cooking without baking powder

[firecrest]

Ive been getting into baking recently, Ive tried a couple of bannock recipes and some scones recipes for stuff to do at the moot (Im tired of noodles!) And today I tried american style pancakes. Now each time Ive followed the recipes correctly, everything Ive made makes my mouth fizz funnily and sting abit. it also hurts my lips and throat. At first I thought I was putting to much salt in, then I got rid of the suet, I think its definately baking power. Is it supposed to do that?
I seem to be fine with it in much smaller amounts than what is recommended but its still spoiling the recipes for me. Is there any alternatives, or is it really nessesary at all?

 

[Joonsy]

if you are using plain flour and adding baking powder then try self-raising instead as you do not have to add any baking powder to make it rise, it's already mixed in i believe.

 

[British Red]

Why not use yeast instead? A little more involved and you might need to try different recipes but it will cut out the baking powder but still give a leavening effect. It sounds like you are reacting to the acid component of the powder - but it could be the baking soda.

There are different compositions of baking powder that might be worth exploring - or, as I said, just leaven another way!

Red

 

[Toddy]

Baking powders release carbon dioxide that 'lifts' baked goods. The gas is trapped , / stretches/ the gluten in the flour and stops things being stodgy.

Commercial baking powders come in four varieties.
There are ones that are simply Bicarbonate of soda, and these need something acidic and liquid to activate them.
The simplest form of this for pancakes is to use bicarb of soda and sour milk.
There is also the original ammonical baking powder called hartshorn, it works pretty much the same way but gives of ammonia as it bakes. The resultant cake/ biscuits do not taste of ammonia, but are light and airy.
Then there are the single and double action powders.
These both work by reacting with something acidic, but the single powder needs baked right away while the double action one will start work with liquid buy needs heat to really get going.

Baking soda is not pleasant tasting, that's why it's usually used with yoghurt or buttermilk or sour milk......enough acid to work and it negates the taste effectively.

And then there is yeast......

Seriously, the major elements in all this are
Bicarbonate of Soda
Cream of Tartar, or Tartaric Acid
Ammonium bicarbonate


You could try diluting a tiny quantity of each of these in some warm water and tasting .......see if you get an unpleasant reaction, and if you do, just avoid using it.
There are always alternatives.

cheers.
Toddy

 

[Pict]

You are right that American pancakes should not make your mouth fizz. I'm not laughing at you, but that's funny. I would cut back on the baking powder and see what happens. Mac

 

[spamel]

Take a look on the Articles section of the site for Hoodoos' bannock recipe. It is the one Scruff uses and suggests to everybody and is absolutely great as a pre-mixed ingredient for taking outdoors. As memory goes, it is :

6 parts plain flour,
1 part milk powder,
1 part suet,
1/4 part baking powder
1 tea spoon of salt (but you can skip the salt as I found it very salty with that addition)

Carry in a bag ready for use, and it makes the perfect base to many things. A good bannock can be made by just adding water until it has the consistency of normal dough, but you can add all sorts such as jerked meat, spices, fruits and nuts, etc. Also, instead of water use stout for a more flavoursome bannock. Drop in an egg and add a bit more water to get a pancake mixture and try it thicker for the topping on a peach cobbler. All of these things are easily done, but it takes a lot of practise to get it just right. I suggest a cookery course with Scruff, he is the best at these sort of things!

 

[firecrest]

I take it nobody else gets the unpleasant sensation with baking powder! I havent with other peoples bannock, maybe its this cheap Co-op baking powder, because I can feel it even in tiny amounts. I might try yeast or perhaps Ill not bother with rising agents.

...maybe Ill just stick to pot noodle!

 

[spamel]

I take it nobody else gets the unpleasant sensation with baking powder! I havent with other peoples bannock, maybe its this cheap Co-op baking powder, because I can feel it even in tiny amounts. I might try yeast or perhaps Ill not bother with rising agents.

...maybe Ill just stick to pot noodle!

Did I never tell you about my first efforts at bannock that I made in the wilds of Germany? It came out mustard gas yellow and was hard as rock so I threw it into the woods thinking the wild boar would eat it. I went back the next weekend and it was still there! It has to be pretty bad if wild boars will turn their noses up at it!

Also, remember to cook it really slowly. That is possibly the biggest thing I learnt from Scruff, if you rush it it will taste of flour still, so take your time over a low heat and cook it through.

 

[firecrest]

can I nick your titanium spork for the moot spam Ill give it back I promise
...I did give you a free spatula...

 

[spamel]

can I nick your titanium spork for the moot spam Ill give it back I promise
...I did give you a free spatula...

I thought I replied on BCL! Never mind, but yeah, crack on! I have plenty of spoons so I won't miss it. In fact, if you want, keep it if you will do that small pyrography symbol you did on the spatula onto a leather sheath for me? Trade is the way ahead!

 

[British Red]

As an interesting experiment I once made my own rising agents

In effect its just an acid and an alkali combined to produce gas bubbles. Some wood ash infused water produces a weak lye solution. Many old recipes call for this as well as a teaspoon or two of vinegar (easily made from apples). The two combine and do indeed cause a rising action - although not as promounced as yeast its much fluffier than a true flat bread.

Always fun to look into the old ways of cooking

Red

 

[spamel]

I made a bannock last weekend with Addo, I used some vinegar type stuff that Scruff had made up for my jerky. It is a bit soy sauce like too, I've no idea of the actual content, but it was a fantastic addition to the bannock. It fizzed up like a good 'un and tasted very much like pizza base at the end but with a bit more flavour. We cooked it on a stripped hazel stick wound on, but in my haste I didn't heat the stick up. Hence the reason it flopped off the stick and ended up on the embers! Always get the cooking stick screeching hot before attempting this method!

 

[British Red]

You'll have to come and play at the new place Spam - when we've finished absolutely pulling it apart (pretty much literal that)

Red

 

[spamel]

You'll have to come and play at the new place Spam - when we've finished absolutely pulling it apart (pretty much literal that)

Red

Love to. Get some shots up of your demolition in progress! Sledge hammers and other pieces of wrecking kit are always nice to look at!

 

[tombear]

I've still got plenty of packets of the hartshorn that was kindly sourced for me. If anyone wants some gratis. Not even had a chance to play with my stash yet! but now have nearly six weeks off to enjoy!

Tom

 

[Toadflax]

I'm hoping to try a bit of yeast cookery (i.e. bread) at the Moot this year. I've been doing a lot of bread baking this year and want to have a go at seeing what I can achieve using an open fire.

It would be good to try a ground /trench oven, but with the sandy soil at Merthyr Mawr, I don't think that will be feasible so I'm going to try a sort of mini dutch oven method (either with an inverted billy or with my little potjie pot). I may also have a look at a leavened flatbread cooked on a grid over the fire. We did this recently on the barbecue and it turned out well.


Geoff