Baking & Snack - May 2023 - 40

CHEMICAL LEAVENING
ingredients, such as sour cream, buttermilk,
lemon juice or other acids
that need a strong, immediate reaction
to leaven the batter or dough, "
Ms. Wu explained. " In these recipes,
the baking soda reacts with acidic ingredients
to produce carbon dioxide
gas, which results in the volume. This
reaction occurs immediately upon
mixing, so it is essential to bake the
batter or dough quickly after adding
the baking soda. "
Cakes, muffins, biscuits and other
airy baked goods require significantly
more leavening, however. For these
applications, a double-acting baking
powder is often best, providing both
batter aeration during mixing and
rise during baking.
" In a cake, fine, consistent crumb is
desirable, " explained Paul Bright, innovation
manager, AB Mauri North
America. " And so that's the leavening
system we're looking for: gassing
that happens in the mixer a little bit
during floor time, and then as soon as
Chemical leavening
provides key
functionalities,
including lift and
texture, in many
baked goods.
©ld1976-stock.adobe.com
acting, " explained Mary Thomas, R&D senior manager,
Lesaffre. " Double-acting baking powder contains a faster
acting acid for gas release on the bench and a slower acting
acid for release during the bake. "
Chemical leaveners are critical to many baked goods,
but their impact on these products can vary greatly based
on the type of system chosen. Every baked good poses
unique leavening needs and opportunities for error, including
emerging better-for-you products that can be especially
challenging on chemical leaveners.
Finding the right match
Not all leavening systems are created equal, and producers
must pinpoint the desired attributes of their baked good to
find the option that will provide the proper lift.
" The selection of a leavening system depends on the
desired rate of gas release, " Ms. Randall said. " The neutralization
value, the amount of base needed to react with the
acid, the rate of reaction and the timing of the gas release
need to be optimized to produce the desired volume and
crumb structure. "
Every baked good has distinctive moisture requirements,
desired texture, bake time and temperatures, all of
which determine which leavener is best.
Baking soda, for example, is optimal in recipes that don't
require a high-volume product, such as crackers or cookies.
" Other good candidates are recipes that include acidic
40 Baking & Snack May 2023 / www.bakingbusiness.com
that batter hits the oven, we want it to pop and get that rise. "
Tortillas, on the other hand, may require different chemical
leaveners based on desired product appearance. A
single-acting chemical leavening system will result in a soft,
fluffier texture during bake, for example, while a doubleacting
system will yield a more translucent tortilla, noted
Yanling Yin, PhD, director of research, development and
applications for bakery, Corbion.
" For fried products such as a donut, a late-reaction acid
provides a kick during drying to create the tender texture, "
she added.
Mr. Bright emphasized that collaborating with ingredient
suppliers during development and testing is an effective
way for formulators to select the right leavening system.
" What we've seen a lot is collaborating with ingredient
suppliers who may have a deeper knowledge of the ingredient
so that they can assist with the development, " he said.
" If you come into our lab, we can mimic what our customers
are doing out in the field. "
Avoid leavening mishaps
Incorporated correctly, a leavening system supports many
key attributes of baked goods. Done incorrectly, the leavening
system can all but ruin a product.
" Proper usage level is important, " Ms. Thomas said. " Too
much leavening, and the product could have coarse grain
and a bitter taste. Too little and the baked product will not
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