Did you ever wonder why bread that’s left over becomes hard and dry, or why rice gets grainy when it’s been in the fridge for a while? Well, it’s because of something interesting called starch retrogradation. This is a natural
While baking soda and powder are in the same category of chemical leaveners, their chemical make up is different. This is why it is not appropriate to replace baking soda with baking powder of the same amount or vice versa.
Among these are to incorporate air as a leavener, sift out foreign objects, and more importantly, break up lumps.
Starch in freshly baked good, however, is still in existence in gel form. A product is said to be “fresh” when the starch remains as a gel. When the starch regains its crystalline structure, the product gets firmer and becomes “stale”. In science, this is referred to as starch retrogradation.
Sourdough bread can be light and fluffy. However, as it ages, it becomes hard and dense. Water migration will continue until there are no more water molecules left for the reaction to occur. Bread that has gone stale will have a hard, dry surface.
The process of leavening occurs when the gluten structure or air spaces is filled with a leavening agent, making the dough or batter to rise and expand during baking. Although carbon dioxide is the primary cause of leavening, other gases, such as ammonia gas, water in the form of steam, and integrated air (added during mixing), also contribute to the expansion of baked goods.
Because baking soda will make the cookies spread out and brown on the baking pan rather than up into the air. By increasing the pH of the mixture, protein coagulation is inhibited, promoting spreading. This results in a more uniformly baked cookies since the dough has more time to set before the eggs set.
Dutch-processed or alkalized cocoa is cocoa that has been treated with an alkalizing agent to neutralize its acidity.
Unbleached and bleached flour are two different types used in baking. Here are the differences between the two.
Bread takes 5 days or so until it begins to mold. This depends on several factors such as the storage conditions (is it humid and warm?). Bread can last up to 5 days more in the refrigerator. But this is not ideal (unless you are making breadcrumbs) because the temperature is harsh for the starch molecules.