WHEN TO USE BAKING SODA VERSUS POWDER

By stepjo7269

Ingredients

• AS FOLLOWS

Preparation

Step 1

Tips on when to use soda or baking powder

By: PastryChefNYC
Jul. 13, 2010 10:22 pm
Just FYI, regarding the usage of baking powder/baking soda.
..
Use baking soda if you have acidic ingredients in your batter, such as citrus, brown sugar, molasses, chocolate, etc.

Otherwise, you should use baking powder which is basically, baking soda with an acid (such as cream of tartar) added to activate the CO2 to make it gaseous as you bake it.

If you use soda when you should use powder, you'll have no acid and the gas will not be released, or if you use powder when you should use soda, there'll be too much acid and it will affect the flavor and release the gas too fast, resulting in your product falling before it gets baked and set.

If you need baking powder and only have baking soda, adding 2 parts baking soda and 1 part cream of tartar works great as a substitute.

Hopefully that helps someone.