Chapter 5

Mise en Place
Formulas and Recipes

Mise en place, or put in place, means having

everything in place necessary for the successful
preparation of the meal.
Bakeshop formulas must be followed carefully and
completely.
Proper planning, reading a formula carefully
before cooking, preparing equipment all ensure the
best results.

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.
Methods for Measuring

Measuring ingredients is extremely important and

is done in three ways:
By weight also called scaling
By volume, considered less accurate than scaling
except when measuring water
By count

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.
Measurement Systems

Can be U.S. or metric

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.
Formula Conversions

Yield is the amount produced by a formula

expressed in total weight, volume or number of
units.
Scale up or down increases (decreases) a recipe or
formula mathematically.

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.
Converting Total Yield

Two step process

New Yield
Old Yield = Conversion Factor (C.F.)

Old Quantity x C.F. = New Quantity

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.
Example of Converting Total Yield

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.
Converting Portion Size
Find a common denominator for the new and old
formula; ounces, grams, cups or servings can be
used

No. of Portions x Portion Size = Total (old) Yield

Desired Portions x Desired portions size = Total (new) Yield
New Yield
Old Yield = Conversion Factor (C.F.)
Multiply each ingredient quantity by C.F.

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.
Conversion Considerations

Additional problems can arise when making

changes to yield. Keep in mind the following:
Equipment should be considered when scaling.
Evaporation may not be the same Formula errors may
be exaggerated when a formula is scaled.
All things being equal, cooking times will not change
when making a larger batch.

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.
Bakers Percentage

A system for measuring ingredients in a formula

by expressing them as a percentage of the total
weight of the flour
At a glance, baker can compare formulas
Flour (or a total of the weight of all flours in the
formula) equals 100%

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.
Sample Bakers Percentage Formula

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.
Converting with Bakers Percentage

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.
Knife Skills
Basic knife skills are the backbone of techniques in a
professional kitchen
Focus on the task at hand
Use the correct knife
Cut away from yourself
Cut on a cutting board
Keep knives sharp
Hold point down, parallel and close to the leg
Dont attempt to catch a falling knife
Never leave a knife in a sink of water

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.
Preparing Ingredients
Removing water and salt clarifies butter and renders it
more stable with a longer shelf life.
Toasting nuts and spices before using them brings out
flavor, browns the food, makes it crispier and crunchier.
Blanching nuts removes bitter skins
Finely ground nuts can be substituted for some or all of
the wheat flour in recipes.

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.
Preparing to Bake

Ingredients are often flavored before use in the

bakeshop.
Steeping soaks dry ingredients in a liquid to infuse
its flavor in the liquid
Dry fruits remain tender if soaked overnight
before use, known as conditioning

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.
Preparing to Bake

Blanching, or parcooking, is immersion in boiling

salted water and removes bitterness, preserves
color, softens and shortens final cook time.
Ice baths, consisting of ice and water, quickly cool
food for safe, sanitary storage under refrigeration.

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.