Question

A white powder is added while baking bread and cakes to make them soft and fluffy. What is the name of the powder? What are the main ingredients in it? What are the functions of each ingredient?

Answer 1

Reason for the fluffy and soft texture of bread and cake:

1. The bread and cake become soft and fluffy when Carbon dioxide$\left({\mathrm{CO}}_2\right)$ gets trapped in the dough.
2. The trapped Carbon dioxide$\left({\mathrm{CO}}_2\right)$ causes the dough to puff up and expand.
3. Carbon dioxide$\left({\mathrm{CO}}_2\right)$ is released when heated.

A white powder is added while baking bread and cakes to make them soft and fluffy is Baking powder because Baking powder contains Sodium bicarbonate$\left({\mathrm{NaHCO}}_3\right)$. It is a base that reacts when it comes into contact with acids, like buttermilk, yogurt, or vinegar. This reaction produces Carbon dioxide$\left({\mathrm{CO}}_2\right)$ in the form of bubbles.

Ingredients of baking powder: Baking powder is a complete leavening agent, meaning it contains both Sodium bicarbonate$\left({\mathrm{NaHCO}}_3\right)$ and acidity ingredient (Monocalcium phosphate$\left(\mathrm{Ca}{\left({\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{PO}}_4\right)}_2\right)$ and Sodium acid pyrophosphate$\left({\mathrm{Na}}_2{\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{P}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_7\right)$).

The function of Monocalcium phosphate$\left(\mathrm{Ca}{\left({\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{PO}}_4\right)}_2\right)$ and Sodium acid pyrophosphate$\left({\mathrm{Na}}_2{\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{P}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_7\right)$:

1. Monocalcium phosphate$\left(\mathrm{Ca}{\left({\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{PO}}_4\right)}_2\right)$ doesn’t react with the sodium bicarbonate while it’s dry. But as soon as the baking powder is stirred into a wet dough or batter, the two ingredients begin to react, releasing bubbles of Carbon dioxide$\left({\mathrm{CO}}_2\right)$ and causing chemical leavening.
2. Sodium acid pyrophosphate$\left({\mathrm{Na}}_2{\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{P}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_7\right)$ won’t start reacting with the sodium bicarbonate until after you’ve put the dough or batter in the oven. This means that the batter rises for a longer period of time.