I think most of us can agree that baking is an art form. Well, as with any art form, it went through countless developments throughout the years.
You won’t see Disney animators using the same techniques as they did 50 years ago. Why? Because the industry evolves.
That said, these old techniques have paved the way for the modern workflow. So, animators still look up to them today.
The same thing goes for baking. Are you curious to understand the influence of historical techniques in baking?
Then, pull your notebook out because it’s time for a history lesson.
1 – Introducing Leavening Agents
No one can imagine making cake and bread without using leavening agents. How else would we get that irresistible light, fluffy texture?
Have you ever wondered who introduced that technique, though? The first record of using leavening agents came from Ancient Egypt.
Egyptians used the classic yeast fermentation method to give the dough a soft, palatable texture. While the technique sounds simple, it was a revolutionary discovery back then, and people still use it today to help their dough/batter rise in the oven.
2 – Using Additional Flavors
At first glance, plain baked goodies might seem underwhelming. I mean, bread is just baked dough. There’s nothing intriguing about that, right?
The British might disagree. You see, in the 15th century, they realized there’s more to plain recipes than meets the eye.
After all, the plainness of these goodies means they’re open to numerous additions. So, they started experimenting, adding new spices and fruits, like saffron, raisins, cream, and more.
Ultimately, the British’s efforts paved the way for numerous modern recipes, like raisin cake, saffron cookies, and the strawberry-cream baked cheesecake.
3 – Embracing Substitutes
You probably saw this one coming. Look, baking is all about picking the right ingredients and using them properly to make pastries.
That’s why most beginning bakers think one missing ingredient can ruin the entire recipe. That’s not true, though.
The culinary world is more vast and versatile than you think. At least, that’s what people discovered during the World Wars.
As you know, these wars left countless countries in economic crises. There was a shortage of ingredients, and people couldn’t find the simplest baking components.
Bakers had to get innovative. How? Most ingredients in baking usually have substitutes. These are components that have similar characteristics and offer pretty much the same effects.
So, they experimented with numerous alternatives until they found ones that did what they wanted. To this day, using substitutes is a common practice in baking.
I know what you’re thinking: “ How can I substitute ingredients in baking?” Let’s say you don’t have eggs in your house.
You can simply replace them with avocados. They offer the same creamy texture and moisture content. So, it’ll give you excellent results.
You want to make a pound cake but don’t have butter? Easy! You can replace it with bananas. Not only do they offer the same moisture levels as butter, but they also act as binding agents, ensuring you get a homogeneous mixture.
4 – Leveraging Technology
So far, I’ve mostly covered how bakers adding unique twists to classic recipes has paved the way for modern baking techniques.
Baking isn’t just about how you prepare the batter/dough. It’s also about how you bake it.
Before I delve into how baking technology developed throughout the years, let’s see what historical ovens were like. The earliest iteration of an oven we have is from Ancient Egypt.
Here’s how it worked: Ancient Egyptians used baked Nile clay to make a cylindrical, cone-shaped oven. They divided it into two sections.
The lower one was for the fire, and the upper one was for baking. They made a hole at the top, lowered the dough through it, and waited for it to cook inside.
While the design is completely different from what we have today, the mechanism is still the same. Besides, that design paved the way for numerous advances throughout the year, chief among which is the semi-closed oven.
Semi-Closed Ovens
If you paid attention in history class, you’d know that the 19th century witnessed the Industrial Revolution. Of course, bakers didn’t rest until they were able to incorporate that technology into baking.
Enter semi-closed ovens. It’s the closest historical design we have to a modern-day oven.
With adequate temperature and even heat distribution, they revolutionized the baking world, making the process easier than ever. You can clearly see how they inspired pizza ovens.
Overall, baking oven designs kept inspiring each other until we got modern ovens that gave us maximum control over flavor and texture.
Final Thoughts
Congratulations! You’ve become a baking scholar, capable of explaining the influence of historical techniques in baking in the most prestigious college in the world.
As you might have seen, baking is all about experimenting and feeding your curiosity. So, the next time you get the urge to try a crazy combo or use a bizarre ingredient in your recipe, don’t hesitate to do it.
Who knows? Maybe you’ll come up with something that revolutionizes the baking industry.
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.