Cooking terms: B

8 terms beginning with B.

• Baking powderA raising agent made from bicarbonate of soda mixed with a dry acid and a starch, which releases carbon dioxide gas to make cakes, scones and batters rise.
• Baking stoneA thick, flat slab of stone, ceramic or cordierite heated in the oven to bake bread and pizza with a crisp, well-risen base.
• Baking trayA flat, rectangular metal sheet, often with a low rim, used in the oven for baking biscuits, pastries and bread and roasting vegetables.
• BarleyA cereal grain with a chewy texture and mild, nutty flavour, used in soups, stews and salads and malted for brewing and distilling.
• BatterA liquid or semi-liquid mixture of flour with eggs, milk, water or other liquid, used for pancakes, cakes and Yorkshire puddings or for coating food before frying.
• Batter breadA yeast bread made from soft, sticky dough beaten rather than kneaded and baked in a tin; also a Southern US name for spoon bread.
• Bay leafThe aromatic leaf of the bay laurel tree, used fresh or dried to flavour stocks, soups, stews, sauces and rice, and removed before serving.
• BlanchTo cook food very briefly in boiling water, then plunge it into iced water to stop the cooking.