Does one really need to add sodium bicarbonate if one already uses baking powder?
I find that sodium bicarbonate ruins the taste of many cakes and cookies. If I'm using double acting baking powder, do I need to add the sodium bicarbonate as well? I have come accross so many recipes that require both ingredients.
Best Answer
If the recipe calls for both (and it's a good recipe), it actually needs both. A common reason is that the baking powder provides leavening and the baking soda helps neutralize a bit of the acid.
It's a little surprising you're finding that baking soda ruins the taste and not baking powder; baking powder contains baking soda. I wonder if "ruins the taste" is an exaggeration or if you had a bad experience with baking soda and are a little more sensitive to it now. But if it's really ruining the taste, it's just a bad recipe. There are a couple possibilities:
- the total amount of chemical leavening is too large in the recipe (it doesn't matter whether it's soda or powder) - make sure teaspoon hasn't been changed to tablespoon by accident!
- there's not enough acid in the recipe to react with the baking soda so you actually have baking soda left over
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Quick Answer about "Does one really need to add sodium bicarbonate if one already uses baking powder?"
The answer is: "It depends." Baking soda requires an acidic ingredient to leaven foods, but baking powder has the acid already added. Some recipes will use both if there is an excess or acid in the dough/batter that can be used by baking soda to rise more.Do we need to add both baking powder and baking soda?
That's why baking powder is used as well\u2013 to add necessary lift. Basically, the reason for both is because sometimes you need more leavening than you have acid available in the recipe. It's all about balance. Another reason to use both baking powder and baking soda is because they affect both browning and flavor.Can you use baking powder and bicarb together?
Some cakes tend not to rise as well if just baking powder is used, often those that contain cocoa powder or bananas such as Nigella's Gluten-Free Banana Bread, so a combination of baking powder and bicarbonate of soda is used to help to give extra lift.What if a recipe calls for both baking powder and baking soda?
Why Do Some Recipes Use Both Baking Soda and Baking Powder? Recipes that call for both baking soda and baking powder usually have to do with the fact that the recipe contains acid that needs to be neutralized by the baking soda, but possibly not enough to do the amount of leavening desired.What happens when you bake with baking soda and baking powder?
Baking soda helps baked goods brown better. And that's because browning occurs better in alkaline batters - add some baking soda to a batter with baking powder, and it'll get to work neutralizing acids, turning them alkaline and encouraging browning.What's the Difference Between Baking Powder and Baking Soda?
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Answer 2
The answer is: "It depends."
Baking soda requires an acidic ingredient to leaven foods, but baking powder has the acid already added. Some recipes will use both if there is an excess or acid in the dough/batter that can be used by baking soda to rise more.
If you find that the taste of baking soda ruins your dishes it's probably that you didn't have enough acid to neutralize it or you're using too much.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Miguel Á. Padriñán, Wendy Wei, Anna Shvets, Laker