Introduction

BAKERY AND CONFECTIONARY FDNT 315 3 (1+2)

Lesson 8:Biscuits And Cookies

Introduction

Biscuits, cookies and crackers are some of the popular baked products. Although the three terms are used synonymously by Indian consumers the student needs to understand the differences among these products because authors of different origin use the terminologies accordingly.

The word "biscuit" is derived from the Latin panis biscoctus, "twice-baked bread" other words include besquite and bisket. “Biscuit" covers a wide range of flour baked products, though it is generally an unleavened cake or bread, crisp and dry in nature, and in a small, thin, and flat shape. In the United States, a biscuit is a soft, thick scone product or a small roll similar to a muffin. The British biscuit is equivalent to the American cookie and cracker. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term "biscuit" is a kind of crisp dry bread more or less hard, prepared generally in thin flat cakes. According to Webster it is a kind of small, baked cake, usually fermented, made of flour, milk, etc.’

A cookie can be any of various hand-held, flour-based sweet cakes either crisp or soft. The word cookie comes from the Dutch koekje, meaning “little cake” and arrived in the English language through the Dutch in North America. In the United States and Canada, a cookie is a small, flat-baked treat, usually containing fat, flour, eggs and sugar. However a cookie is a plain bun in Scotland. In the United Kingdom, a cookie is referred to as a baked biscuit most commonly containing chocolate chips.

Crackers
Cracker is a term used for biscuits-of low sugar and fat content, frequently bland or savory. They are usually made from strong flour and developed dough. They generally contain 100 per cent flour, 5-20 per cent fat and 0-2 per cent sugar. The doughs generally contain low levels of water (20-30 per cent). The leavening agent is either water vapor or a chemical leavening.

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Last modified: Thursday, 15 December 2011, 10:31 AM