Baking Science (5th – 12th) (Fall)

ELECTIVE

Baking Science: Sweet Treats & Kitchen Chemistry!

Get ready to mix, measure, and discover the science behind your favorite baked goods! In this fun and interactive course, students will explore how ingredients like flour, sugar, eggs, and leavening agents work together to create delicious results. Through hands-on experiments and baking projects, students will see how small changes in techniques, ingredients and measurements can transform cookies, cakes, breads and other baked goods. From fluffy muffins to perfectly chewy cookies, we’ll uncover the “why” behind baking while building confidence in the kitchen. Come ready to learn, experiment, and taste the science!

We will experiment with cakes, cookies, quick breads, pies/tarts, fresh milled flour, breads, sourdough, cheesecake, choux pastry, brownies, pizza, brioche and croissants to explore baking science topics that include precision measuring, leavening agents, sugar chemistry, eggs for structure & rise, temperature of ingredients, yeast & sourdough microbiology, nutritional analysis of fresh milled flour, fats and textures, physics of steam and lamination techniques.

Students will need an apron, kitchen towel and a small binder. The binder will be used to compile a course cookbook that includes recipes for each baking project we cover during the semester. Students will have the opportunity to sample each week’s baking projects.

Food allergies need to be disclosed ASAP so baking projects may be altered accordingly.

About the teacher: Courtney Barrett comes from a long line of generational bakers and was taught from a very early age confidence in the kitchen by always being included in whatever baking and cooking adventure her family was exploring. She spent the last 15 years endeavoring to take her inherited recipes and improving them and making them more nutritious and delicious. Now as a homeschool mom, she loves that being in the kitchen so easily teaches many different topics from math, science to home economics. Plus baking experiments almost always have a fun & delicious conclusion!