What is the difference between baking soda and baking powder? Why do some recipes call for one or either?
I needed to do my own research into the difference between these two because I am a baker. I must know these things! I wrote up the key learnings I found in my research that might help you think about which ingredient to use when you are baking. Enjoy these fun facts!
First off, what is leavening? Leavening is the introduction of air to the structure of baked goods. Leavening is necessary for most baked goods. In bread, it comes from the CO2 produced by yeast. In cream, it comes from expanding water vapor. In cookies, we get it from egg proteins capturing expanding gases, creamed butter, and chemicals, baking powder, and baking soda.
Baking Soda - is pure sodium bicarbonate—an alkaline powder also known as a base. When dissolved in liquid and mixed with an acid, it reacts, breaking down into sodium, water, and carbon dioxide. Baking soda will form a denser, flatter, and rougher on the edges cookie.
Baking Powder - is baking soda with powdered acids built right in. In its dry state, it's inert. Once you add a liquid, the powdered acid, and base dissolve and react with each other, creating bubbles of carbon dioxide without the need for an external acid source. Most baking powders these days are double-acting, which means that it contains two different powdered acids. One that reacts immediately upon mixing with water, and another that only reacts after it's heated, giving cakes and cookies a little boost early on in the baking phase. So if you want your cookie to rise add more baking powder and will create a cakier cookie. I tend to mainly cook with baking powder in my cookies because I like a cakier cookie.
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