Flour & gluten
Protein levels, gluten formation and choosing flour for the result you want.
COOKING SCIENCE · BAKING & SWEETS
Baking & Sweets
Structure, gas, heat and sweetness: the chemistry inside the oven.
Baking depends on structure and timing. Flour proteins can form gluten networks, gases expand to create lift, starches set the crumb, fats influence tenderness and sugar affects browning and moisture. Chocolate adds its own crystal structure and tempering behavior.
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EXPLORE TOPICS
What this hub covers
Start with the question or ingredient behavior you want to understand. These launch topics are editorial overviews until real child guides are published.
Bread
Yeast, fermentation, gas retention, oven spring and crust formation.
Cakes
Leavening, mixing, fat, sugar and the stages of setting.
Pastry
How fat, water and gluten influence flakiness and tenderness.
Sugar
Dissolving, crystallization, caramelization and moisture control.
Chocolate
Melting, crystal forms, tempering and why chocolate can seize.
Oven science
How heat moves through baked goods and why timing matters.
WHY IT MATTERS
Use the science to reason about the result
Baking depends on structure and timing. Flour proteins can form gluten networks, gases expand to create lift, starches set the crumb, fats influence tenderness and sugar affects browning and moisture. Chocolate adds its own crystal structure and tempering behavior.
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COOKING SCIENCE
Return to the complete Cooking Science map
Explore all eleven hubs and move between ingredients, methods, equipment and core food-science principles.