Best Baking Powder
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Ensure the flour is completely dry.
Dry and finely powder the tartaric acid and bicarbonate of soda separately in a clean porcelain mortar.
Mix and store
Sift all ingredients together repeatedly until perfectly mixed.
Store in well-corked bottles.
Use 2 teaspoons of this baking powder for each pint of flour.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Tartaric acid
- Acts as the acid that reacts with the soda to release carbon dioxide for lift.
- Bicarbonate of soda
- Acts as the base that reacts with the acid to release gas, causing the dough or batter to rise.
- Baked flour
- Dilutes the acid and soda so they stay apart and react only once moistened.
The step that matters
Keep everything completely dry. Moisture lets the tartaric acid and bicarbonate of soda react early, so the gas is released before baking and the powder loses its rising power. Drying the flour and powders thoroughly, and storing the mix tightly corked, protects its strength.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
More baking powder recipes
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.