Baking powder

Baking powder is a dry chemical leavening agent used to make baked foods lighter and less dense. It was invented by the English chemist Alfred Bird (1811–1878) in 1843.

Baking powder

Bird was quickly followed by Henry Jones (1812 – 12 July 1891), who invented self-raising flour in 1845.

How it works

Baking powder works by creating a chemical reaction between an acid and a base. This produces carbon dioxide bubbles, which make the mixture light.

Baking powder is used when the food should not taste of yeast,^[1] or when the mixture is not elastic enough to hold bubbles for very long.^[2] But sometimes, it has a metallic taste.^[3]

Baking powder creates carbon dioxide faster than yeast. For this reason, breads made with baking powder rise quicker and are called quick breads.

Chemical formula

Most baking powders are made up of an alkaline (usually baking soda), one or two acid salts, and a starch (cornstarch or sometimes potato starch). Baking soda supplies the carbon dioxide to this mix,^[4] and the acid releases it, like this:^[5]

NaHCO₃ + H⁺ → Na⁺ + CO₂ + H₂O