Baking Powders
Ingredients
Directions
Mix the powder
Sift the cream of tartar, tartaric acid, and bicarbonate of soda together at least three times through a sieve.
Ensure the ingredients are finely ground for better results.
Store
Store the baking powder in a dry place to prevent deterioration.
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
- Cream of tartar
- Provides the acid that reacts with the base to release carbon dioxide for rising.
- Tartaric acid
- Provides additional acid that reacts with the bicarbonate to produce gas for leavening.
- Bicarbonate of soda
- Provides the alkaline base that reacts with the acids to release carbon dioxide for rising.
The step that matters
Store in a dry place. Moisture lets the acids and the bicarbonate react before baking, using up the gas-producing power so the powder loses its rising 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.
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