Baking is a way of cooking food using dry heat in an oven. The heat makes dough and batter change into bread, cake, biscuits (biskuti), and other foods. In Kenya we bake things like mkate (bread), keki (cake), buns, and scones.

1. Heat in the oven cooks the outside and inside of the food.
2. In breads and cakes, baking powder or yeast makes the dough rise by creating air bubbles.
3. Heat turns the batter or dough into a firm, tasty finished food.

• Flour (wheat flour is common)
• Sugar (for sweetness)
• Fat (butter or margarine) or oil
• Eggs (help hold the cake together)
• Raising agent: yeast (for bread) or baking powder (for cakes)
• Milk or water

• Uses less oil than frying — often healthier.
• Gives many tasty foods we eat every day.
• Good for learning measurements and science (how heat changes food).

• Always bake with an adult present when using the oven.
• Preheat the oven to the right temperature before you put the food in.
• Use oven gloves to remove hot trays — they can burn you. 🧤
• Keep hair tied back and wash hands before touching food. ✋
• Clean spills quickly to avoid burning smoke in the oven.

Makes one small cake — oven temperature in degrees Celsius

• 1 cup plain (wheat) flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine (soft)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla essence (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a small cake tin or line with baking paper.
2. Beat butter and sugar until light. Add eggs one at a time.
3. Stir in flour and baking powder, then add milk and vanilla. Mix to a smooth batter.
4. Pour into the tin and bake for 25–30 minutes until golden. Test with a clean stick — it should come out clean.
5. Let the cake cool before cutting. Enjoy with tea or fruit.

• Baking uses less oil than frying, so baked foods often have less fat.
• Some vitamins can be reduced by heat, but energy (carbohydrates) and protein stay useful.
• Add fruit (like bananas or mango) to cakes to increase vitamins and fibre.

Make two small muffins: bake one and fry the other (with adult help). Compare taste, how much oil is used, and which is healthier. Write 3 short sentences about your results.

1. What does baking use to make bread rise? (a) frying oil (b) yeast (c) cold water
2. Which is often healthier: baking or frying? (a) baking (b) frying
3. What must you wear to take a hot tray from the oven? (a) sandals (b) oven gloves (c) hat

Answers: 1(b), 2(a), 3(b).