{"id":14100,"date":"2022-12-23T19:12:30","date_gmt":"2022-12-23T11:12:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thefooduntold.com\/?p=14100"},"modified":"2023-06-29T20:52:40","modified_gmt":"2023-06-29T12:52:40","slug":"what-is-a-leavening-agent-in-baking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefooduntold.com\/food-science\/what-is-a-leavening-agent-in-baking\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is A Leavening Agent In Baking?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Our ancestors enjoyed breads without leavening them. They were basically made of cooked mixture of flour and water, and often added with salt. Today, unleavened breads still do exist. However, there is no denying that people consumed more leavened baked products. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Leavening can be considered the key step in bread making. Without leavening agents, doughs and batters would be dense and low in volume, resulting in dense baked items. Hence, the aeration in the crumb structure greatly contributes to the sensory assessment and consumer acceptability of bread. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leavening agents or leaveners are categorized in three forms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Biological <\/gwmw><\/gwmw><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Chemical<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Physical (mechanical)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Let’s discuss each of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Table of Contents<\/p>\n