Creaming
The process of mixing fat and sugar, and other ingredients except flour, to incorporate maximum air with minimum gluten (protein) development. This requires mixing fat and sugar at a medium speed, for 8-10 minutes and then gradually incorporating eggs. The general ratio for creaming is 1/3 to 1/2 as much butter as sugar. Creaming contributes to a tender and flaky or crumbly texture of the baked goodies. It is a common practice in mixing dough or batter for pastry and sweet goods like cookies, cake, muffins, etc.

Laying a Tart / Pie
Lightly dust flour on a clean cool surface. Place the chilled pastry dough and fold it 2-3 times to make it pliable. Dust some flour on a rolling pin and begin rolling the dough from the center to the edge. Turn the dough 90° after each rolling action. Continue rolling and turning, till the dough is a disc, approximately, 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick. Brush off any excess flour and roll the dough onto the rolling pin. Hold the rolling pin on top of the pan and unroll the dough leaving 2 inch outside the pan. Gently, push (not press) the dough into the corners. After the dough properly covers the inside of the pan, trim the excess dough. Dock the center of the Tart with a fork if instructed in the recipe. Refrigerate for a minimum of 20 minutes and process as required.

Docking / Scoring
The process of making small holes or cuts on the dough to make guided passage for the air to escape during baking. This helps to control the shape of the final product. The dough can be docked either after molding or just before baking. Pizza base and Tart dough can be docked as small holes with a fork or a roller dock. Breads can be docked as cuts with a sharp serrated knife. To score, hold a sharp serrated knife at an angle and rapidly cut across the crust. Make 2-3 cuts across the bread. If the bread has risen very high and feels fragile (over-proofed), carefully make shallow cuts. And if the bread has not risen all the way and feels tight (under-proofed) make deep cuts.
Creating cuts on a loaf to dock is like appending a signature, which may be a baker’s unique identification. This has been of much importance to bakers in European countries.

Glazing
A process of coating baked goods (mostly sweet goods) with syrup or paste to enhance flavor, appearance and shelf life. Glazes can be simple sugar syrup, liquefied jelly & jam or, more substantially, melted chocolate. Glazing admits of various techniques:
• Brushing glaze directly on the surface: Place the cake/cookie on a wire rack, set over a parchment lined cookie sheet, to catch any drips. Heat the glaze in a pan and brush carefully over the cake. Brush off excess crumbs and start at the top in the center and work outward.
• Pouring or drizzling glaze on the product: Place cake/cookie on a wire cake rack, set over a parchment lined cookie sheet, to catch any drips. Using a spoon drizzle the glaze over the top. Glaze can be drizzled in all sorts of directions; it will drip down the sides and go where it wants to.
• Dipping the product in the glaze: Quickly dip the surface of the product into the glaze as deep as coating is desired and then tap with a quick 1-2-3 & 1-2-3 count, on the surface of the glaze to remove any excess coating. Place the product on a wire cake rack, set over a parchment lined cookie sheet, to catch any drips. In case double coating is desired; let the first coat cool and repeat the 1-2-3 & 1-2-3 tap on the second glaze.

Separating Eggs
Refers to separating egg whites and egg yolks. Carefully crack the shell on the edge of a clean bowl. Break the egg and without splitting the yolk, quickly shift it from one half shell to the other, letting the white fall into the bowl below. Once most of the white is poured into the bowl, save the yolk in another bowl and throw the shells away.
Leftover raw egg whites and yolks should be put in airtight containers and stored in the refrigerator immediately. To prevent yolks from drying up, cover them with a little cold water. Drain the water before using. Egg whites can be also be frozen "as is". Pour them into a freezer container, seal tightly, label with the number of egg whites and the date, and freeze.

Whisking Egg Whites
Incorporating air, which is trapped, into the protein strands in the egg white. Depending on the method followed the texture of the 'foam' can change. If too much air is incorporated at a high speed, the foam is furry and eventually liquefies or breaks-down. To successfully whisk eggs:
1. Place the egg whites in a spotlessly clean very large bowl and whisk them slowly with a balloon whisk or an electric mixer, until foamy.
2. Beat the egg whites faster until they increase in volume and stand in peaks that are still soft enough for the ends to turn over. If the recipe calls for stiff peaks, continue beating for another minute.
For best results use egg whites at room temperature from slightly old eggs.

Making Simple Meringues
The whisking of egg whites traps air; adding cream of tartar and sugar helps stabilize the mixture and prevents it from separating.
1. Whisk the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and whisk into soft peaks. Gradually whisk in half the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time.
2. Using a metal spoon, fold in the rest of the sugar, a few spoonfuls at a time. To form stiffer meringue for piping, continue to whisk in the sugar gradually.

Whipping Heavy Cream
Incorporating air into cream. To whip, pour heavy cream into a bowl and agitate with a balloon whisk or an electric mixer until it has formed soft peaks that turn over at the ends. For piping, whip the cream until it forms slightly stiffer peaks but be careful not to over-whip, especially in warm conditions, or the cream will curdle and separate. To stabilize whipped cream, add melted gelatin when the cream just starts to gain volume. (For 1 cup of cream use ½ teaspoon gelatin soaked in 1tablespoon cold water. Warm the water to dissolve the gelatin, but cool before adding to the heavy cream). Chantilly Cream refers to whipped cream sweetened with confectioner’s sugar and flavored with brandy or vanilla. It is used as a filling or a decoration.
Always use cream straight from the refrigerator or it will separate. Chill your bowl and beaters before you whip and you will get better volume.

Slicing Cakes
Cutting the first slice of a cake is always difficult. Using a long, sharp, pointed knife, lightly insert the tip into the center of the cake. Hold it at right angle to the cake and gently cut down through the layers with a slight sawing action. Determine the size of the slice and then make a second cut in the same way. Slide the knife as far under the slice as you can and gently start to pull it out. If the slice doesn’t pull out easily, carefully cut the sides of the slice again. Subsequent slices will be easier to remove.

Storing and Freezing Cakes
Cakes must be well wrapped to prevent them from drying out. A layer cake filled with cream or chocolate is best kept refrigerated in a large, airtight container; one with a flat bottom and domed lid is ideal. Other layer cakes must be stored in a cool place. Wrap undecorated cakes in waxed paper, then foil and store in an airtight container. To freeze, wrap the cake in waxed paper or foil and place in freezer bag. Remove the air, then seal, label and date. Defrost, still wrapped, in a cool place or in the refrigerator.

Tempering Chocolate
Tempering is the process of increasing and decreasing the temperature of the chocolate to be able to set the chocolate into desired shapes and forms. Chocolate is melted through indirect heat, as direct heat burns it. For uniform melting, break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a metal bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and stir constantly. To temper the chocolate:
1. First, melt the chocolate to 46-48°C/115-120°F.
2. Reduce the temperature to 26-27°C/79-81°F.
3. Raise to working temperature 30-31°C/87-89°F.
When using the chocolate, maintain it at the working temperature. If the chocolate becomes too cold or too hot, the chocolate loses temper and as a result, the chocolate will either already set or will take very long to set. Chocolate can be tempered over and over again, without damaging any of its properties.