Showing results for "baking"

• present participle of bake.

baking

American  

[bey-king] / ˈbeɪ kɪŋ /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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adjective

1. (esp of weather) very hot and dry

Etymology

Origin of baking

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

Her husband can’t hold a job, so she starts baking cakes.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2026

I find that popping them in the air fryer produces a crispier exterior than baking them in the oven.

From Salon • Jun. 28, 2026

The relative predictability of baking, putting together ingredients with a tasty outcome, anchors listless days.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

"Meltdown" is splashed across the Daily Mirror's front page as it reports on "baking Britain".

From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026

With him gone, life was like a batch of biscuits without the baking powder: flat, flat, flat.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Related Words

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