Science of Cooking Series! Food is a fundamental part of life and we all get the pleasure of working with it to make delicious snacks, meals, and treats!
The first post in the series is on why bread rises! We have leavening reagents to thank! Leavening reagents – such as yeast, baking powder, or baking soda – are substances that react during the baking process to form carbon dioxide. This production of gas forms expanding bubbles in the dough which leads to the rising sensation!
In the diagram above I focus on yeast (s. Cerevisiae) as a leavening reagent. Yeast metabolizes the sugar in the mixture (fermentation) to form carbon dioxide and ethanol. The carbon dioxide gas forms bubbles in the dough that leads to rising.
Baking soda (NaHCO3, a base, or alkaline compound) reacts with acidic ingredients to form carbon dioxide gas, water, and salt. Baking powder already contains an acidic component (usually cream of tartar or sodium aluminum sulfate) so upon contact with a liquid component it reacts to form the carbon dioxide gas!
Next time you bake, you’ll know a bit more about the process. Perhaps it will help you troubleshoot a flat bake! Happy baking!
Post on Instagram on February 4, 2021.