Ever wondered the difference between baking soda and baking powder? and why some recipe require baking soda while others require baking powder or both?
Join me on a journey to some find out the chemistry in baking!
Baking Soda vs Baking Powder
The main difference between the 2 of them is that they react to different ingredients and how active they are as a leavening agent.
Baking Soda
AKA Sodium Bicarbonate
Baking soda is an alkaline
When added to an acid, it will neutralise to produce salt, water and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide gives a rise to your baked goods.
Some example of acid used for baking are: - Brown sugar - Buttermilk - Vinegar - Lemon juice - Yogurt - Honey - Cream of tartar
It is 3 to 4 times stronger than baking powder. Though, it does not mean that more baking soda means you baked goods will raise more
More baking soda ≠ more lift More leftover baking soda in the baked goods (not reacted) = bitter/metallic taste
Suggestion 1 cup of flour: 1/4 tsp baking soda
Generally, baking soda would still work when being heated up, but the acid is also there to help neutralise the metallic taste in the baking soda other than helping to produce carbon dioxide.
Baking powder
Is a double reactant 1st reaction: It is when the mixture gets wet 2nd reaction: It is when the mixture gets heated up
Is a mixture of a bicarbonate like baking soda and an acid like cream of tartar
Hence, in recipes that require baking powder, you do not necessarily need to add extra acidic ingredients as it is already active on its own.
Using both Baking soda and baking powder
The reason that some recipes call for both baking soda and baking powder is because it needs that extra lift. An instance would be when a recipe that contains some form of acidic ingredient like brown sugar, yogurt etc, does not produce enough carbon dioxide to give enough height to the baked goods.
Another instance would be when it wants to retain a slight taste of the acidic ingredient. For example, a pancake recipe that requires buttermilk which is acidic, requires both baking soda and baking powder.
If there is a balance of baking soda and buttermilk, the baking soda would neutralise the tanginess of the buttermilk and hence, to retain the tanginess in the pancake, baking powder is being called for as a substitute.
These leavening agents expire too!
To test the reactivity of baking soda:
Add half a teaspoon of baking soda in a small bowl and pour 3 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar into the small bowl.
The mixture should start to bubble rapidly if the baking soda is still fresh.
To test the reactivity of baking powder:
Add half a teaspoon of baking powder into a small bowl and pour 3 tablespoon of warm water into the small bowl.
The mixture should start to fizz if the baking powder is still fresh.
Hope you all enjoyed the content today!
Thank you for reading!
Credits
Baking soda picture:
Commentaires