Baking-powder
Ingredients
Directions
Sift the tartaric acid, baking soda, and flour together.
Store in a dry place for future use.
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
- Reacts with baking soda in the presence of moisture to release carbon dioxide gas for leavening.
- Baking soda
- Supplies the alkaline base that reacts with the acid to produce carbon dioxide gas for rising.
- All-purpose flour
- Acts as a dry carrier that keeps the acid and baking soda separated and evenly mixed until use.
The step that matters
Sift the tartaric acid, baking soda, and flour together. Sifting breaks up lumps and distributes the acid and baking soda evenly through the flour. Uneven mixing leaves pockets of acid or base, which can cause patchy rising and off flavours in baked goods.
“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.
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