Baking Powder
Ingredients
Directions
Make the baking powder
Sift the baking soda, tartaric acid, and flour together at least 20 times; 40 times is better.
Do not discard the pieces left in the sieve; mash them and sift again.
Store and use
Store the mixture in a cool, dry place.
Use as you would any other baking powder.
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
- Baking soda
- Provides the alkaline base that releases carbon dioxide gas to make baked goods rise.
- Tartaric acid
- Acid that reacts with the baking soda when moistened, producing the gas that leavens the dough.
- All-purpose flour
- Absorbs moisture and separates the powder ingredients so they mix evenly and stay dry in storage.
The step that matters
Sifting many times. Repeated sifting distributes the baking soda and tartaric acid evenly through the flour. Uneven mixing leaves pockets of acid or base, so some batches rise unevenly or taste bitter or sour.
“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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