Professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction, this is a reproduction of a U.S. Army Correspondence Course Instruction: U.S. Army Correspondence Course Instruction - Pastry Baking. This subcourse is an introduction to pastry baking in garrison dining facilities and central pastry kitchens, and may be adapted for field use. It deals with the preparation, baking, and finishing of pies, cakes, rolls, cookies, and quick breads, and includes the detection and correction of possible faults. This subcourse also deals with the sanitation and safety required in bakery production.

Lesson 1 - Health and Personal Hygiene Standards * Lesson 2 - Safety Standards * Lesson 3 - Preliminary Food Preparation * Lesson 4 - Prepare, Bake, or Fry Pastries * Lesson 5 - Fillings, Icings, and Glazing * Appendix - Glossary of Baking Terms and Phrases

As a trainee cook, you must be able to identify the items of equipment, utensils, handtools, and ingredients required to prepare a food product. You must be able to - Read the cooks' worksheet. First, you will need to know what food items and the size portion you have been assigned to prepare and serve for the day's meal. This you can find out by reading the cooks' worksheet. Also, the cooks' worksheet will give you the recipe or master menu number to be used, the time that preparation and cooking is to begin, the quantity of leftovers and what to do with them, and any other instructions which your food service sergeant thinks are needed. Determine what recipe to use. Procure the recipe card. The dining facility where you work has a card file of recipes. You have already determined which recipe you must use for the food item you have been assigned to prepare; now go to the recipe card file and procure the proper recipe card.

Fillings, icings or frostings and glazings make pastry products look and taste better. They also improve the keeping quality of the cake by slowing the loss of moisture. Pastry products should be iced or glazed as soon as possible after they are cool to help hold the moisture. If you frost a cake while it is still warm, moisture may condense between the crust and the frosting and the crust will be soggy.