Use of Baking Agents
For different baked goods, various baking agents are used depending on the desired final result. It can be distinguished between those baking agents that loosen dough biologically and, for example, baking agents that also loosen the dough in a physical manner. There are also chemical baking agents.
In general, baking agents serve to introduce gas bubbles into the dough, which are responsible for loosening the dough. When the dough is baked, i.e., in the finished end product, it is the pore structure of the baked good that indicates how loose the dough is. The finer the pores and firmer the product, the less baking agent was used. If the result is very light and large-pored, more baking agent was used.
Biological Baking Agents
Biological baking agents usually refer to yeast. Yeast can be found in every supermarket, either as fresh yeast or as dry yeast. Fresh yeast is offered in the refrigerated section and must be consumed quickly. Dry yeast has a longer shelf life because it has been dehydrated. Additionally, ready-made sourdough for bread-making is also available in stores, which also works on a yeast basis. Yeast as a baking agent works by the yeast fungi converting sugar into carbon dioxide and alcohol when they come into contact with the dough. The gaseous carbon dioxide loosens the dough through the formation of gas bubbles.
Chemical Baking Agents
Chemical baking agents refer to those that, as the name suggests, loosen the dough through chemical reactions. Here, carbon dioxide is produced by reacting with water or adding acid to the dough, or through heat during the baking process. These chemical baking agents include, for example, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, but also soda ash.
Physical Baking Agents
The physical loosening of dough occurs in every baking process. This cannot be prevented because natural evaporation of the water contained in the dough during oven baking naturally loosens the dough. The dough can also be physically loosened through kneading when making the dough. This is important, for example, when making sponge cake, which obtains its special consistency by incorporating air into the dough.
Physical leavening refers to the loosening through steam. This loosening occurs in every baking process, even if other leavening agents are used. The water contained in each dough partially evaporates during baking, expands and thus loosens the dough.
Baking Agents Are Essential
Without baking agents, it would not be possible to bake bread and cakes of all kinds. Baking agents can generally be considered harmless. However, instead of phosphate-containing ones, those based on natural wine acid should be preferred for chemical baking agents. Wine acid is a natural product and has the same effect as phosphate-containing baking agents. Phosphates are considered unhealthy because they have a negative impact on calcium metabolism in the body.