Blog

Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda) is the core alkaline leavening agent in baking: it releases carbon dioxide when exposed to acid or heat, causing the batter or dough to rise, become softer in texture, and promote coloring. It is essential for cookies, quick breads, cakes, and soda bread, and is a must-have for baking purposes.

 Core Baking Principles

▸ Leavening Mechanism: ① Acid-base neutralization reaction: Baking Soda + Acidic ingredients (yogurt/ lemon juice/ cocoa powder/ sugar syrup) → Carbon dioxide + Water + Salt， quickly produce gas and rise， resulting in a fluffy texture； ② Thermal decomposition reaction： When temperature ≥ 80℃， it decomposes and produces gas on its own， but using alone is inefficient and excessive use can lead to residual sodium carbonate， resulting in a bitter taste in the finished product.

Core Function：

▸Leavening and Stiffening Enhancement： Carbon dioxide bubbles support the batter， making cakes soft， cookies crispy， and bread fluffy；

▸Adjusting Acidity： Neutralizing the acidity of acidic ingredients such as cocoa powder and milk酪， avoiding a bitter taste in the finished product and enhancing flavor；

▸Promoting Coloring and Aroma Enhancement： Increasing the pH value of ingredients， accelerating the Maillard reaction， making baked goods golden and attractive， with a stronger aroma；

▸ Softening Texture： Weakening the elasticity of gluten， avoiding overly hard cakes， and providing a more delicate texture.

Key Baking Usage (Direct Application)

▸ Applicable Categories： Cookies， muffins， quick breads， soda bread， cakes， muffins， Chinese pastries；

▸ Dosage Standards： For every 100g of flour， mix 0.5 - 2g of baking soda. When using with acidic ingredients， use the upper limit of the dosage， and use the lower limit for no-acid recipes；

▸ Combination Techniques： Without acidic ingredients， you can combine with baking powder (baking powder contains baking soda + acidic components)， resulting in more stable leavening effect；

▸ Operating Tips： Mix the dry powder evenly before adding water to avoid local clumping； High-temperature baking (≥ 180℃) accelerates gas production， resulting in more fluffy finished products.

Avoiding Pitfalls

▸ Strictly Avoid Excessive Use： Excessive use will result in residual alkaline taste， yellowing and bitterness in the finished product， and damage to the texture；

▸ Storage Requirements： Store in a sealed and dry place， as it will lose its leavening effect after absorbing moisture；

▸ Applicable Scenarios： Not suitable for yeast-leavened breads (acid-base will inhibit yeast activity)， mainly for quick-leavening baking.