When baking a variety of muffins, cakes, pies and others like them, we often have to deal with soda and baking powder (or baking powder). The principle of their operation at an intuitive level is understandable to almost everyone, but during the cooking process, some questions still arise, such as: why extinguish soda with vinegar and how to do it correctly.

What is it and how does it work?

Soda - she is sodium bicarbonate, she is sodium bicarbonate, she is sodium bicarbonate - a chemical substance with the formula NaHCO3. When it comes into contact with an acidic environment, soda reacts with it, breaking down into salt, water and carbon dioxide. This very carbon dioxide loosens the dough, giving it fluffiness and porosity. Soda itself is not a very good baking powder and therefore requires acid in the dough.

Baking powder or baking powder is a mixture of soda, acid (most often citric) and an inert ingredient, which is usually flour or starch (less often powdered sugar). The ratio of soda and acid is selected in such a way that the reaction proceeds without residue. Therefore, no additional acid is required when using a baking powder.

Why quench baking soda with vinegar?

If everything is clear with the baking powder - I fell asleep, stirred and ready, - then questions often arise with soda. The most burning of them is why extinguish soda with vinegar. And does it even need to be extinguished?

Soda itself is not a very good baking powder (I'm talking about its interaction with dough without acidic ingredients). No, it still produces some kind of loosening effect - if only because at high temperatures (starting from 60 degrees) soda breaks down into sodium carbonate, carbon dioxide and water. But the reaction is incomplete - and as a result we get an insufficiently loose dough and, often, a “soapy” taste of soda in the finished baked goods.

To overcome this problem, most housewives extinguish soda with vinegar - and they do it not quite right... How does it usually work? A certain amount of soda is collected in a spoon, a certain amount of vinegar is poured on top, the mixture fizzes and bubbles, then interferes with the dough. Why is it wrong? The fact is that the reaction, which, in an amicable way, should take place in the test, passes in the air and turns out to be, for the most part, useless. Many will argue that baked goods rise anyway. Yes, it rises. But only due to the fact that in the overwhelming majority of cases the proportions of soda and vinegar are not maintained - and some of the soda simply does not react. It is this small part that produces the loosening effect that we see at the exit.

How to do it correctly? Ideally, mix soda with dry ingredients, and acid (in the form of lemon juice, kefir, etc.) with liquid ingredients. Then quickly knead the dough by combining the two mixtures and bake immediately.

Why are some recipes both soda and baking powder?

In the baking powder, the proportion of soda and acid is selected so that the reaction proceeds without residue. But if the recipe contains ingredients that can cause a strong acidic reaction, they require additional soda, which we add separately from the baking powder. These ingredients include fermented milk products (sour cream, yogurt, cottage cheese, kefir, yogurt, whey), fruit and berry juices and purees, vinegar, honey, chocolate, citric acid and others.

Are baking soda and baking powder interchangeable?

Interchangeable, except for those cases when the dough contains honey, which requires the mandatory presence of soda. I replace 1 tsp. baking powder for ½ tsp. soda and vice versa - 1 tsp. soda for 2 tsp. baking powder. When replacing baking powder with baking soda, remember that the latter needs acid.

How to make baking powder at home?

In factory baking powder, the standard proportion of soda, acid and filler is 5: 3: 12, respectively. That is, to get 20 g of baking powder, you need to take 5 grams of baking soda, 3 grams of citric acid and 12 grams of flour or starch. The difficulty lies in the fact that you can measure the required amount of ingredients only with the help of electronic scales.

The most delicious pastries are made from puffed dough, and in order to properly prepare light dough without yeast, you need to know how to extinguish baking soda using table vinegar. After all, it is soda that improves the structure, makes the finished dough weightless, and products from it simply melt in your mouth. It, along with baking powder (baking powder), is used by both ordinary housewives and professional chefs.

Homemade cakes are much tastier than store-bought cakes and pies. Therefore, every housewife strives to ensure that her family loves her mother's pancakes, cakes and pancakes. Someone learns to cook from childhood, while someone else bakes something for the first time in their own family. Some trust only grandmother's recipes, passed down from generation to generation, others strive to be modern and learn from video lessons and culinary articles from the Internet. In any case, the main secret of the splendor and lightness of any unleavened baking is to follow the rules for extinguishing baking soda.

Soda is responsible for the basic qualities of the dough: splendor, lightness and airiness of finished products. In the composition of the baking powder, soda also acts as the main ingredient, in addition to it, it includes dry citric acid and flour. All components are combined in such proportions that soda and acid completely enter into a chemical reaction. Why is it necessary to extinguish soda with vinegar and how to do it without mistakes? The answers to the questions are in this article.

Why extinguish soda with vinegar

Some people do not try hard to succeed in culinary skills, therefore, when reading a recipe for creating a dish, they miss out on small details, in the end they get a completely different result than expected. The process of adding soda is considered such an important nuance. If the recipe states that the soda needs to be extinguished with table vinegar, you must definitely do this.

The meaning of this procedure is to distribute the smallest gas bubbles throughout the consistency of the dough, which will make the finished product soft, tender and tasty. Soda itself has the property of loosening, which occurs at elevated temperatures, but this reaction often does not go completely. As a result, the baked goods have an unpleasant soda flavor.

When alkaline soda reacts with acid, the result is 2 products: salt and carbon dioxide, which serves as the main element for loosening baked goods. Therefore, it is so important to carry out the process of extinguishing soda directly in the dough in order to improve its structure.

It is for this reason that soda must be extinguished in an acidic environment (mixing with lemon juice, kefir, sour cream) or with vinegar. It is not worth extinguishing soda in a spoon (as they have been doing for a very long time) - the reaction in this case will pass by the dough, without affecting its structure in any way. It is worth understanding the intricacies of this process in more detail.

As for the so-called baking powder or baking powder, this dry mixture is produced at the factory in compliance with all proportions so that all components react completely, without residue.

How to extinguish baking soda with 70 percent vinegar

It is best to extinguish baking soda with apple cider vinegar or 9 percent vinegar, but most often at home you have 70 percent vinegar essence at hand. It has a too concentrated composition, therefore, it is dangerous to health if the correct dosage is not observed.

To extinguish baking soda with 70 percent vinegar, dilute it with water in a ratio of 1 to 7 (add 7 small spoons of water to 1 teaspoon of vinegar). With this concentrated mixture, soda should be extinguished.

There are several ways to use 70 percent vinegar to quench baking soda. Here is their detailed description:

For baking step by step

To make baking light, tasty and fluffy, you must strictly follow all the rules for extinguishing soda with vinegar:

  • make baking soda, vinegar and flour;
  • mix baking soda with flour;
  • add vinegar to liquid dough ingredients;
  • connect all components of the test;
  • bake at the right temperature.

All proportions must be observed according to the recipe, do not add anything "by eye" so as not to spoil the finished product.

For pancakes

To prepare pancakes, you need very little soda - no more than 1 teaspoon, it all depends on the volume of all other ingredients. If you add too much baking soda to your pancake batter, the pancakes will taste bad. It is imperative to extinguish soda for making pancakes: lemon juice or table vinegar. For baking sour pancakes (with yogurt, sour cream or kefir), you do not need to extinguish soda: the reaction will take place due to the acidic environment of the dough.

You need to extinguish the baking soda just before baking the pancakes. After quenching, add the required amount of flour, beat the dough with a mixer at low speed and start baking pancakes. In this case, the finished products will be tasty and lush.

For pancakes

Pancakes are one of the favorite dishes of childhood. Each housewife has her own special recipe for making these pastries. The most common pancake dough recipe details the entire kneading process, including the step of adding baking soda. You need to mix sugar, salt, flour and soda in one cup, and eggs and kefir (or yogurt) in another.

After that, you need to pour the liquid products into the mixture of dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. The pancake dough should be allowed to stand for 20-30 minutes, this will improve its quality. Bake in a frying pan with butter, without crushing the pancakes, so they will not only be tasty, but also fluffy.

As it already became clear, you do not need to extinguish soda specifically for pancakes. The acidic environment of the dough is the best way to quench soda.

For charlotte

Many housewives love to cook charlotte: these delicious pastries can be prepared without much effort, quickly and easily, and besides, the list of products for creating it is always at hand. This dish has many recipes, most of which use slaked soda.

One of the simplest and most common recipes for making a charlotte involves adding vinegar to the liquid ingredients of the dough (beaten eggs with sugar), and the soda powder is mixed with flour and added just before baking. To do this, you need to mix well the dry and liquid parts of the dough so that the soda fully reacts. In the oven, under the influence of high temperature, baking soda will help the charlotte become lush and tasty.

For cake, cupcake and roll

Many cake recipes contain soda in their description, which should be extinguished with vinegar. Most often these are numerous options for biscuits, which should be fluffy and light. But there are other recipes as well.

So, for example, for cakes that require the preparation of the dough in a hot water bath (honey cake), soda can be added dry. It is extinguished in the process of heating among liquid ingredients (honey, melted butter, sour cream, chocolate, etc.). The past reaction will immediately make itself felt with hiss and the appearance of foam.

For extinguishing soda with vinegar, it is best to use apple cider essence: it does not have a pungent odor and has a mild taste. It is advised to be used by many professional chefs and pastry chefs. For lush baked goods, mix baking soda with flour and sugar, and acetic acid with liquid dough ingredients.

You can extinguish baking soda and fresh lemon juice if you don't want to add vinegar. In this case, the cakes will definitely not have an unpleasant aftertaste.

Thus, to add fluffiness to baked goods, pancakes or pancakes, you do not always need to rely on the experience of your mother or grandmother and act on their instructions. It's best to try making your own food once using the correct method of extinguishing baking soda. And it is not at all necessary to use acetic acid; you can successfully replace it with dry citric acid or lemon juice. And for those who are just starting to create in cooking, it is best to use a baking powder that is sold in any store - so the dough and the finished product will definitely not be spoiled.

Homemade cakes are always tastier and healthier than any purchased buns and breads. Our own cakes and biscuits contain natural products without artificial flavors and leavening agents. Every good housewife knows how to extinguish soda with vinegar, as her mother and grandmother did. She will carefully show her grown daughter how to extinguish baking soda and pass on the best dough recipes. But how justified is the habit of using slaked soda for baking? Why not replace the baking soda with a ready-made baking powder? These questions are hotly debated and have not yet been answered unequivocally.

Some bakers argue that the tradition of extinguishing baking soda is outdated long ago and testifies to culinary illiteracy, they say, modern baking powder does a much better job. Others continue to make and use homemade baking soda baking powder using vinegar, lemon juice, and other acidic foods. Which of them is right has not yet been finally decided. Therefore, each chef can either extinguish the baking soda or not, at his discretion. But to make your own verdict, you need to understand the chemical processes that affect the loosening of the dough, and the effect of soda in baking.

Natural baking powder: theory and practice. Slaked baking soda
All types of dough need a component that will provide fluffiness and rise during baking, otherwise the finished products will turn out to be too dense and heavy. For many years, baking soda has served as a versatile baking powder, whether it's for pancakes, patties, or cakes. And not at random, but slaked with vinegar. When groceries in stores became more accessible, the wealthiest housewives abandoned vigorous vinegar and began to extinguish soda with lemon juice, and the most advanced ones with citric acid. Without even suspecting that they exactly repeat the composition of the ready-made baking powder made in a factory way: soda and acid. True, the industrial baking powder also contains a filler (starch or flour), which you can easily do without, if you cook a little loose for baking and use immediately, without leaving it for future use.

Thus, we found out that slaked soda completely replaces the baking powder. It remains to figure out why to extinguish soda with acid and is it really necessary?
The need to extinguish soda in the dough is justified if the dough is completely bland. You can safely put a ready-made baking powder in such a dough, which will fully react. But if the dough is prepared on the basis of kefir, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, fruit juices, etc. acidic products, baking powder and / or soda are often put in it at the same time, because there is enough acid for a complete reaction.

Baking powder made from slaked soda. How and with what to extinguish soda?
The above brief lesson in household chemicals gave us two valuable insights. Firstly, there is no point in extinguishing baking soda outside the dough. Secondly, soda loosens the dough even without quenching, just from heating. The additional acid in the dough enhances and accelerates the loosening effect. Based on these facts, we get this way to redeem baking soda correctly:

  1. Mix the amount of baking soda indicated in the recipe with the rest of the dry ingredients. It is convenient to mix baking soda with salt, flour, starch, etc. Stir until smooth.
  2. As an acid, you can use traditional vinegar, as well as lemon juice or citric acid. By and large, there is no difference between the two, so choose any of these components that are available.
  3. Add the sour ingredient to the liquid part of the dough: stir with egg, milk, syrup or honey. Do this in a separate container, and only then combine the dry and liquid components of the dough.
  4. After combining the dry and liquid portions, immediately knead the dough and place it in the oven as soon as possible. The reaction of the alkali and acid will start immediately upon contact, which is why you have so little time.
  5. As you bake the dough, the carbonic acid reaction will accelerate and you will see the dough rise in the oven. If you did everything exactly according to the instructions, then the gas bubbles will increase and loosen the dough.
The proportions of soda and acid are individual, therefore they are indicated separately in the dough recipes. On average, aim for 5-6 drops of vinegar or lemon juice for every teaspoon of baking soda.

Why extinguish baking soda?
Guided by this logic, you can do without acid at all and / or quench the baking soda with ordinary boiling water, because gas is released even when heated. But some doubts remain. If extinguishing soda is pointless, it would have been abandoned long ago! In fact, you need to extinguish baking soda not for the sake of loosening, but for a completely different reason:

  • Soda has a characteristic, well-known flavor, which is called “soda”. This flavor is a bit like soap and is clearly felt in baked goods, the composition of which implies soda.
  • If you do not extinguish the baking soda, then the finished products will have this soapy aftertaste. You can interrupt it with strong flavors, but it is much easier to neutralize it with acid.
  • Slaked soda loses an unpleasant aftertaste, so acid is added to it not so much for the sake of a loosening effect, but for the sake of taste.
It turns out that the soda in the dough is responsible for the splendor of the baked goods, and the acid is responsible for the absence of an unpleasant taste. The soda flavor will still remain if the acidic ingredient isn't enough for a full reaction. That is why even sour dough for pancakes or pancakes is supplemented with a small amount of acid that quenches the soda. Knowing this, you will prepare the dough intelligently, and not according to standard patterns. Then it becomes clear that lemon juice is more desirable than vinegar because its taste is simply nicer.

From now on, you can use ready-made baking powder or cook it yourself each time. Just remember that for good loosening, the neutralization reaction must take place directly in the dough, and not in a spoonful of baking soda. We wish you successful baking, tall pies and soft muffins, no soda aftertaste and with a crumbly, fluffy crumb.

When they read a new baking recipe, they first of all pay attention to the composition of the products and to what makes a fluffy dough. Most recipes use soda slaked with vinegar, yeast or baking powder for this. The use of yeast is time consuming and requires a lot of skill, baking powder is not always in the kitchen, and soda is always available. It is only necessary to handle it correctly. In the text of the recipe, soda is usually indicated, but it is the slaked product that is meant.

How do you get slaked soda?

Vinegar slaked soda

Unlike ordinary crystalline soda sold in packaged form, slaked soda is obtained directly during the preparation of the dough by mixing the substance with acidic or liquid products and mixtures. As a result of quenching, bubbles appear on the surface of the container, accompanied by hissing sounds. This is how the chemical reaction for the formation of carbon dioxide looks outwardly.

Why extinguish soda

There are conflicting opinions about how to make vinegar slaked soda, and whether it should be done at all. Scientists, who pay attention primarily to the validity of the chemical process, believe that during the quenching process, all carbon dioxide is released into the air and does not bring any benefit to the dough. Culinary experts regularly encounter the fact that soda does not want to dissolve on its own and is then present in pieces in the finished dough. Therefore, they take the opposite point of view and insist on the inclusion of slaked soda in the recipes.

In practice, the following processes take place.

1. Chemists have proven that to completely extinguish one teaspoon of soda, 16 of the same tablespoons of vinegar with a concentration of 9%, which is used in cooking, are needed.

3. Usually, an equal amount of acetic acid and soda is mixed, that is, only partial dissolution of the substance occurs, and the rest remains incompletely slaked. This amount of vinegar is enough to pre-moisten and soften the soda, creating the most favorable conditions for its further quenching in the dough in contact with other products containing acid.

Alternative ways to extinguish soda

It is not necessary to use edible vinegar for extinguishing. Lemon juice or citric acid, kefir, or other acidic foods are good substitutes. In an extreme case, if acid is already present in the dough, ordinary soda, slaked, for example, with boiling water, is suitable. In this case, the cook is insured against pieces of soda in the finished baked goods, and the required amount of carbon dioxide is formed as a result of kneading the dough.

There is no single exact recipe for extinguishing soda, each housewife empirically selects the most successful, from her point of view, combination. But in no case should you use quick soda if there is no acid in the dough in any form.

A well-prepared white powder available from every housewife will be an excellent ingredient for making lush and delicious baked goods. It is he who can replace the baking powder, giving the flour mass a light and porous structure.

Correctly extinguishing baking soda means using the correct proportions, as well as adhering to certain rules for the procedure. This will allow you to avoid spoiled products, the appearance and taste of which kills any desire to feast on, and to receive amazing magnificent masterpieces. If you do not know how to extinguish soda, and what substances can be used for this, be sure to check out the recipes I offer.

Absolutely every woman knows perfectly well that sodium bicarbonate is an excellent baking powder and can be used in baking. Have you ever thought about the fact that expensive baking mixes contain exactly sodium bicarbonate, as well as additional components, which are chemical additives. Knowing how to extinguish soda, you can avoid unnecessary expenses, and do not harm your own health, excluding the use of components harmful to the body.

When making cakes, pancakes, as well as pies and even pastries, use baking soda, but not pure. In these cases, it should be repaid. Many people think that this removes the taste of baking soda, and this procedure is not at all necessary. But this opinion is partially mistaken. The soapy and unpleasant aftertaste is really eliminated, but it should be remembered that it is the interaction of sodium bicarbonate and an acidic environment that makes baked products amazingly tasty, light and airy.

If you extinguish the soda correctly, then a decay reaction will occur, crushing the substance into components such as:

  • carbon dioxide gas;
  • water;
  • salt.

The appearance of gas allows the dough to loosen and acquire the qualities necessary for baking. Due to the chemical reaction leading to its production, the dough becomes more elastic, airy-soft and very tasty.

If the “white powder” does not interact with the acidic environment, you will not get the desired effect. In this regard, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the information on how to extinguish soda, what products are needed for this and how important it is to observe the proportions.

How to extinguish soda?

Everyone knows that you can extinguish baking soda with lemon and vinegar. But you will be surprised - these are far from all the ingredients that can be used to "trigger a reaction".

In addition to vinegar and lemon, you can use products such as:

  • Kefir;
  • Sour cream;
  • Citric acid.

You can also use other ingredients containing acid, including honey, in which there is an increased level of acidity (in this case, baking soda is added to the flour, and honey is combined with liquid components, and added to the dry composition, after which a reaction will occur).

When using vinegar, it is best to opt for the apple or grape varieties, which are softer than the table product. They also do not have an overly pungent odor, and are endowed with a more pleasant aftertaste.

How to quench baking soda with vinegar?

There are several methods for extinguishing baking soda with vinegar. We suggest considering each of them, which will allow you to choose the most suitable option for baking.

Grandma's technique

Personally, I find it obsolete:

  • The powder is placed on a spoon or other small container, then vinegar is added.
  • When the reaction is complete, the finished substance should be added to the flour mass. As a result of this, the carbon dioxide that should "work out" in the baking and fluff it flies into the air, but you can still get an insignificant result.
  • The proportions of the components are determined by eye.
  • If some part of the soda “did not react” due to insufficient addition of an acidic medium, then in the dough, under the influence of other acidic components, it will definitely complete the process.

Slightly improved grandmother's technique:

  • Baking soda is placed in the combined liquid components;
  • Vinegar is added in small drops.
  • Everything is thoroughly mixed, and after the completion of the reaction, it is added to the flour mass.

In this case, a large amount of carbon dioxide will remain in the dough.

Modern version

It is better to extinguish soda with vinegar according to this step-by-step recipe:

  • add bicarbonate to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly;
  • combine vinegar with liquid ingredients (eggs, sour cream, kefir, etc.);
  • combine the two and knead the dough.

In this case, the reaction of the powder will be carried out directly in the flour mass and carbon dioxide will remain in the dough.

Proportions

It is important to observe the proportions indicated in a particular recipe. If there are no specific indications, then in most cases they use:

  • soda in the amount of 1 tsp. (taken without a slide);
  • vinegar (the volume depends on the type used) - 1/2 part of the volume of soda used (9% substance).

If balsamic vinegar (grape) or essence (70 percent product) is used, then the proportions will be completely different. When applying a balsamic look, you should adhere to the following proportions:

  • soda - 1 tsp;
  • balsamic vinegar - 4 teaspoons (in most cases, this liquid is within the 6 percent mark).

How to extinguish soda with citric acid

If you don't have vinegar on hand, you can extinguish the baking soda with citric acid. By making baked goods without vinegar, you can avoid the sour and pungent taste. For the test, you will need to prepare the composition according to the following recipe:

  • filtered water - 60 ml;
  • baking soda - 12 g.;
  • citric acid - 12 gr. (connects to the previously mentioned liquid volume).

The prepared liquid compositions should be combined, then added to the dough and mixed thoroughly.

Lemon juice can be used instead of free-flowing crystalline powder. To do this, take the required amount of baking soda, squeeze the lemon, and these substances combine. The amount of ingredients is used in proportions of 1: 2.

How to extinguish soda with kefir or sour cream?

If you are going to make a cookie or pie, you should also know how to extinguish soda.

It is very easy to achieve the effect of incredible airiness and splendor if the dough is prepared with dairy products (sour cream, kefir). To do this, it is enough to add sodium bicarbonate directly to the dough, where the reaction will occur when acidic ingredients "collide". But how to extinguish soda with kefir if such an ingredient is absent in the dough? Everything is very simple:

  • take kefir - 1 tablespoon;
  • add the required amount of soda (1 tsp);
  • mix the components thoroughly;
  • combine the mixture with the dough.

In the same way, you can extinguish soda with sour cream.

Is it possible to extinguish soda with water?

Sometimes it is forbidden to use citric acid in a nutritious diet, as well as vinegar, due to health reasons. If you are faced with just such a situation, then you can extinguish the soda with water that is intended for drinking. It is important to use boiling water, because only then a reaction similar to interaction with vinegar will occur.

As you can see, getting fluffy baked goods is a snap. For this, it is not necessary to use expensive baking powder and yeast, which take a huge amount of time. Try the above recipes and working with the dough will bring you incredible pleasure, because the prepared masterpieces will conquer everyone and will be eaten instantly!

In the video, NTV reports on how best to extinguish soda.


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