What Is a Leavener
If a recipe requires both leavening agents, there’s a good chance there’s acid included in the recipe, yet not enough to trigger a full reaction when combined with just baking soda on its own. In such cases, baking powder comes in as reinforcement to do most of the leavening, while baking soda is there to neutralize the acid (lessening the astringent taste) and contribute some lifting power.What to do if you don't have one — can you substitute with something else?
To put it briefly: Don’t substitute if you can help it, but should you be in a pinch (maybe in the middle of mixing your brownie batter when you realize you’re missing baking powder) there are a few options to swap in. Some may be sitting in your kitchen as we speak! It’s important to keep in mind that these ingredients are happy to step in and do a good job, but they won’t perform absolutely the same as the original leavener called for in the recipe.
Substitutions for baking soda
Baking powder: Baking powder can be used to replace baking soda, though not at a 1-to-1 ratio. Because the former is not as strong as the latter, it’s important to use three times the amount of baking powder as baking soda. Be aware, a slightly bitter, off-putting taste might result from using that much baking powder.
Sub for 1 teaspoon baking soda: 3 teaspoons baking powder
Substitutions for baking powder
Make your own
Remember, baking powder is a mixture of baking soda and cream of tartar — which means you can easily make it yourself.
Sub for 1 teaspoon baking powder: Combine 1/4 teaspoon baking soda + 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar + 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch or tapioca starch.
Baker’s ammonia: Baker’s ammonia is a trusty leavener from the 19th century that produces a light, tender crumb similar to what you’d get from baking powder. You can use it 1:1 in place of baking powder. Be aware: It doesn't smell great, but no need to worry, as the smell totally dissipates by the time baked goods are done.
Sub for 1 teaspoon baking powder: 1 teaspoon baker’s ammonia
Lemon juice or vinegar: These acids react with baking soda to mimic the power of baking powder.
Sub for 1 teaspoon baking powder: 1/4 teaspoon baking soda + 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar
Self-rising flour: It’s foolproof because it already has leavening agents added — with salt and baking powder included, it makes it an excellent all-around ingredient swap.
Sub for baking powder: Simply use self-rising flour in place of the all-purpose flour in a recipe.
One final note on baking soda and baking powder
Read the label! Double — no triple — check that you’re using the ingredients that you’re actually supposed to be using and in the correct proportions. And with that, always check expiration dates for freshness. (They don’t last forever!)
There are several different methods that can act as leavening agents to your dough. The Main Leavening agents include: air, steam, yeast, baking soda and baking powder. How each one of these works to add leaven to your dough varies.
The expansion of doughs and batters by the release of gases within such mixtures, producing baked products with porous structure. Such agents include air, steam, yeast, baking powder, and baking soda.
Air Leaven
Leaven that occurs from air, is one of the less common types of leaven. Leavening of baked foods with air is achieved by vigorous mixing that incorporates air bubbles, producing foam. Egg white is well suited to this purpose because it produces voluminous and strong foams that retain their expanded structure when dried by the baking process. Egg white is used in such baked products as angel food cake, chiffon cakes, and sponge cakes. Gluten, the elastic protein of flour, may also be whipped to produce a foam, as in beaten biscuits.
Steam Leaven
Steam that is used for leaven is also another less common type, however it is used for a few recipes. The process for making your delicious puff pastries and choux pastries, use steam to allow the pastries to puff up while cooking. How does this work? When the water from your dough reaches 212F it begins to vaporize. This causes the dough to expand as it bakes, giving you the delicious flakey goodness.
When preparing your puff pastry, you will want to be sure to use plenty of butter to create many layers, then fold your layers into book folds. This helps to create the flaky layers in your pastry. As the water in the butter warms, it turns into the steam the pastry needs to expand as it bakes. The same is true of choux pastry, however its process is slightly different which is why it requires cooking the dough on the stovetop before baking in the oven. It will still rise nicely once the steam releases inside during the baking process.
Chemical leavening agents
Experiment with science to bake better chocolate chip cookies, adjusting ingredients and techniques
Using science to make better chocolate chip cookies.
Chemical leavening agents also produce expansion by the release of carbon dioxide. Modern baking powders are combinations of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and dry acids or acid salts, usually with starch added for stability in storage. Single-acting baking powders, containing tartaric acid or cream of tartar, release carbon dioxide at room temperature, and mixtures in which they are used must be baked immediately to avoid loss of most of the gas. Slow-acting baking powders, containing phosphates, release part of their gas at room temperature and part when heated. Double-acting baking powder, the most widely used type, contains sodium aluminum sulfate and calcium acid phosphate and releases a small amount of gas when mixed and the balance when heated.
Fermentation
Leavening also may be achieved by the process of fermentation, which releases carbon dioxide gas. Bakers’ yeast, composed of living cells of the yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is available as a pressed cake and in a powdered form. When added to doughs, yeast initiates fermentation by acting upon certain sugars contributed by other dough ingredients, releasing both carbon dioxide and substances that affect the flavour and aroma of the baked product. Yeast-leavened products include most types of breads and rolls and such sweet dough products as coffee cakes, raised doughnuts, and Danish pastries.
The sourdough method, used for rye breads, employs a small portion of dough, or sponge, in which sugar-fermenting bacteria have been allowed to develop. When added to a fresh dough mixture, the sponge produces fermentation. Commercial sour cultures are sometimes used as substitutes for naturally fermented sourdoughs.
Read the label! Double — no triple — check that you’re using the ingredients that you’re actually supposed to be using and in the correct proportions. And with that, always check expiration dates for freshness. (They don’t last forever!)
There are several different methods that can act as leavening agents to your dough. The Main Leavening agents include: air, steam, yeast, baking soda and baking powder. How each one of these works to add leaven to your dough varies.
The expansion of doughs and batters by the release of gases within such mixtures, producing baked products with porous structure. Such agents include air, steam, yeast, baking powder, and baking soda.
Air Leaven
Leaven that occurs from air, is one of the less common types of leaven. Leavening of baked foods with air is achieved by vigorous mixing that incorporates air bubbles, producing foam. Egg white is well suited to this purpose because it produces voluminous and strong foams that retain their expanded structure when dried by the baking process. Egg white is used in such baked products as angel food cake, chiffon cakes, and sponge cakes. Gluten, the elastic protein of flour, may also be whipped to produce a foam, as in beaten biscuits.
Steam Leaven
Steam that is used for leaven is also another less common type, however it is used for a few recipes. The process for making your delicious puff pastries and choux pastries, use steam to allow the pastries to puff up while cooking. How does this work? When the water from your dough reaches 212F it begins to vaporize. This causes the dough to expand as it bakes, giving you the delicious flakey goodness.
When preparing your puff pastry, you will want to be sure to use plenty of butter to create many layers, then fold your layers into book folds. This helps to create the flaky layers in your pastry. As the water in the butter warms, it turns into the steam the pastry needs to expand as it bakes. The same is true of choux pastry, however its process is slightly different which is why it requires cooking the dough on the stovetop before baking in the oven. It will still rise nicely once the steam releases inside during the baking process.
Chemical leavening agents
Experiment with science to bake better chocolate chip cookies, adjusting ingredients and techniques
Using science to make better chocolate chip cookies.
Chemical leavening agents also produce expansion by the release of carbon dioxide. Modern baking powders are combinations of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and dry acids or acid salts, usually with starch added for stability in storage. Single-acting baking powders, containing tartaric acid or cream of tartar, release carbon dioxide at room temperature, and mixtures in which they are used must be baked immediately to avoid loss of most of the gas. Slow-acting baking powders, containing phosphates, release part of their gas at room temperature and part when heated. Double-acting baking powder, the most widely used type, contains sodium aluminum sulfate and calcium acid phosphate and releases a small amount of gas when mixed and the balance when heated.
Fermentation
Leavening also may be achieved by the process of fermentation, which releases carbon dioxide gas. Bakers’ yeast, composed of living cells of the yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is available as a pressed cake and in a powdered form. When added to doughs, yeast initiates fermentation by acting upon certain sugars contributed by other dough ingredients, releasing both carbon dioxide and substances that affect the flavour and aroma of the baked product. Yeast-leavened products include most types of breads and rolls and such sweet dough products as coffee cakes, raised doughnuts, and Danish pastries.
The sourdough method, used for rye breads, employs a small portion of dough, or sponge, in which sugar-fermenting bacteria have been allowed to develop. When added to a fresh dough mixture, the sponge produces fermentation. Commercial sour cultures are sometimes used as substitutes for naturally fermented sourdoughs.
Yeast: Biological Leavening Agent
Yeast is composed of single-celled organisms (a type of fungus) that undergo an existence far removed from what we'd recognize as "life," yet they perform a vital function in cooking. Yeast is responsible for the process of fermentation, without which there would be no such things as beer, wine, or bread.
Yeast Leaven
Yeast is one of the most common types of leavening agents. It is primarily used to help make the perfect loaf of bread. Yeast is a biological leavener or leavening agent. It is used to expedite the fermentation process. Not only is yeast used in baked goods, it is also a main ingredient in beer and wine. We are going to focus on the kind of yeast that is used in food preparation.
The main types of yeast that are used in the kitchen are: active dry yeast, instant dry yeast, and fresh yeast. The most common type that most recipes call for is active dry yeast. Active dry yeast requires proofing. It also is a bit finicky, in that it needs to maintain a temperature around 105F. Instant dry yeast is similar to active dry yeast.
In short, in the fermentation process, the yeast eats sugar and they produce carbon dioxide (CO2) gas and alcohol. The alcohol is a boon for winemakers and brewers, and the CO2 comes in handy for bakers. CO2 also produces the bubbles in beer.
There are a few types of baker's yeasts:
Active dry yeast is what most recipes call for. It's a dry, granular yeast sold in packets or jars. Before working with it, active dry yeast must be activated, or "proofed," by dissolving it in warm water. The ideal temperature is 105 F, cooler than that and the yeast won't fully activate, much hotter and you'll kill the yeast before it can do anything.
Instant dry yeast is also a granular yeast sold in packets or jars. Unlike active dry yeast, however, instant dry can be mixed directly in with your flour, no proofing required. You only need to use 1/3 to 1/2 as much instant dry yeast as compared with active dry.
Fresh yeast is found mainly in commercial bakeshops. It comes in one-pound bricks and can be added directly to the dough or dissolved in water first. Note that dissolving it is only to help disperse it more fully. It also doesn't need to prove.
You can convert fresh yeast to active dry or instant dry by multiplying by 0.5 and 0.35, respectively. As a general rule, it's best to use whatever type of yeast a given recipe calls for. There are too many variables that can come into play when you start converting.
In most cases, yeast doughs rise once, get punched down and then rise again. Finally, they go into the oven, where the heat rouses the yeast to one last great expulsion of CO2 before they reach 140 F and die.
Unlike the next two leavening agents, yeast contributes flavor as well. Indeed, adding more yeast to a recipe won't cause the bread to rise more, but it will produce a more intense yeast flavor.
How Leavening Agents Work
Dough is made of wheat flour, which contains a pair of proteins called gliadin and glutenin. When you add water and start to mix it, the gliadin and glutenin combine to form a new protein called gluten. Gluten molecules arrange themselves into chains that can be quite long and elastic. This elasticity is why you can take a piece of bread dough and stretch it between your fingers. The more you knead it, the stretchier it gets.
The gas produced by the leavening agent you use forms thousands of little bubbles in the dough, which causes it to inflate. Imagine thousands of little balloons being blown up with air. Your dough is stretchy, just like balloons. If it weren't, rather than blowing up a balloon, it would be like blowing into a glass of water with a straw: the bubbles would immediately burst and the gas would escape. Due to the dough's elasticity, the bubbles expand without bursting, so the gas remains trapped in the bubbles long enough for the third part of the reaction to take place.
The heat of the oven cooks the dough, causing it to set while those little bubbles are in their inflated state. So, once the gas finally escapes, those air pockets hold their shape instead of deflating. The size of those air pockets determines the texture of your baked good. Small air pockets produce a smooth texture, like with a cake. Larger ones produce a coarser texture, like in crusty bread.
Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Chemical Leavening Agents
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate or bicarbonate of soda) is a white powder that comes in a box, and it has a pH level of 8 to 9, which means it is a base. When combined with an acidic ingredient, it will produce a chemical reaction that causes the release of CO2. Some of the acidic ingredients that will activate baking soda are buttermilk, lemon juice, yogurt, sour cream, molasses, and honey. In its dry state, baking soda is inert but once activated, it reacts immediately.
Unlike the reaction of yeast, which occurs slowly over a long period of time, baking soda acts quickly, which is why the bread and muffins it produces are called quick breads.
Baking powder is a product consisting of baking soda plus some other acidic component, also in powder form. As long as it stays dry, it's inactive. Once moistened, the chemical reaction begins. However, it's less immediate than a straight baking soda reaction, but it's double-acting, which means it begins working when mixed and then gives off another burst of gas when heated. That's why some quick bread batters, like pancakes, can be held for a while without them losing their potency.
Be mindful that you cannot substitute baking soda for baking powder or vice-versa, as it won't work.
Baking Soda Leaven
Baking soda has several different ways it can be used. To give an idea of its broad uses, here are just a few… Baking soda can be used in place of toothpaste to clean your teeth, to get rid of your smelly carpet, to put out a grease fire (yes, I have tried that one first hand), to fight canker sores, and to be used in baked goods to make them light and fluffy, which is the one we will focus on here.
Baking soda is used as a leaven in quick breads, cookies, muffins, etc., or breads that don’t require allowing them to sit and rise. For example, baking soda is a primary leaven for foods such as banana bread, zucchini bread, and muffins. However, if baking soda is being used, it is important to include ingredients such as lemon juice or buttermilk, otherwise the bread will taste bitter and have a soapy flavor to it.
Baking Powder Leaven
Baking powder is another leaven that is used for similar purposes as baking soda. Baking soda and baking powder are not interchangeable. The ingredients that make up baking powder include baking soda in addition to an acid in powder form. Often times, baking powder is made from baking soda combined with cream of tarter. If you are in a pinch and need to make your own baking powder, simply combine one part baking soda with two parts cream of tarter.
What Is A Leavener? While there are multiple forms of leavening agents, including steam, air, yeast, baking soda and baking powder, they are all used for the same purpose: to rise dough. The most common form of leavener or leaven is yeast, baking soda or baking powder that allows bread, cookies, brownies, cakes and muffins to rise while baking.
Yeast is composed of single-celled organisms (a type of fungus) that undergo an existence far removed from what we'd recognize as "life," yet they perform a vital function in cooking. Yeast is responsible for the process of fermentation, without which there would be no such things as beer, wine, or bread.
Yeast Leaven
Yeast is one of the most common types of leavening agents. It is primarily used to help make the perfect loaf of bread. Yeast is a biological leavener or leavening agent. It is used to expedite the fermentation process. Not only is yeast used in baked goods, it is also a main ingredient in beer and wine. We are going to focus on the kind of yeast that is used in food preparation.
The main types of yeast that are used in the kitchen are: active dry yeast, instant dry yeast, and fresh yeast. The most common type that most recipes call for is active dry yeast. Active dry yeast requires proofing. It also is a bit finicky, in that it needs to maintain a temperature around 105F. Instant dry yeast is similar to active dry yeast.
In short, in the fermentation process, the yeast eats sugar and they produce carbon dioxide (CO2) gas and alcohol. The alcohol is a boon for winemakers and brewers, and the CO2 comes in handy for bakers. CO2 also produces the bubbles in beer.
There are a few types of baker's yeasts:
Active dry yeast is what most recipes call for. It's a dry, granular yeast sold in packets or jars. Before working with it, active dry yeast must be activated, or "proofed," by dissolving it in warm water. The ideal temperature is 105 F, cooler than that and the yeast won't fully activate, much hotter and you'll kill the yeast before it can do anything.
Instant dry yeast is also a granular yeast sold in packets or jars. Unlike active dry yeast, however, instant dry can be mixed directly in with your flour, no proofing required. You only need to use 1/3 to 1/2 as much instant dry yeast as compared with active dry.
Fresh yeast is found mainly in commercial bakeshops. It comes in one-pound bricks and can be added directly to the dough or dissolved in water first. Note that dissolving it is only to help disperse it more fully. It also doesn't need to prove.
You can convert fresh yeast to active dry or instant dry by multiplying by 0.5 and 0.35, respectively. As a general rule, it's best to use whatever type of yeast a given recipe calls for. There are too many variables that can come into play when you start converting.
In most cases, yeast doughs rise once, get punched down and then rise again. Finally, they go into the oven, where the heat rouses the yeast to one last great expulsion of CO2 before they reach 140 F and die.
Unlike the next two leavening agents, yeast contributes flavor as well. Indeed, adding more yeast to a recipe won't cause the bread to rise more, but it will produce a more intense yeast flavor.
How Leavening Agents Work
Dough is made of wheat flour, which contains a pair of proteins called gliadin and glutenin. When you add water and start to mix it, the gliadin and glutenin combine to form a new protein called gluten. Gluten molecules arrange themselves into chains that can be quite long and elastic. This elasticity is why you can take a piece of bread dough and stretch it between your fingers. The more you knead it, the stretchier it gets.
The gas produced by the leavening agent you use forms thousands of little bubbles in the dough, which causes it to inflate. Imagine thousands of little balloons being blown up with air. Your dough is stretchy, just like balloons. If it weren't, rather than blowing up a balloon, it would be like blowing into a glass of water with a straw: the bubbles would immediately burst and the gas would escape. Due to the dough's elasticity, the bubbles expand without bursting, so the gas remains trapped in the bubbles long enough for the third part of the reaction to take place.
The heat of the oven cooks the dough, causing it to set while those little bubbles are in their inflated state. So, once the gas finally escapes, those air pockets hold their shape instead of deflating. The size of those air pockets determines the texture of your baked good. Small air pockets produce a smooth texture, like with a cake. Larger ones produce a coarser texture, like in crusty bread.
Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Chemical Leavening Agents
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate or bicarbonate of soda) is a white powder that comes in a box, and it has a pH level of 8 to 9, which means it is a base. When combined with an acidic ingredient, it will produce a chemical reaction that causes the release of CO2. Some of the acidic ingredients that will activate baking soda are buttermilk, lemon juice, yogurt, sour cream, molasses, and honey. In its dry state, baking soda is inert but once activated, it reacts immediately.
Unlike the reaction of yeast, which occurs slowly over a long period of time, baking soda acts quickly, which is why the bread and muffins it produces are called quick breads.
Baking powder is a product consisting of baking soda plus some other acidic component, also in powder form. As long as it stays dry, it's inactive. Once moistened, the chemical reaction begins. However, it's less immediate than a straight baking soda reaction, but it's double-acting, which means it begins working when mixed and then gives off another burst of gas when heated. That's why some quick bread batters, like pancakes, can be held for a while without them losing their potency.
Be mindful that you cannot substitute baking soda for baking powder or vice-versa, as it won't work.
Baking Soda Leaven
Baking soda has several different ways it can be used. To give an idea of its broad uses, here are just a few… Baking soda can be used in place of toothpaste to clean your teeth, to get rid of your smelly carpet, to put out a grease fire (yes, I have tried that one first hand), to fight canker sores, and to be used in baked goods to make them light and fluffy, which is the one we will focus on here.
Baking soda is used as a leaven in quick breads, cookies, muffins, etc., or breads that don’t require allowing them to sit and rise. For example, baking soda is a primary leaven for foods such as banana bread, zucchini bread, and muffins. However, if baking soda is being used, it is important to include ingredients such as lemon juice or buttermilk, otherwise the bread will taste bitter and have a soapy flavor to it.
Baking Powder Leaven
Baking powder is another leaven that is used for similar purposes as baking soda. Baking soda and baking powder are not interchangeable. The ingredients that make up baking powder include baking soda in addition to an acid in powder form. Often times, baking powder is made from baking soda combined with cream of tarter. If you are in a pinch and need to make your own baking powder, simply combine one part baking soda with two parts cream of tarter.
What Is A Leavener? While there are multiple forms of leavening agents, including steam, air, yeast, baking soda and baking powder, they are all used for the same purpose: to rise dough. The most common form of leavener or leaven is yeast, baking soda or baking powder that allows bread, cookies, brownies, cakes and muffins to rise while baking.
What is your favorite leaven to use? What is your
favorite recipe that requires a leavening agent?
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