Tuesday's Cupful: Baking Powder

An ingredient that many cakes and breads can’t do without

Have you noticed that baking powder is required in so many pastry recipes? A good baking powder usually contains a base (baking soda), acid (cream of tartar), and filler (corn starch). These three distinct chemical agents combine in baking powder to make a strong leavening and rising agent in cakes or quick bread recipes. Adding water forces the base powder and acid powder into solution, which causes a chemical reaction that forms carbon dioxide bubbles. Baking powder helps make some pastries light, soft, and airy. Also, there’s no waiting for the dough to rise and leaven when dealing with baking powder in many recipes. Baking powder forms bubbles instantly; in contrast, yeast may take hours to form bubbles. Cooks can make muffins and biscuits in 15 minutes because baking powder works fast. Can you think of another pastry that requires baking powder?