Baking Powder
Ingredients
Directions
Combine bicarbonate of soda, cream of tartar, and cornstarch in a bowl, then mix thoroughly until smooth.
Store in a tight glass jar or bottle.
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
- Bicarbonate of soda
- Base that releases carbon dioxide gas when it reacts with the acid, making dough or batter rise.
- Cream of tartar
- Dry acid that reacts with the bicarbonate of soda to produce the leavening gas.
- Cornstarch
- Absorbs moisture and keeps the powder dry and free-flowing so it does not clump in storage.
The step that matters
Mix thoroughly until smooth. Baking powder works only when its base and acid are evenly distributed. Uneven mixing leaves pockets of bicarbonate or acid, which can cause patchy rising and a bitter or soapy taste 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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