Baking Powder gives culinary creations a lift
Love to bake? Then you’ve definitely seen baking powder on a list of ingredients for a favorite recipe — whether you’re making biscuits, quickbread, pies or cookies. But have you ever thought about what it does in a recipe and why it’s essential?
Like baking soda, baking powder is a chemical leavener. It helps whatever you’re baking rise by creating a chemical reaction that releases carbon dioxide. So whoever came up with the phrase “flat as a pancake” didn’t use enough baking powder in their recipe.
Baking powder is actually baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) that has a powdered acid, like cream of tartar, mixed right in. Unlike baking soda, which needs an acid like vinegar or lemon juice to develop the reaction, all baking powder needs is moisture.
Many of the baking powder brands you’ll see at the grocery store also have “double acting” on their labels. This means that the first chemical reaction occurs when the baking powder comes into contact with moisture when you mix the batter, and the second reaction occurs more slowly when heated — providing the perfect lift in your baked goods.
You can actually make your own baking powder by mixing one part baking soda with two parts cream of tartar. But in recipes, the two definitely aren’t interchangeable. A recipe with acid in it will likely have baking soda as the ingredient. If you used just baking powder, there would be too much acid in the recipe. But if your recipe doesn’t have a natural source of acid, you’ll likely be using baking powder.
You may also find recipes that use both baking powder and baking soda. In those cases, the baking powder is contributing to the lifting or rise of whatever you’re making and the baking soda is contributing to the flavor of the dish and helping it brown. For example, in a buttermilk biscuit recipe, the baking powder is making it rise high, while the baking soda keeps the final product from becoming too tangy while providing that perfect golden-brown crust.
You should keep both of these ingredients in a cool, dry place (like your pantry) in a closed container and toss after a year.
Counter Culture zeroes in on a single food or ingredient (or sometimes, technique) to help readers broaden their horizons in the kitchen.
Flavor: You shouldn’t eat this on its own
Uses: Helps your favorite baked goods rise, like pancakes, biscuits, cookies, cakes and quickbreads
Where to get it: The baking aisle of any grocery store
These recipes from “The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion” (The Countryman Press, 2003, $35) are the perfect ways to use baking powder. The Quick Mix is basically a homemade version of what you’ll find in the grocery store to make everything from pancakes and waffles to biscuits.
5 teaspoons salt
1 1⁄2 cups nonfat dry milk
1⁄3 cup sugar
1 1⁄2 cups vegetable or butter-flavored shortening
Measure all dry ingredients into a large bowl, whisking them together to blend. Cut in the shortening until well-blended, using a pasty blender or a fork, until the flour and shortening have formed very fine crumbs. Store the mix in plastic bags or an airtight container for up to 1 month (or up to 3 months in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer).
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups Quick Mix
Softened butter for serving
blueberries for garnish
raspberries for garnish
maple syrup for serving
In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and vanilla. Mix these liquid ingredients into the Quick Mix and stir gently until just a few small lumps remain.
Heat a griddle or cast iron pan over medium heat. Brush it with oil or melted butter. Use a 1⁄4-cup measure to ladle the batter onto the griddle. Turn the pancakes over when the bubbles that appear on the surface remain open. Flip the pancakes over and cook on the other side for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on the heat of the griddle and the thickness of the pancakes.
Remove the pancakes from the griddle and brush with oil or butter before cooking the next batch. Serve pancakes hot with butter, blueberries, raspberries and maple syrup.