Hello and thank you for this information. My daughter cannot have yeast and I don’t do well with baking powder. Is there a way to use baking soda (maybe with cream of tartar) in a gluten free bread with oat and / or white rice flour, and if so, do you have any such recipes for us?
Thank you.
Hi Alexandra! Please contact customerservice@bobsredmill.com and we'll troubleshoot with you!
Hi Joanne - Most breads that are leavened with baking powder (known as "quick breads") do not require kneading, though it would depend on your specific recipe. If you want to chat with our recipe specialist, please email us at customerservice@bobsredmill.com
I recently made a scallion bread that called for baking powder AND yeast. Per the instructions, I only let the dough rise once, which I thought unusual for filled and shaped yeast breads. My limited experience is that those rise after assembly, but I followed the recipe exactly. The result was good, although I wished it were fluffier, but maybe that was my dough handling error. Can you explain why baking powder and yeast would be used together?
Hi Lorraine - it's not very common to use both baking powder and yeast in a bread recipe. Baking powder leavens with carbon dioxide release twice - once when acid/base ingredients are mixed and then again when heated. Yeast also creates carbon dioxide, though by a different reaction. In your recipe, it sounds like yeast is there as a flavor component and the baking powder is there as a secondary leavening agent, though it's hard to say exactly without seeing the recipe.
If you're up for trying another scallion bread recipe, we highly recommend these two options from Lisa Lin at Healthy Nibbles.
- Baked Scallion Bread
- Flaky Scallion Pancakes with Shallots
Thank you for the information. I have a question. I baked buns with Bob's red Mill oat flour with baking powder (German type). I used less than 1 tsp for 300g flour but I could still taste that bitter taste of the baking powder. The recipe contained eggs, water and salt. Could you please recommend what would be the ideal amount of baking powder? Or should I use something else for leavening?
Thank you for your answer in advance.
Eszter V.
Hi Eszter, that ratio of baking powder to flour isn't abnormal and you shouldn't taste any off-flavors from the baking powder. It's possible that the baking powder may have absorbed a smell/flavor from something else stored nearby. I suggest testing the same recipe with a fresh bag of baking powder.
I’ve been making a simple orange cake for years, using baking soda and apple cider vinegar as rising agent. (Recipe uses white flour, sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla, a bit of salt.) But I’m wondering how the addition of alcohol, I.e. a tablespoon or so of Grand Marnier, might affect the way the cake rises, if at all. Any helpful ideas? Thanks in advance. Hank S.
Hi Hank - the addition of Grand Marnier sounds delicious! I do not think it would affect the leavening agents in the recipe.
Thank you for this explanation! I working on tweaking a Neapolitan pizza dough recipe using yeast and 13 grams of salt or 2.3 tsb. I have a sodium restriction and the amount of salt needed to aid the yeast is very problematic.
The yeast and a long leavening period (8-24 hours) is desired i believe for the taste and texture of the fermenting process with the yeast. I'm going to need to experiment i know, but my questions are... 1. if I use a low sodium baking powder, will the initial leavening process actually work for 8 hours or longer ?and 2. can I cut back on the sodium maybe by 1/2 or 2/3 and use both yeast and low sodium baking power? I realize this is such an off the wall situation but hopefully you have encountered a similar situation that might offer some guidance. If it helps, I'm using Type 00 flour. Thank you!
You don't need any salt for yeast to do it's business - in fact salt hampers the action of yeast. You can leave the salt out altogether (it just won't taste the same)!
Hi Mark, these are great questions, but unfortunately, without knowing what recipe you are using, we can't answer these questions. We have an incredible recipe specialist on staff. You can ask her detailed questions based on specific recipes. You can reach her at (800) 349-2173 or customerservice@bobsredmill.com.
That's a very clear explanation. So does baking banana bread require yeast or a combination of baking soda and baking powder good enough?
Thank you for the article.
That really depends on the recipe you are following. Typically banana bread does not use yeast though. Most recipes use baking soda and/or baking powder.
Thanks for posting this article! This provides a great explanation of these ingredients. Most of my baking is cakes and banana bread type of loaves. Your article makes reference to "If the volume of the batter you are making is large, it is advisable to use either baking powder or a combination of baking powder and baking soda.". Can you please explain what a large volume means? Are you referring to the depth/size of the pan or something else like the density of the batter? The deepest pan I use (so far) are the loaf pans for things like banana bread and the batter is quite dense/thick compared to cake batter. All of the recipes I have seen use baking soda although some also add baking powder.
Hi Karen! If you are making a small batch of muffins, a combination of baking powder and baking soda is not always necessary. On the other hand, if you are baking a large 10-cup bundt cake, both will likely be needed.
We're so happy this was helpful for you.
I make muffins that call for 1 tsp baking soda and 1 1/2 tsp baking powder. Can I substitute yeast for either or both? If so, what would be the measurement of yeast?
Hi J., unfortunately we don't have a tested method for subbing in yeast for baking powder/soda. Yeast typically takes time to proof whereas baking powder and soda are activated by heat and acidity. If you have more questions please contact our Customer Service team.
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This is a great article. I really appreciate this. I get the part about differences between baking soda vs powder but Iv often wondered if I really do need yeast for bread since it's not an ingredient I always have at home as I rarely bake bread. The few times iv tried to substitute yeast with soda it ended up looking like scones or cake. I'm considering buying yeast now
Gluten is the elastic substance that allows bread to raise into a light and fluffy product. Gluten free flours lack this substance. Consequently, they never are quite the same texture. I use yeast with gluten free flours anyway. Just allow plenty of time for dough to rise. Love the way breads taste.
Perhaps try a vegan recipe for bread.
You may be pleasantly surprised!