Baking Powder Vs. Baking Soda- Know the Difference, And When To Use What

Both baking soda and baking powder have the same colour and taste but they have different chemical compositions and uses. In general, they are both leavening agents.

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New Delhi: Baking soda and baking powder are both leavening agents, which are substances used to help baked goods rise by adding gas bubbles. Experienced and amateur bakers alike often confuse them due to their similar names and appearances. Though both baking soda and baking powder have the same colour and taste, they have different chemical compositions and uses.

How Does Baking Soda And Baking Powder Differ From Each Other:

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate which is a weak base. As a result, it requires an acid, which needs to be added to a recipe in order to neutralise and release carbon dioxide.

Baking powder is simply baking soda which has an acid added to it. In a recipe, it does not call for an additional acid to break down and provide a leavening effect.

When To Use What:

Pastry chef Sreyashi Dey shared the usage of baking soda and baking powder. Baking Soda is to be used in a recipe which has other acidic ingredients added to it. Some examples of acidic ingredients are:

• Buttermilk
• Vinegar
• Fruit and fruit juices
• Yoghurt
• Sour cream
• Honey
• Unsweetened chocolate and cocoa

In such cases, baking soda would neutralise the acidic content of the recipe and raise the pH of the dish. Thus, when the product is being baked, baking soda in the presence of moisture would react with the acid to produce carbon dioxide which would lead to leavening.

The baking powder however already has an acid present in itself and can be used to provide leavening in a batter which does not have any acid in it.

Baking soda, which is sodium bicarbonate is an alkali and is, therefore, positively charged and seeks to be in a neutral state. As this sodium bicarbonate reacts with an acid, it breaks down and releases carbon dioxide. This is captured in the dough or batter causing it to rise or leaven as it is baked. To break down and be relieved of its charge, sodium bicarbonate requires the presence of any acidic ingredient in the dough or batter.

Baking powder is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate (alkali), an acid, and cornstarch. The sodium bicarbonate will react with the acid already present in baking powder to create carbon dioxide when combined with a liquid. Again, carbon dioxide leavens the product. The cornstarch in baking powder absorbs moisture and keeps the acid and alkaline components present from reacting with each other before they are mixed into a dough or batter. Thus, the baking powder needs no additional acid in the dough or batter to work.