These Baking Powder Substitutes are Definitely Worth Trying

Baking powder substitutes are easily available and can be made in a jiffy. Find out what to do in case that larder is missing this basic baking ingredient and how to concoct a substitute for baking powder during a baking emergency!

A little lonely boy told his Mom one day,
“I sure would like a pal so I can play.”
Momma mixed up molasses, sugar and flour, a touch of
baking powder and in less than an hour
The oven door opened, out the room he ran. The
fastest sweetest cookie, the Gingerbread Man.
~ The Gingerbread Man by Susan Harrison

But what happens when you to need to suddenly conjure fluffy cakes and pastries and you find that not a spot of baking powder is to be found in the household? Fret not ladies, as in such cases where you need a miracle baking powder substitute, you can easily opt for some of the following combinations and see your bread, bean cakes, cakes, cookies, hushpuppies, muffins, pancakes and scones rising into voluminous delights nevertheless!

One thing that you need to keep in mind before trying out any substitute for baking powder, is that you MUST stick to the given proportions as even the slightest change can mess up your preparation, thus spoiling your dessert completely. Remain calm while mixing the contents and adhere to the given measurements to the tee! Each alternative for baking powder given below are good equivalents of the original itself, but choose wisely, as per the requirement of the recipe at hand.

Quantity of Baking Powder asked for in the Recipe: 4 tablespoons
To be Replaced with: 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar + 1 tablespoon of baking soda + 1 tablespoon of cornstarch (to be used in the ratio of 2:1:1 always)
Procedure: Run the three components through a sieve twice in order to mix well.

Keep in Mind: This mixture should not be stored for a long time as otherwise its effectiveness is lost. Store, if you must, then do so in an air-tight and compact container.

Ingredient called for: Single-acting baking powder
Quantity asked for in the Recipe: 1 teaspoon
To be Replaced with: ⅝ teaspoon of cream of tartar + ¼ teaspoon of baking soda
Procedure: Just mix the two items really well.

Ingredient called for: Double-acting baking powder
Quantity asked for in the Recipe: 1 teaspoon
To be Replaced with: ¾ teaspoon of cream of tartar + ⅜ teaspoon of baking soda
Procedure: Commingle the components well.

Ingredient called for: Double-acting baking powder
Quantity asked for in the Recipe: 1 teaspoon
To be Replaced with: 1½ teaspoons of single-acting baking powder

Quantity of Baking Powder asked for in the Recipe: 1 teaspoon
To be Replaced with: 1 teaspoon of baker’s ammonia
Keep in Mind: This works best when baking pastries and cookies. Given the flat shape of pastries and cookies, the odor of ammonia totally disperses.

Ingredient called for: Double-acting baking powder
Quantity asked for in the Recipe: 1 teaspoon
To be Replaced with: 1 cup of flour

Baking Powder asked for in the Recipe: 1 teaspoon
To be Replaced with: ½ teaspoon of baking soda + 1 tablespoon of vinegar/lemon juice + ¾ cup of sweet milk
Keep in Mind: If you use this particular substitute of baking powder in a food recipe that deals with other liquid quantities, then you need to alter the quantities accordingly. For instance, these measurements require you to reduce other liquid measurements by a cup in totality.

Quantity of Baking Powder asked for in the Recipe: 1 teaspoon
To be Replaced with: ¼ teaspoon of baking soda in the dry ingredients + ½ cup of plain yogurt/buttermilk/sour milk OR any other acidic agent in wet ingredients
Keep in Mind: In this case too, you need to use less of other liquids by at least half a cup.

Quantity of Baking Powder asked for in the Recipe: 1 teaspoon
To be Replaced with: ¼ teaspoon of baking soda in dry ingredients + ¼ cup of molasses in wet ingredients
Keep in Mind: You will need to adjust the amount of the sweeteners used and lessen the quantity of some other liquid by 2 tablespoons.

Ingredient called for: Baking powder
To be Replaced with: ¾ teaspoon of baking soda + ½ cup of golden syrup/treacle
Keep in Mind: You will need to adjust the amount of the sweeteners used and reduce the quantity of some other liquid by ½ a cup.

Other Replacements for Baking Powder

Baking powder does comprise certain ingredients such as cream of tartar which is acidic in nature, sodium bicarbonate and cornstarch, which causes dehydration, and thus might lead to derogatory health impacts. It also contains aluminum, causing allergies in some people and potent enough to cause breast cancer in case of accumulation in the body over a period of time, and gluten which causes chronic damage to the digestive system. So, one needs to find healthier baking powder substitutes, which in turn do not include the use of even these ingredients. You can use self-raising flour, instead of normal flour if you wish to cuttle down on your baking powder consumption. You can also go for gluten- and sodium-free baking powders available in the market these days.

There are other leavening agents like unpasteurized beer with live yeast, buttermilk, ginger beer, kefir whey, sourdough, whisked cream and egg whites, yeast, yogurt and others that can be employed to raise your baked goodies to perfection. They might not be direct fill-in options for baking powder, but you can always experiment and see how your dishes work out with them.

So, now that you know of all these baking powder alternatives, use them with discretion and do not overdo it. You can easily find recipes such as sugar cookies and pancakes without baking powder sans much ado nowadays. So, utilize more of such recipes and you shall slowly see yourself shedding your dependency on baking powder, and its simultaneous health hazards, when it comes to baking.

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