Why is there so much baking soda in scones?
I am a German living in Australia and I am generally quite happy with Australian food. However I do not understand why there is so much baking soda in scones. One would buy self-raising flour and even add more of the raising agent.
I wonder, if there is a reason for that other than the taste. Does baking soda preserve food especially well under certain conditions? Or were scones historically just eaten with a dish, that needed to be contrasted by the flavour which some describe as soapy, slight spicy or salty?
Best Answer
When I made scones for the first time, I also found the taste a bit unusual. The recipe I used specified a total of 11 g baking powder and baking soda per 250 g flour, and also 5 g salt. I used less salt, but the taste is definitely unusal for people accustomed to continental Kleingebäck.
I can see two reasons for this. First, the dough for scones is quite unusual, something between cookie and pastry. It is a lot tougher than the usual soda-leavened dough. So I guess that it needs additional leavening power in order to create a light texture, unlike the semiliquid batters which raise without a problem. Plus, it gets no help from egg whites the way some cakes do (in fact, my recipe specified egg yolks only).
The second point is one you already mentioned in the question. It seems that the English tradition is to eat scones with cream and jam. I tried it with my own scones, and the combination was quite good. I don't eat much jam, as it is too sweet for my taste, but the pairing with the bland scones was really nice. A sweeter or richer vehicle would have made the whole thing overwhelming.
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Quick Answer about "Why is there so much baking soda in scones?"
Air bubbles create lightness A final crucial ingredient in scones is some sort of leavening agent such as baking powder or baking soda. In the oven, these leavening agents will react and form carbon dioxide, a gas. This puffs up your scone – it's why it increases in height in the oven!What happens if you put too much baking soda in scones?
Using too much baking soda or baking powder can really mess up a recipe, causing it to rise uncontrollably and taste terrible.What happens if you put too much baking soda?
Too much baking soda causes cakes to brown and may leave a weird taste. The Maillard reaction speeds up under basic conditions (like when you add to a recipe a lot of baking soda, which is alkaline, i.e. basic).What is the secret to a good scone?
The secret to the flakiest scones is to start with cold ingredients \u2014 cold butter, cold eggs, and cold cream. Similar to making pie crust, using cold ingredients prevents the butter from melting before the scones are baked, leaving it instead to melt in the oven and create a super-flaky end result.What Are the Side Effects of Adding Too Much Baking Powder? : Desserts \u0026 Baking Tips
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