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Not Running => Food => Topic started by: LilyLily on December 21, 2012, 06:47:38 PM

Title: Baking Ingredient Purposes
Post by: LilyLily on December 21, 2012, 06:47:38 PM

I enjoy baking but, unlike cooking, I don't know enough to be creative.  I stick to the recipe exactly.  A start would be understanding the use of certain ingredients.  So, what is the purpose of the following ingredients:

Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Cream of Tartar

And what are general rules of thumb for ratios?

Title: Re: Baking Ingredient Purposes
Post by: merigayle on December 21, 2012, 07:04:34 PM

Baking powder helps things rise and cream of tartar is a good stabalizer for things like meringues

Title: Re: Baking Ingredient Purposes
Post by: Ice Cream on December 21, 2012, 08:09:20 PM

Quote from: Lily on December 21, 2012, 06:47:38 PM

I enjoy baking but, unlike cooking, I don't know enough to be creative.  I stick to the recipe exactly.  A start would be understanding the use of certain ingredients.  So, what is the purpose of the following ingredients:

Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Cream of Tartar
And what are general rules of thumb for ratios?

I stick to recipes for baking.  Period.  But, aren't you sick with the flu?

Title: Re: Baking Ingredient Purposes
Post by: diablita on December 21, 2012, 08:21:44 PM

Quote from: Ice Cream on December 21, 2012, 08:09:20 PM

I stick to recipes for baking.  Period.  But, aren't you sick with the flu?

No worries, her posts aren't contagious. 

Title: Re: Baking Ingredient Purposes
Post by: diablita on December 21, 2012, 08:24:13 PM

Baking Powder and baking soda are both rising agents (leaveners).  But baking soda needs another ingredient in order to rise (e.g., yogurt, buttermilk, milk & honey) that acidifies and has liquid.
Baking powder has the baking soda in it so it doesn't need anything else but the ingredient that has liquid.

Title: Re: Baking Ingredient Purposes
Post by: CheryG on December 25, 2012, 04:46:09 PM

Double acting baking powder is both heat and liquid activated for the rise.

Baking soda and single acting baking powder is liquid activated.

So if you're using a recipe that you might want to refrigerate overnight (pancake or muffin batter), you need to choose a recipe that has baking powder.  If you're baking a recipe that uses baking soda, don't delay getting it into the oven as you need to bake it before it's done rising and it starts rising the moment the liquid hits it.

1/4t b. soda
1/2t cream of tartar

equals 3/4t baking powder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baking_powder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baking_powder)

Title: Re: Baking Ingredient Purposes
Post by: Honey Badger on December 31, 2012, 11:53:02 AM

I just put a banana bread in the oven.  I couldn't find my old recipe so I used the one off the King Arthur bag.  It called for both baking soda and powder.
And the mix was really wet.  I am a bit  :skep: about how it will come out

Title: Re: Baking Ingredient Purposes
Post by: triciaflower on January 02, 2013, 03:07:58 PM

How did it turn out? I bet it was GOOOOD!!!