Baking Chemistry: How Cakes Rise and Breads Brown

Baking powder and soda release carbon dioxide gas, creating bubbles that lift cakes and cookies.
Yeast fermentation in bread dough produces carbon dioxide and ethanol, giving bread its airy texture.
Egg proteins denature and set during baking, adding structure and stability to cakes.
Sugar caramelizes at high heat, giving baked goods golden color and rich, sweet flavor.
The Maillard reaction between amino acids and sugars creates the brown crust and savory aroma in bread.
Gluten networks form when flour proteins combine with water, trapping gas and shaping bread.
Steam expansion inside dough and batter puffs up layers in pastries and breads.
Fats like butter coat flour particles, shortening gluten strands and making pastries tender.
Milk proteins and sugars brown during baking, enriching flavor and deepening crust color.
Cooling sets the crumb, as starches firm up and flavors develop after leaving the oven.