How to replace baking powder with baking soda?

There is a truth: it’s not uncommon to find yourself with the wrong leavener in hand. You might have baking soda when a recipe calls for baking powder, or vice versa. Fortunately, there’s no need to make an emergency trip to the market. I used to replace baking powder with baking soda when making Vietnamese Fried Shrimp Cake, and it worked really well. It’s better to understand the fundamentals of these two essential ingredients and discover how you can seamlessly substitute one for the other.

What is Baking Soda and Baking Powder?

Baking Soda

Baking soda, often recognized as a white powdered substance, is actually sodium bicarbonate. It’s an alkaline base with rapid leavening properties crucial in baking. When a base, like baking soda, meets an acid in the form of moist ingredients such as flour mix, chocolate, cocoa, molasses, citrus juice, brown sugar, buttermilk, or yogurt, an interaction happens. This interaction generates carbon dioxide bubbles, causing your baked goods to rise. The result is your fluffy, airy cake, muffin or bread.

Baking soda’s action begins upon contact with any wet ingredient, which is why it’s typically combined with dry ingredients before being mixed with wet ones. However, be cautious – without an acidic component in your recipe, baking soda can impart a metallic taste. The amount of baking soda needed in a loaf of bread or cake is relatively smaller than 1 teaspoon, so be careful with your scale. It’s worth noting that baking soda is approximately three times stronger than baking powder.

Baking Powder

Baking powder, on the other hand, is essentially baking soda with additional ingredients like cream of tartar and sometimes cornstarch. It is less potent than baking soda, possessing only about one-third of its leavening power. When exposed to moisture and heat, it releases carbon dioxide gas, resulting in the expansion of dough or batter.

Double Acting Baking Powder: You may come across the term “double-acting” on baking powder labels. This means that the baking powder first activates upon contact with moisture and then undergoes a second activation when exposed to the oven’s heat. Most baking powder available in the market is of the double-acting variety, and it is usually labeled as such.

Distinguishing Baking Soda from Baking Powder

It’s essential to discern the differences between baking soda and baking powder, as the their leavening powers are different. Certainly, you can’t replace 1 tsp baking powder with 1tsp baking soda.

Baking soda is simply sodium bicarbonate, and react with acid in moist ingredients to generate bubbles. On the other hand, baking powder takes things a step further. It not only contains baking soda but also includes another acid in powdered form, typically cream of tartar. What sets baking powder apart is its ability to work independently; it doesn’t require the presence of acidic ingredients to function. Therefore, not only replacing baking powder with baking soda, sometimes you will need an additional acid to baking soda to “replicate” the interaction of baking powder itself.

So, how to distinguish baking soda from baking powder if you see these 2 bottls of white powder? It seems a chemistry exercise indeed! Let’s make a small test: take a teaspoon of each powder and mix it into a tablespoon of water. If it fizzes vigorously, you’ve got baking powder (remember that baking powder is able to work independently). If it remains calm and doesn’t fizz, you’ve got baking soda. This simple test can save your recipe from unexpected surprises and ensure your baking adventures go smoothly.

Why Do Some Recipes Call for Both Leavening Agents?

Actually, some recipes might call for both baking soda and baking powder. You might wonder, why the need for two leavening agents? Well, there’s a clever reason behind this tandem act.

When a recipe specifies both baking soda and baking powder, it often means that there are acidic ingredients included. However, these acidic components might not be sufficient to trigger a full leavening reaction when combined with baking soda alone. This is where baking powder steps in as the reliable reinforcement. It takes on the primary leavening role, ensuring your baked goods rise to perfection.

But there’s more to it than that. Baking soda also plays a crucial role in the recipe. It serves to neutralize the acid present in the recipe, which not only lessens any astringent taste but also contributes some lifting power of its own. Baking powder and baking soda work hand in hand to deliver the ideal texture and flavor to your creations.

Replace Baking Powder with Baking Soda

Once understanding these two leavening agents, replace baking powder with baking soda is feasible. Simply follow the rule that baking soda is 3 times more potent than baking powder:

• 1 teaspoon of baking powder ~ 1/3 teaspoon of baking soda.
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder ~ 2/3 teaspoon of baking soda.
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder ~ 1 teaspoon of baking soda.

Howeve, as mentioned above, also check if the recipe includes acid in the form of moist ingredients to interact with baking soda.

If you have cream of tartar on hand, it’s even better. You can make baking powder from baking soda and cream of tartar by adding cream of tartar in double the amount of baking soda:

• 1 teaspoon of baking powder = 1/3 teaspoon baking soda + 2/3 teaspoon cream of tartar.
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder = 2/3 teaspoon baking soda + 1 1/3 teaspoons of cream of tartar.
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder = 1 teaspoon of baking soda + 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar.

What if you don’t have cream of tartar on hand but want to replicate baking powder as good as possible? Use a substitue of cream of tartar: 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar is equivalent to 2 tsp of lemon juice/ 2 tsp of vinegar/ 1 tsp of buttermilk or 1 tsp of yogurt.

Substituting baking powder for baking soda

Substituting baking powder for baking soda requires caution. You will need three times as much baking powder to achieve the same leavening effect. However, adding too much leavening can result in a bitter, chemical taste. Here’s a general guideline:

• 1 teaspoon of baking soda ~ 1 tablespoon of baking powder.
• If the recipe requires more than 1 teaspoon of baking soda, now it’s time for you to buy baking soda instead of replacing it with baking powder.

Understanding the differences between baking soda and baking powder, as well as how to substitute one for the other, can be a game-changer to save your time of baking. Always follow the recommended quantities in your recipes to ensure your baked goods rise to perfection without any unexpected surprises. Happy baking!