I often find myself trying to write about baking. My essential recipe is 2:1 parts flour(s) to water, or, 2:1 parts flour(s) to buttermilk. Leavening and additional ingredients add to flour based recipes.

Yeast leavened bread rises when the yeast metabolizes glucose at between 100° and 140° in water mixed with something including glucose.

(leading to brewing and distillation processes in the leavening temperature range or according to the fact that water boils at 220° and ethyl alchohol boils at 180°. So, alchohol distills from water at a consistent temperature of around 200°).

And, subsequent to yeast activation: the dough is mixed, kneaded and leavened when the warmed glucosic water mixture is added to the flour(s) and maintained as dough at the leavening temperature for an hour or more at the same optimal temperature of about 130°, and thus ferments the glucose and releases CO2 that is then trapped as air pockets of various sizes in the finished bread while the dough is leavening. Baking is then usually achieved at around 350° for about an hour.

Flour and buttermilk mixtures will leaven when baking soda is added. Irish Soda bread is 2:1 flour, buttermilk, 1tsp baking soda, raisins and caraway seeds. Soda batters are good for quick muffins and pancakes.

For tortilla and pasta it is essentially just flour and water, rolled into tortilla or a sheet to be made into lasagna noodles, ravioli or dumplings, then cut into pasta.

Sheets of pasta and water flour(s) similar to tortilla destined for the comal are then cut into noodles and then lightly fried in a comal, while pasta is dried prior to boiling.

All kinds of flour recipes can have additional ingredients like sugar, seeds, nuts, herns or berries. Fat is said by the Culinary Institue of America (CIA) to inhibit leavening. Separated egg whites can still add to dough or batter. And, yolks can be brushed on atop loaves mixed with herbs or poppy seeds, for example.

Don’t forget that breads can be specifically prepared for sandwiches, burgers, biscuits and stew dumplings.

Regarding the 2:1 ratio guidelines; dough and batters are mixed not only according to the 2:1 ratio, yet, also to achieve a consistency specific to their being made into dough that forms bread tin or boule loaves or batter for muffins or pancakes.