Baking
AI-generated illustration
Baking is a cooking method that uses dry, indirect heat in an oven to prepare foods like bread, pastries, and casseroles. It typically involves ingredients such as flour, eggs, butter, sugar, and leavening agents, and is a fundamental technique in cuisines worldwide, from French pâtisserie to American home cooking.
🍽️ Nutrition at a glance
Baked goods are often high in carbohydrates and can be high in fat depending on the recipe, providing energy and key nutrients like B vitamins and iron from fortified flour. A typical serving of a baked item like a muffin or slice of bread can range from 150 to 400 calories.
💡 What's interesting
Baking is culturally significant as it's often associated with home, comfort, and celebration, from holiday cookies to daily bread. Nutritionally, the process can enhance the digestibility of grains and create a wide variety of textures and flavors through chemical reactions like Maillard browning.