Baking Science
Water hardness, chlorine and pH: what your tap does to dough
Water is a third of a dough by weight and it is not chemically neutral. Its mineral content and pH have measurable effects, though…
Baking Science
Gluten, leavening, sugar and heat — why the recipe says what it says.
21 articles · updated August 11, 2026 · page 2 of 2
Baking Science
Invert sugars hold onto water, which is why honey cakes stay soft
Swapping one sweetener for another changes far more than sweetness, because some sugars pull moisture out of the air and others do…
Baking Science
Egg yolk is an emulsifier, and that is most of what it does in a batter
The lecithin in a yolk is the reason a rich batter can hold fat and water together at all, and it explains several faults that look…
Baking Science
Every rise is air, steam or carbon dioxide, and most bakes use all three
Sorting leavening into three physical gases rather than into ingredients explains why one bake needs beating and another needs a…
Baking Science
Conduction, convection and radiation each bake a different part of the loaf
An oven delivers heat in three ways at once, and knowing which one is reaching which surface explains most uneven bakes.
Baking Science
Water activity, not moisture, decides how long a bake keeps
Two cakes with the same amount of water can behave completely differently in the tin, because what matters is how much of that…
Baking Science
Freezing dough and batter damages different things in each
The freezer is the most useful piece of baking equipment nobody thinks about, and knowing what it harms is what makes it reliable.
Baking Science
Aromatics are volatile, so the oven takes back part of what you added
Vanilla, spices, zest and extracts all lose something to heat, and where you add them in the method decides how much of them…
Baking Science
Milk does four things in a dough that plain water cannot
Swapping water for milk is treated as a small enrichment, and it changes browning, crumb, keeping and how fast the dough ferments…