ideal for pastry and many baked goods that has a finer or softer crumb (for example muffins, scones, tarts).
Pâte à Foncer – (Pat-a Fon-say) – French kind of shortcrust pastry, for pies & tarts, with egg & a small amount of sugar.
Pâte Brisée (Pat Bree-zay) – French name for type of shortcrust pastry dough, (similar to Pâte à foncer), but with higher proportions of butter to flour. Can be sweet or savoury, but tends to be used for savoury recipes more often. Watch me form Pate Brisee pastry into a Cheese & Brocolli Tart.
Pâte Feuilletée – (Pat Fool-tea), translated from French to mean ‘pastry made leaf-like‘, but better known as Puff Pastry, (see below).
Pâte Sablée (Pat Sab-lay) – another French term for kind of shortcrust pastry. More sugar in the dough, so the resulting pastry has a crumbly texture. Some cookie recipe will use this as a base.
Pâte Sucrée (Pat Soo-cray) – same as Pâte Sablée ingredients, but the resulting pastry puffs less & has more snap, due to creaming of the butter, sugar & egg. You could liken to a cross between our UK shortcrust and a biscuit/cookie dough.
Patterned Swiss Roll – Swiss Roll/Jelly Roll cake with a pattern on the cake. See my Patterned Blueberry Orange Curd Swiss Roll lesson.
Pavlova – type of meringue dessert from Austria or New Zealand, named after Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova. Read more & how to make, in my 3 Method Meringue Pavlova tutorial.
Peanut Brittle – hard sweet/candy, a kind of toffee with peanuts. Learn how to make Peanut Brittle
Pecan Pie – classic US sweet pie, often served at the holidays. A Southern speciality, it consists of a flaky pastry crust, filled with a pecan, egg, butter, sugar & corn syrup filling. For a Costco copycat recipe, try My Rad Kitchen’s Pecan Pie
Peel – 1. skin of a fruit or vegetable. 2. (v) to remove skin of a fruit or vegetable with a vegetable peeler or a knife.
Percentage – see Baker’s Math(s) above.
Petit Four – (Peh-tee-faw) small bite-sized individual cakes, also known as Mignardises. Can be layered, filled, covered with icings, nuts, cream and fruits. All decorated to a high standard. Macarons & small meringues are also classed as a Petit Four.
Phyllo Pastry, Phyllo Pastry Sheets -see Filo above.
Pickle (v) – to make a pickle/relish from vegetables or fruit, with vinegar or brine.
Pignolo – (Pinolate, Pignolate), an Italian cookie/biscuit (literally meaning ‘pine nuts’), made from almond paste (marzipan), sugar & egg whites, with soft chewy inner & crispy exterior, similar to Macarons.
Pie – does not just need to be made from pastry, and can be made with or without a pastry topping. Examples are my Rhubarb Pie with a twisted pastry topping, Lemon Meringue Pie with a meringue topping & for a pastry-free example is this Turkish Bulgur Pie I reviewed.
Pie Dough – any kind of pastry dough that is suitable for a pie shell, that will hold its shape and the filling well. Examples being savoury or sweet shortcrust pastry (also called Pie Crust)
Pie Plate – another name for a Pie tin, to bake pies in. Often with sloped sides, are shallow, sometimes with fluted sides or edge, and made of metal, ceramic or glass.
Pierogi – (Pee -i-rogee) Polish filled, small dumplings, cooked in boiled water.
Pie Tin -a pie dish, pie plate (see above).
Pineapple Upside-down Cake – classic cake, after turning upside-down, reveals a layer of caramelized pineapple and cherry pieces, on top of a moist cake layer. Try my Air Fryer Pineapple Upside-down Bundt Cake.
Pinhead Oats – see steel-cut oats below.
Pizzelle – Italian waffle cookie, popular in the US, and made from a very thin batter, flavoured with vanilla extract or anise.
Plain Chocolate – another name for dark chocolate (bitter).
Plain Flour – UK equivalent of US All Purpose (A.P. flour). Used for breads, pastry etc. No baking powder, and UK flour protein percentage very close to standard US AP flour.
Poached Pears – gently cooking pears (or other whole fruit), in a liquid (often an alcohol).
Polenta – a maize flour, used in Italian cooking/baking & a kind of cornmeal, (see above).
Poolish – a French starter or pre-ferment, for bread making, made from flour, water & yeast, that is left to ferment before being used to make a bread dough.
Porridge Oats – British name for oats. Scottish porridge, would be closed to US oatmeal and served for breakfast. UK porridge oats can also be used in baking & closest to US old fashioned oats.
Pound Cake – US classic cake, baked in a loaf tin/pan or bundt and made up of 1lb (453g/16 oz) of butter, flour, eggs & sugar. A dense & close textured cake, its nearest UK equivalent would be a Madeira cake (but without the ground almonds).
Pourable Consistency – see ‘Thick but pourable consistency’ above.
Powdered Sugar – American term for Icing Sugar. Different to Confectioners’ Sugar as it does not contain Cornstarch/Corn Flour. A powdered version of granulated cane sugar, it is used for making icing/glaze, buttercream and dusted for decoration.
Praline – a French confectionary of a cooked & caramelized mix of nuts, vanilla & sugar, that is ground to a paste & used in sweet/candy fillings.
Pre-ferment – see Biga, & Poolish above.
Preheat, Preheat The Oven – simply means turn on the oven now & set to the stated temperature, letting it come to temperature while you carry on with stages of the recipe. ***Note – read the recipe first and judge, by the recipe steps and how long your own oven takes to heat up, before turning it on. Too many recipes have you preheat right at the beginning & it ends up ready way before you need it & energy is money!
Preserve – 1. jam, jellys etc. 2. (v) to preserve foods – see canning.
Princess Cake – (Prinsesstårta in Swedish), is a light cake (typically Genoise sponge), layered with jam & pastry cream mixed with whipped cream (known as Crème Diplomate). Shaped into a dome, covered in a green coloured marzipan (almond paste), & finished off with a pink marzipan rose.
Prinzregententorte – (Prinz-ragen-tort) Bavarian torte cake, consisting of 6 or 7 very thin layers of cake, with chocolate buttercream in-between, and covered in a dark chocolate glaze.
Processor – machine to break down (process) fruits, vegetables & more. Often with multiple blades for different foods, is also used to bring ingredients together into a mixture or dough.
Profiterole – small sweet pastry ball, filled with cream, covered in chocolate sauce & made from a choux pastry batter.
Proofing box, Proof Box – sealed box, with controllable temperature & humidity to prove yeast dough. Normally kept at around 37.7c/100f.
Protein – essential for structure in bakes, particularly tall breads. Provides a framework for the bake. Bread flour (strong flour) will have a higher percentage of protein, but standard Plain (All Purpose) flour is also good for breads. Wholemeal/wholewheat flour will also have a little more protein content than white flour. Gluten is a protein & helps with structure & binding, and this is why gluten-free baking (and bread making in particular) can be tricky.
Prove, Proved, (Proof) (v) – 1. placing a kneaded yeasted dough in a warm draught-free place (or proving box), for about 90 minutes, until the dough has risen well (normally doubled in size unless the recipe states otherwise). During that time the yeast has been active and fermentation has occurred, producing carbon dioxide bubbles & expanding the dough. Learn more in my Beginners’ Guide To Yeast Dough.
Pudding – UK: 1. cooked sweet dish for after dinner, 2. Sweet or savoury steamed dish. US: Flavoured custard-like dessert.
Puff Pastry – also known as pâte feuilletée, a type of laminated, sweet or savoury pastry. Consists of many layers of light flaky pastry. When the buttery layered dough hits the oven, the butter melts & steam forces the layers to separate and puff up, resulting in an ultra flaky & crispy, multi-layered pastry.
Pullman Pan — a longer and straight, rectangular shape box for baking a long even shaped sandwich loaf. Named after a Pullman Train Car, includes a sliding lid. Sizes vary, but standard is 13 x 4 x 4″ (33 x 10 x 10cm) and can hold a 1500g loaf.
Pumpkin Pie – US pie made from a pastry crust, filled with a spicy pumpkin-filled custard.
Pumpkin Pie Spice – US nearest equivalent to UK Mixed Spice. Same spices but slightly different proportions, but still that classic Autumn/Fall scent.
Punch Down – also known as ‘knocking the dough back’, see above.
Puree – 1. a smooth liquidized or crushed, fruit or vegetable. 2. (v) to liquidize/crush/blitz with a masher, or blender, or processor. **See also Reduction
Q
Queen Cake – (UK) small vanilla cake containing currants, sometimes heart shaped, little more dense & drier than normal cupcakes.
Queen Elizabeth Cake – thought to have first been made during the Queen’s coronation in 1953, this is sweet & low-fat date cake, brown sugar, butter & coconut mixture on top.
Queen Of Puddings – a traditional British dessert, made from a layer of breadcrumb & egg mixture, then a layer of homemade raspberry jam, topped with meringue peaks. Baked in a large oval dish or as individual desserts. Made some using Paul Hollywood’s recipe for a review on the old website.
Quick Bread – examples are not only yeast-free breads, but scones and cakes baked in bread tins/pans, such as Banana Bread. Quicker because of no yeast or proving & typically use baking powder or baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) to help them rise. Other examples include muffins, pancakes, cornbread & American Biscuits.
Quick Puff Pastry also known as Quick Pastry, Rough Puff, see Flaky pastry above.
Quicker Yeasted Doughs – a different method for preparing yeast dough, that can reduce today time by 1/3 to 1/2. No adverse effects & basically provides optimal environment for the yeast to work. See my various quicker yeast recipes – for example 90 minute tear-&-share dinner rolls, or Quicker Pizza.
Quinoa Flour – (keen-wah) gluten free flour, made by grinding wholegrain Quinoa seeds & flakes.
Quick Puff Pastry also known as Quick Pastry, Rough Puff, see Flaky pastry above.
Quicker Yeasted Doughs – a different method for preparing yeast dough, that can reduce today time by 1/3 to 1/2. No adverse effects & basically provides optimal environment for the yeast to work. See my various quicker yeast recipes – for example 90 minute tear-&-share dinner rolls, or Quicker Pizza.
Quinoa Flour – (keen-wah) gluten free flour, made by grinding wholegrain Quinoa seeds & flakes.
R
Rack, Cooling Rack – wire rack or multiple rows of stacked racks, for cooling your baked item. Allows heat to escape and not be trapped under a solid surface, causing condensation.
Raisins – UK term for US golden raisins
Rancid – 1. term used for foods that contain fat or oils, and have turned/spoiled, will smell & taste unpleasant/foul. 2. Also used to describe something unpleasant.
Rapid Yeast – see active dried yeast.
Raw Cane Sugar – Turbinado, Demerara sugar, tan coloured, coarse granulated sugar & 98% sucrose.
Reconstitute (v) – to restore to its former state, by the addition of water.
Reduction – see concentrated puree.
Reduce a recipe – see my guide with tables on how to reduce a recipe for a smaller tin/pan size.
Red Velvet Cake – popular kind of chocolate cake, with distinctive red colouring, often in layer cake form, with a cream cheese buttercream. Key ingredients are vinegar, buttermilk & red food colouring.
Resting Time – refers to any resting period of yeast dough (after kneading, during proving), or other dough such as pastry. For pastry, & a lot of other doughs, after bringing the dough together, chilling & resting the dough is advised to let the gluten relax & result in a less tough & better over-all bake. Good time for the baker to rest too or do the dishes & rest later!
Retarding, Retard (v) – process of slowing down fermentation in yeast dough, by placing in the fridge for example. For more flavour & texture development, a yeast dough can be slow proved (see below).
**Scientific Note – Contrary to common belief, letting salt come in direct contact with yeast, does not retard, kill or make the yeast work any less than normal. To quote my friend, microbiologist, teacher & baker, Sally Newton …
“”.. dry yeast will be more resilient as the salt would take longer to hit it, but even fresh yeast, once you mix all the ingredients, the salt concentration is reduced to levels compatible with all metabolic reactions“8
In other words, you should not worry about any effects on the yeast & Sally also makes incredible sourdough breads. Find her at Bewitching Kitchen -bread recipes, or check out her credentials in Reference 7 in the footnotes.
Rhubarb Compote – stewed rhubarb and sugar, served with something like custard as a British dessert.
Ribbon Trail, Ribbon Stage, Ribbon Test – terms used for a test to see if eggs (or egg yolks) and sugar have been whisked enough. Can be used for cakes like Genoise, & brownies. Involves observing how the batter falls back into the bowl. If it leaves a trail, or ribbon pattern that does not disappear immediately, then you have whisked enough. See & learn more in my Ribbon & Trail test Lesson.
Rice pudding – several names for this sweet dessert/pudding made from rice, milk (or cream) and spices like cinnamon. Such as Rozz be Laban, Riz au lait, Sütlaç, Dudhapak, Tibuktíbuk, Arroz con leche, Budino di riso & more
.Rind – hard skin or peel of a fruit or vegetable.
Ripe Test – for yeast dough, this is testing/checking the dough is ready. 1st time is when you look at the dough after the first prove. Has the dough doubled & is it ready to be ‘knocked back‘? 2nd ripe test is when shaped bread/rolls have had a 2nd prove & you check if proved enough for baking. See my Beginners Guide To yeast Dough for how to check.
Rise, Risen – refers to result of proving, or resting time of yeast dough, when most dough will have doubled in size.
Rock Cakes, Rock Bun – British small cake, surface resembling a rough rock & promoted by British Ministry Of Food in World War II as something that could be made during rationing. Try Diana’s Rock Cake recipe.
Roll, Rolling (v) – 1. UK term for a bread bap or bun. 2. Cake roll such as a Swiss Roll or Buche De Noel/Yule Log, 3. (v) to move dough in a back & forth motion, to roll & shape into a ball, to push cake along, form into a log shape.
Rolling Boil – see full rolling boil above.
Rolling Pin – most often wooden (although, metal, silicone & marble are available), piece of baking equipment. Most basic but valuable piece of equipment, for rolling out bread, cookie & pastry dough, flattening butter for puff pastry and more.
Room Temperature – for best results in baking, ingredients should be room temperature before using. ideally about 18-21°c (62-70°f)
Rosca de Reyes – see King Cake above.
Rough Puff – also known as quick pastry, see flaky pastry above.
Rounding – term used for shaping a yeasted dough to a smooth surface, sealed at the bottom & with rounded edges.
Rösti – Swiss name for mashed potato formed into a flat cake & fried. See my review of Nadiya Hussain’s Potato Rösti Quiche.
Rounded Spoon, Rounded tsp, Rounded tbsp – refers to baking/cooking measuring spoons. Instead of a regular or level teaspoon/tablespoon, a rounded or heaped amount of ingredient is desired. So basically a touch more than a tsp amount, but not enough for the next bigger spoon.
Roux (r-oo) – French cooking term for a base of butter & flour, formed into a lightly cooked paste, before gradually adding a liquid to mak