Liquid in a product may be milk, water, orange juice and any others. Although these liquids in the baked product may function differently, generally, liquid serves as a solvent for salt, sugar and other solutes. It also assists in the dispersion of all the colloids and suspensions, in the development of gluten, and contributes to both the leavening and gelatinization phenomena during baking. In addition to sweetening baked products, sugar facilitates air incorporation by shortening. It also inhibits development of gluten and gelatinization of starch and elevates the temperature at which egg and flour proteins heat denature.
Eggs contribute to the structure of a baked product.
They may serve to do this through their contribution of heat denatured proteins, steam for leavening or moisture for starch gelatinization. Egg yolk is also a rich source of emulsifying agents and, thus, facilitates the incorporation of air, inhibits starch gelatinization and contributes to flavor. The leavening source used in a baked product may serve to produce gas by physical, chemical or biological methods. The leavening selected is usually dependent on the balance and kind of ingredients in the formula, and the manipulation methods used. Salt and a wide variety of flavorings are used to obtain the type and variety of product wanted.