My first day of my professional baking series started yesterday, and it was awesome. We made scones, buttermilk biscuits, and muffins. Yum!
I also learned the difference between baking powder and baking soda. Baking powder is actually a mixture of baking soda and acid. You use baking powder when the recipe doesn’t contain anything acidic.
For my homework this week, I’m going to try making cornmeal biscuits with cheddar and chipotle: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/234118.
Here are some books my teacher recommended:
The Cake Bible
The Pie and Pastry Bible
The Bread Bible
Food Lover’s Companion
Cook’s Illustrated (magazine)
I have the Cake Bible! It’s very professional and explains the science for everything.