baking

[bey-king]

noun

1. the activity or practice of cooking food using dry heat, especially in an oven.

   Baking can give cuts of poultry a crispy, browned exterior.

2. food cooked using dry heat, especially bread, pastry, cakes, etc..

   Nothing puts me into the Christmas spirit like the smells of holiday baking.

adjective

1. extremely hot.

   It was unseasonably cold last week, but this week it's absolutely baking.

2. used in preparing food cooked with dry heat, especially bread, pastry, cakes, etc..

   I can't make cookies without a baking tray.

3. suited for use in pies, pastry, etc..

   Proper baking apples are needed for a good apple crumble.

baking

/ ˈbeɪkɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. the process of cooking bread, cakes, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a baking dish

2. the bread, cakes, etc, cooked at one time

adjective

1. (esp of weather) very hot and dry

Word History and Origins

Origin of baking¹

First recorded in 1300–50; 1650–60 baking for def. 3; Middle English; bake ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses; bake ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses

Example Sentences

It's a similar story for Hannah Matthew, whose TikTok account is full of videos of baking ingredients, gently flickering candles and tea pouring from pretty pots.

Read more on BBC

If the tech industry were a bakery, dysprosium would be like baking powder: It is used in small quantities but essential for enabling electric-car motors, wind turbines, military systems and computer-chip machinery.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

More runners in the middle distances are using a supplement whose main ingredient is sodium bicarbonate—household baking soda.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

They had just spent more than 90 minutes baking in temperatures that climbed to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Prior to baking, I blend the green chard leaves with the egg base.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• blistering 
• boiling 
• red-hot 
• scorching 
• searing 
• sizzling 
• sweltering