Baking powder is a combination of an acid and an alkali with starch added to keep the other two ingredients stable and dry. The powder reacts with liquid by foaming and the resulting bubbles of carbon dioxide can aerate and raise dough. Almost all baking powder now on the market is double acting, meaning it has one acid that bubbles at room temperature and another acid which only reacts at oven temperatures. Unless a recipe specifies otherwise, this is the type to use.
Don't expose baking powder to steam, humid air, wet spoons, or other moisture. Store in a tightly lidded container for no more than a year. Even when kept bone dry it will eventually loses its potency. To test its strength, measure 1 tsp powder into 1/3 cup hot water. The mixture should fizz and bubble furiously. If it doesn't, throw it out.
For those folks concerned with aluminum in the diet, the Rumford brand has none and there may be others.
Baking Powder-Make Your Own!
Most of us who bake, (or want to learn to bake!), realize that one of the staples of baking is the use of baking powder as a leavening agent. Baking powder when mixed with wet ingredients causes a chemical reaction to start that produces CO2 gas bubbles which makes the mix lighter.
What most don't know is that baking powder does not store very well, and loses it's leavening power quickly.
What I have found is that it is very easy to make your own baking powder, and use it as you need it. The 2 ingredients that make it up last indefinitely when stored separately.
For each teaspoon of fresh baking powder, mix 1/4 tsp baking soda (sodium bicarb), and 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter http://spicebarn.com/cream_of_tartar.htm.
Try it, it's easy, less expensive than the commercial product, and you will always have a fresh supply of baking powder!
No comments:
Post a Comment