Baking is a craft, they say but there are hidden tricks of science behind it, too. You mix some chosen ingredients in a certain way, put them inside an oven and the result is delicious and enticing. However, baking the perfect cake or cookies is not that easy, as you may have seen. After ending up with a few flat cookies and dry cakes, you will master the secret to perfection!
Crisp Cookies with the aid of Ammonium Bicarbonate
Do you love munching on crispy cookies with tenderness inside? If yes, then you need to use a secret ingredient to achieve the desired texture- ammonium bicarbonate. You will find a lot of people trying baking soda to make cookies but ammonium bicarbonate used for it gives better results.
What is so special about Ammonium Bicarbonate?
Ammonium bicarbonate gets decomposed during baking and there will be no residue left. The result is a light, crisp texture in baked foods like biscuits and cookies. You should pick it for recipes with short baking time and that is why it is good for cookies.
Try mixing baking soda with ammonium bicarbonate for cookies with an extra crunch.
Sodium Bicarbonate- the all-rounder for baking
Sodium bicarbonate, popularly known as baking soda, is a versatile baking ingredient. Use it to make fluffy pancakes, airy cakes and those soft, chewy cookies.
How does it work?
Baking soda is alkaline in nature and so it reacts with acids like vinegar, yogurt and buttermilk. This leads to the formation of carbon dioxide bubbles. These air bubbles make the baked items soft and fluffy. So, you should choose baking soda to bake dishes containing acidic ingredients.
Some handy baking soda hacks
Learn this sodium bicarbonate uses and you will become a pro chef quickly!
- To make extra fluffy pancakes, add a small amount of baking soda to the batter. This will make the pancakes light and fluffy.
- Cookies or cakes made with cocoa powder have a slightly bitter taste, right? You can reduce it and boost the flavor by adding a small portion of baking soda.
- Are you in the mood to cook some rich, fudgy brownies? Then use baking soda in a small amount.
How to pick the right leavening agent?
The success in baking depends largely on picking the right type of leavening agent. You can stick to the following guide:
- Ammonium bicarbonate is best used for crackers, and crisp cookies without any residue.
- Sodium bicarbonate is good for making quick breads, muffins, pancakes, with a soft, fluffy texture.
- Mixing leavening agents like ammonium bicarbonate and baking soda can be useful, too. Try the mix to bake crisp chocolate chip cookies, for example.
The role played by temperature – getting it right
Not many people may think of this factor but the baking temperature is important. Here’s what you should know:
- Using room temperature- Certain baking ingredients mix and work well in room temperature and not immediately after taking them out from the refrigerator! If you use cold butter, it will not mix well with sugar. The same happens when you choose to use cold eggs. So, let the dairy, eggs and butter rest for a while and reach room temperature. Then you can prepare the batter.
- Use cold dough for cookies- Who does not like making thicker, and chewier cookies? For this, you should chill the dough for a long time. It would be prudent to refrigerate the dough for 24 hours. This helps improve the texture.
- Preheating the oven – Pre-heating the oven for baking before the actual process is recommended. This helps reduce the risk of baking uneven stuff. You may use an oven thermometer to know the temperature and get the desired results.
A few hits and misses do happen
It is hard to bake the perfect tasting cookies or cakes at the first attempt. Baking cookies with uneven crispness or harder than expected cakes are quite common. Try to be careful about the small but major baking nuances like using the apt leavening ingredient and baking at the room temperature.
Useful tips to bake without any hurdles
- Focus on measurement- To bake the perfect cookies or cake, focus on using well-measured ingredients. Excess amount of sugar, and sodium bicarbonate usage will spoil the consistency and taste, for sure. Using a kitchen scale can be useful.
- Do not over mix- Mixing the dough is important but you need not go over the top about it!
- Use quality ingredients- Try to use high-quality baking ingredients to get the best results.
Summing it up
Baking the cake or cookies with the desired flavor and texture at the first attempt can be tough, for sure. There can be a few hits and misses. Having control over numerous nuances of baking comes with practice and consistency. Feel free to experiment a little with the baking ingredients- and the result may surprise you.
