air leavening

Air leavening is a method used to expand doughs and batters, creating a porous structure in baked goods. This is achieved by incorporating air bubbles through vigorous mixing, forming a foam. Ingredients like egg whites are particularly effective because they create stable foams that maintain their volume during baking. This technique is used in products such as angel food cake, chiffon cakes, and sponge cakes. Gluten, found in flour, can also be whipped to create a foam for baked goods like beaten biscuits. Additionally, steam pressure contributes to leavening, especially in puff pastries, where water vapor expands bubbles within the dough as it heats up during baking.12