Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: jazzie@cix.compulink.co.uk (Peggy Shambo)
Subject: Baking powder/baking soda     
Cc: jazzie@cix.compulink.co.uk
Reply-To: jazzie@cix.compulink.co.uk
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 18:33:00 +0000

There recently was a huge discussion on this topic, with various
people throwing in their $.02.  I decided to quote one of my favourite
sources in order to put forth thereal facts.

Jazzie


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About Baking Powder and Baking Soda
(Joy of Cooking, section on Know Your Ingredients)

When confronted with the questions growing out of the use of the
various  baking powders now on the market, the puzzled layman is  apt
to sign for the good old days when his product was rather haphazardly
mixed  at  hom. Just in case you run out of baking powder, mix -  for
each  teaspoon of baking powerder called for in the recipe - 1/2 tea-
spoon  cream  of  tartar, 1/3 teaspoon bicarbonate of  soda  and  1/8
teaspoon  salt.  After  adding the above ingredients,  do  not  delay
putting  the  batter  into  the oven. And don't  try  to  stare  this
mixture,  as  it  has  poor  keeping  qualities.  If  you  doubt  the
effectiveness  of  any  baking powder test by mixing  1  teaspoon  of
baking  powder with 1/3 cup of hot water. Use the baking powder  only
if it buffles enthusiastically.

There  are three major kinds of baking powders, and you will find the
type  carefully specified on the label. In all of them there must  be
an  acide  and an alkaline material reacting with each other  in  the
presence of moisture to form a gas - carbon dioxide - which takes the
form  of  tiny  bubbles  in the dough or  batter.  In  baking,  these
quickly  expant  the batter, which is then set by the heat to make  a
light-textured  crumb.  Before measuring any of these  leavens,  stir
and break up any lumps, and use a dry measuring spoon.

TARTRATE BAKING POWDERS

In these, the soda is combined with tartaric acid or a combination of
cream  of tartar and tartaric acid. They are the quickest in reaction
time,  giving  off carbon dioxide the moment they are  combined  with
liquid.  Therefore,  if you are using this kind, be sure to  mix  the
batter  quickly and have the oven preheated so that too much gas does
not  escape from the dough before the cells can become  heat-hardened
in  their  expanded form. Especially avoid using tartrate powder  for
doughs  and  batters  that are to be stored in  the  refrigerator  or
frozen before baking.

PHOSPHATE BAKING POWDERS

These  use calcium acid phosphate or sodium acid pyrophosphate, or  a
combination  of  these,  as the acid ingredient.  They  are  somewhat
slower  in  reaction  but give up the greater part  of  their  carbon
dioxide  in  the cold dough. The remainder may be released  with  the
mixture is heated.

DOUBLE-ACTING OR S.A.S. BAKING POWDER

Often  referred to as combination, or double-acting, baking  powders,
these  are the baking powders we specifiy consistently in this  book.
They  use  sodium aluminum sulfate and calcium acid phosphate as  the
acid  ingredients.  They  too start work in the cold dough,  but  the
great  rising impact does not begin until the dough contacts the heat
from the hot oven.

SODIUM BICARBONATE OR BAKING SODA

Used  alone,  baking  soda has no leavening properties. But  used  in
combination with some acid ingredients such as sour milk or molasses,
it  gives one of the very tenderest crumbs. The proportion of  baking
soda  to sour milk or buttermilk is usually 1 teaspoon soda to 1  cup
sour  milk. The reaction of the soda with the acid is essentially the
same  as  that which takes place with the two ingredients  in  baking
powder  meet  moisture,  so always mix the baking soda with  the  dry
ingredients first.

The acidity of chocolate, honey or corn syrup is not strong enough to
be  the  only  source  of  acid, so  some  recipes  with  these  acid
ingredients  may  call  for both baking powder and  baking  soda.  If
they  do, use about 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon  baking
powder  for each 2 cups flour. The small amount of soda is  desirable
for  neutralizing the acid ingredients in the recipe, while the  main
leavening action is left to the baking powder.

AMMONIUM BICARBONATE

This forerunner of our modern and more stable leaveners is also known
as  powdered  baking  ammonia, carbonate of ammonia,  and  hartshorn.
Used  for  years in Europe to produce long-lasting crisp cookies,  it
must  be  pounded  to  a fine powder and then  sifted  with  the  dry
ingredients or dissolved in a warm liquid such as water, rum or wine.

Substitute  it  for the baking powder and baking soda called  for  in
cookie  and  cake recipes. Buy only small amounts from the  drugstore
[would I be able to find something like this at a chemist's shop here
in  Britain?]  Buy  only  small amounts from  the  drugstore,  as  it
quickly evaporates if not very tightly contained.

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