The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Baking - Donna Diegel [122]
grind To reduce a large, hard substance, often a seasoning such as peppercorns, to the consistency of sand.
hazelnuts (also filberts) A sweet nut popular in desserts and, to a lesser degree, savory dishes.
knead To work dough to make it pliable so it holds gas bubbles as it bakes. Kneading is fundamental in the process of making yeast breads. Kneading activates the gluten proteins that create elasticity in doughs.
kosher salt A coarse-grained salt made without any additives or iodine.
maple syrup A sweetener made from the sap of sugar maple or black maple trees. Maple syrup comes in different grades. Dark amber or Grade B maple syrup is most often used in baked goods and desserts. Both these grades have a stronger maple flavor than the Fancy Grade A maple syrup used for pancakes.
meld To allow flavors to blend and spread over time. Melding is often why recipes call for overnight refrigeration and is also why some dishes taste better as leftovers.
mold A decorative, shaped metal pan in which contents set up and take the shape of the pan.
nutmeg A sweet, fragrant, musky spice used primarily in baking.
nutritional yeast An inactive yeast with a nutty, cheeselike flavor. It contains a wide assortment of minerals and B vitamins and can provide a reliable dietary source of B12.
oat bran The outer husk of the oat grain. It’s loaded with fiber and has a rich, nutty flavor.
off-set spatula A handy tool to use in frosting cakes. This metal spatula has a stiff metal blade bent at an angle near the handle. This shape allows access to get into tight spots an ordinary frosting spatula couldn’t reach without tearing up the frosting.
olive oil A fragrant liquid produced by crushing or pressing olives. Extra-virgin olive oil—the most flavorful and highest quality—is produced from the first pressing of a batch of olives; oil is also produced from later pressings.
pastry blender A U-shape tool consisting of several wires with a handle. It’s used to cut fat into dry ingredients.
pecans Rich, buttery nuts, native to North America, that have a high unsaturated fat content.
phyllo Paper-thin sheets of pastry dough, sold in several varieties made from wheat or spelt flours, used to prepare many sweet and savory Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes.
pinch An unscientific measurement term, the amount of an ingredient—typically a dry, granular substance such as an herb or seasoning—you can hold between your finger and thumb.
poppy seeds Tiny, slate-blue poppy seeds and poppy seed oil come from the opium poppy plant. They have very little flavor until toasted, when they yield a slightly nutty flavor. These are most often used in pastries.
preheat To turn on an oven, broiler, or other cooking appliance in advance of cooking so the temperature will be at the desired level when the assembled dish is ready for cooking.
prick To make small holes in the surface of a food so it won’t rise or blister. This is usually done with the tines of a fork.
pulse To pulse in a food processor means to push the power button on and off multiple times in a row, stopping for 1 or 2 seconds between processing.
score To make shallow cuts in the surface of a food.
sesame oil An oil, made from pressing sesame seeds, that’s tasteless if clear, and aromatic and flavorful if toasted and brown.
soy margarine A vegan alternative to dairy butter, this fat is made of partially hydrogenated soy oil and can be substituted in most recipes calling for margarine or butter.
springform pan A two-piece pan with a removable bottom and sides that spring open with a hinge and latch. The sides are closed and latched when baking and opened after the cake is cool enough to release without it breaking or oozing out.
Sucanat A brand of sugar made by dehydrating and granulating sugar cane. It has a slightly coarse texture, a dark brown color, and a high concentration of molasses.
tapioca A starch extracted from the cassava root used as a thickener