This document provides information and tips for baking at high altitudes above 5,000 feet. It explains that at higher elevations, there is lower atmospheric pressure which causes water to boil at lower temperatures, drying out baked goods. It recommends reducing leavening agents like baking powder and soda by half, adding more liquid moisture, and increasing baking temperatures for cakes while decreasing temperatures for breads compared to sea level recipes. Specific adjustments are provided for cake and bread recipes at 5,000 feet along with additional baking dos and don'ts for high altitudes.
39. Increase heat for cakes; decrease heat for breads Links to slides and adaptation details: http://travelsinmybackyard.blogspot.com
Hinweis der Redaktion
Hi, I am Ris ë Keller and I am here to talk with you about high-altitude baking, because it's really all about the atmospheric pressure!
As altitude increases, less atmosphere exerts pressure on your baked goods.
Less atmosphere means less atmospheric pressure, and the lower the temperature at which water boils.
Baking powder, baking soda, and yeast all leaven by creating carbon dioxide bubbles in the batter. When the batter is heated and sets, these bubbles create what is called the “crumb.” Lower atmospheric pressure and a lower boiling point mean less leavening is needed to lighten the batter before it sets.
Some basic cake recipe adjustments: Use half the leavening. Add more moisture. Increase the baking temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
Because water boils earlier, your baked goods cook faster and earlier and can dry out. These are some things you can add to a recipe to keep it moist.
Here is a series of photos of cupcakes I baked here the other day without adjusting the recipe for high altitude. At 10 minutes, the cupcakes are already about to spill over the pan, and at 20 minutes they were overflowing. Although they tasted yummy, the cake crumb was open and crumbly; my daughter and I had to eat these over the sink.
Another joke? What is the left side of a birthday cake? The side that's not eaten. Why was the birthday cake as hard as a rock? Because it was marble cake! "Doctor, I get heartburn every time I eat birthday cake." Next time, take off the candles." Why did the birthday cake go to the doctor? Because it was feeling crumby!
Sometimes it's important to know what to avoid when cooking. You don't have to learn everything the hard way! Overbeating egg whites can result in a fallen cake; instead, whip them to soft peaks. If they start looking lumpy, your batter could fall.
This one is especially Important for folks who don't use leavenings like baking powder or soda, or yeast. Bring egg whites to room temperature before beating them.
This is a great recipe, so easy. You can start a loaf of bread at 2 and it can be ready for dinner by 6 or 6:30, with virtually no time spent beyond folding the dough. The best part is taking it out of the oven and listening to the crust crackle.
Two muffins are baking in the oven. One says, “Wow! Sure is hot in here!” The second one says, “Yikes! A talking muffin?!”
And what does it have to do with Elton John? My mom was a pastry chef at the Caribou Ranch recording studio in Eldora, near Nederland, and she had to learn to adapt recipes to work at 8,500 feet.