So I have been thinking for a while that a good post would be one about what different common baking items do and why its important to have them in recipes. There have been many times in my early baking days where I would think "oh, i can totally just use baking SODA instead of baking POWDER... they're the same, right?" and then ended up with disastrous results. So here it is... a short sampling of those common ingredients and why they make your cookies soft and chewy and your cakes light and moist.
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Baking powder: the main leavening ingredient used. Creates small bubbles in the batter which then allow the finished product to rise and be airy. Baking powder does contain some baking soda, but they are not interchangeable.
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Baking soda: neutralizes acids in the recipe, adds tenderness to final result. A little bit of leavening power.
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butter: Butter, much like oil, acts to keep the final product moist. It also lends a richer flavor to the final product.
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Cream of tartar: this is a powder used most often to stabilize egg whites when being beaten. It is also sometimes added to cake recipes to create a more tender crumb to the cake and in frosting recipes to make the frosting creamier. Cream of tartar is added to baking soda to make baking powder.
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eggs: These are a multipurpose ingredient in baking. They add color to the batter, help bind the ingredients together, offer some levening abilities and can be used to thicken custards, puddings and sauces. They are, as the ad campaign goes, the incredible edible egg! In some instances they can be substituted with apple sauce, arrowroot or canned pumpkin, but I do not recommend substituting eggs unless absolutely necessary.
flour: Flour offers gluten, which binds the ingredients together and stretches and rises with the added help of a leavener. When working a dough with flour, the longer you work it, the more the gluten develops. This is why bread dough gets sticky if its kneaded a long time. Recipes that call for a delicate and tender final item (like pancakes) require that the flour be mixed and handled as little as possible to keep the gluten from developing too much.
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oil: this helps keep the final product moist after baking.
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Brown sugar: This is used not only as a sweetener but also to moisten the final product. Cookies and cakes that include brown sugar tend to be much more moist for a longer time after baking than recipes that do not. Brown sugar is made by combining white sugar and dark molasses.
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Crystallized sugar: This is regular plain white sugar. It is used to add sweetness to recipes. But you probably already knew that. :) It also does so much more that people don't usually think about. Sugar acts as a preservative, making baked items last longer. It also makes the final product tender, adds texture and volume, and also adds color. Upon heating, sugar turns a brown color and this is why cakes and cookies brown while cooking. When sugar is used with flour, it hinders the gluten production and creates a more tender crumb. When creamed with butter, sugar helps incorporate more air into the product and creates a lighter baked good. It comes from either a sugar cane or beets. I personally prefer cane sugar, although beet sugar is usually cheaper.
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Powdered sugar: This is a form of sugar that is ground very fine. Usually it is used for making frostings or for decorating cakes and other baked treats. You can make your own powdered sugar in a pinch by grinding regular sugar along with a little bit of cornstarch until the mixture is very fine. The cornstarch ensures that the sugar remains nice and powdery and doesn't clump together. Powdered sugar is not as sweet as regular sugar typically because of the addition of cornstarch.
I hope this is useful. If there are other ingredients that you ever wondered, "why the heck do I need THAT?" let me know and I will add it to this list.
Happy baking!
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