— ingrid ortega

King powder and baking soda are what are called chemical leavening agents. And this baking soda actually came out of my refrigerator. The baking soda that I use for my desserts is from Bob's Red Mill. It's considerably more expensive. I'm not saying you have to, it's just his process doesn't use any chemicals. So let's just define what they are. Both are chemical leavening agents and that word chemical, it's not a bad thing. Vegan baked goods need more of a lift because there are no eggs. So most of the recipes that I write that I'm aware of, call for both plus apple cider vinegar. Baking soda is also called, or really is nothing but sodium bicarbonate. It's an alkaline white powder that's commonly used in households for various purposes, like to, when you're not using it in the culinary, uh, to contain odors in your refrigerator. I use it with vinegar. It bubbles up if you remember chemistry, uh, to clean my wooden cutting boards. But baking soda is a base compound with a pH level of eight. So when it mixes with an acidic solution, it reacts to produce carbon dioxide. And that gas, that's the gas required to get that desirable lift in baked goods. I'll use it even a little bit in cookies. Now, cookies made with baking soda spread more than cookies made with baking powder. But baking soda needs an acidic partner. And it isn't just vinegar, you have to think about what you're using in your batter. It can be a wet ingredient like buttermilk or pardon me, I make my own buttermilk substitution with soy milk or oat milk and a little vinegar, it will behave like buttermilk. It will not taste like buttermilk yogurt, lemon juice, maple syrup is, is acidic and brown. Sugar is acidic and so is the natural cocoa powder. Dutch processed cocoa powder doesn't contain enough acidity. So that's one reason that I'm really going all over the place here. But a chocolate cake recipe should tell you what kind of cocoa powder you're using. And if it doesn't look at the leavening, if it's all baking soda or primarily baking soda, that is calling for non alkalized natural cocoa powder. If it's mostly baking powder or all baking powder, then it's alkali. So once the baking soda is paired with an acidic ingredient in the batter, it starts to react instantly. And that's why in recipes that call for baking soda only you're told get that right into the oven straight away so the leavening doesn't die down. Baking powder is a complete mixture. So this is double acting baking powder, meaning it reacts twice the first time when you're mixing the batter and the powder dissolves. And the second reaction takes place when the heat in the oven happens. So are they. And baking. And baking soda is, is an ingredient in baking powder. I have this baking powder as well. It's called featherweight. It's sodium free. I don't like it, I taste it. Now here's are they different? I love this quote from King Arthur Baking because many of you know that when people ask me, my students, anyone says, will it matter if I use X instead of Y? And I say, yeah, it will because it will. King Arthur says what to do if you don't have one? Can you substitute with something else? And they say to put it briefly, don't substitute if you can help it. But should you be in a pinch, maybe in the middle of baking your brownie batter, there are a few options. Fran says, go back to what I said earlier and get yourself prepared when you're in a calm mood and do your mis plus. So you say, oh, I'm out of baking soda or baking powder. I have better go and get some baking powder can be used to replace baking soda, but it's not one-to-one ratio. In fact, you need three times the amount of baking powder as baking soda. So you can be quite sure that you're going to taste a slightly bitter off-putting taste that will probably be there. Baking soda is actually four times more powerful than baking powder. So that's what I have to say about that. Yes, we use them, I use them almost always in tandem because I'm doing vegan baked goods and I need that lift. I need the immediate lift. I need something that's going to work with my acidic ingredients and I need another lift when I am putting something in the oven.

On Baking Soda, Baking Powder.