Double-Acting Baking Powder

What is Double-Acting Baking Powder?

Baking powder is a leavening agent that contains a combination of bicarbonate, acid and a filler such as cornstarch. Double-acting baking powder provides two stages of gas release. The first gassing stage typically takes place during mixing, when the dough or batter is hydrated. The second stage happens during baking when the dough or batter is heated. It is common in dough application to use a double-acting baking powder for leavening without the hassle of a lengthy fermentation period. Retail baking powders used for home baking are usually double-acting. However, at the industrial scale where end-product consistency is crucial, single-acting baking powders are more common.

Origin

Double-acting baking powder was developed by chemist George Campbell Rew (1869-1924) and William M. Wright (1851-1931) in 1889. They marketed the product under the name Calumet Baking Powder. In 1928, the company was bought by General Foods.¹

Function

Double-acting baking powders can utilize a variety of leavening acid combinations to create a multistage gassing profile. Sodium aluminum phosphate (SALP) or sodium aluminum sulfate (SAS) combined with monocalcium phosphate (MCP) are the most common combinations. These are blended with either sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate to produce carbon dioxide. In Europe, where aluminum-based acidulates are prohibited, a combination of sodium acid pyrophosphate (SAPP) and MCP is the most common choice of leavening acids for double-acting baking powders.

In double-acting formulas, the moisture-sensitive acid is meant to prime (not leaven) the dough, seeding it with carbon dioxide, by acid and alkaline reaction. Then the heat-sensitive acid kicks in right as cakes and cookies need it most – about midway through the baking process, when softly set batters and doughs threaten to collapse.² 

Many bakers use double acting baking powders when they have small scale batch processes. However, when scaling up to larger continual processes, especially where the Oaks equipment is involved, different leavening acids need to be utilized to properly handle the process. This typically means using single-acting baking powders that contain heat-activated acids, such as sodium acid pyrophosphate (SAPP) or sodium aluminum phosphate (SALP).

Application

Although double-acting baking powders can be used in a variety of dough and batter products, the most common industrial application is muffins. As the outer edge of the muffin begins to set, the second stage of aeration from the double-acting baking powder causes rapid expansion through the center of the muffin (where the batter is yet to set), helping to form the classic peaked shape.

The dosage rate for baking powder can vary significantly depending on the product and the particular qualities desired in the finished bake. A typical cake recipe will use 3-5% baking powder on flour weight, whereas scones may require over 6% on flour weight. Using too much will result in a bitter-tasting product, large bubbles, and surface blasting. Using too little will result in a tough, dense crumb with little volume.

FDA Regulation

Baking powder is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) regulated by U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the article 21CFR182.1.4

References

1. “Baking Powder History” What’s Cooking America. 14 Sept. 2016. whatscookingamerica.net/History/BakingPowderHistory.  Accessed 30 Dec. 2016.
2. Parks, Stella. “Cookie Science: How Does Baking Powder Affect My Cookies?” Serious Eats. 08 Dec. 2015. www.seriouseats.com/2015/12/cookie-science-baking-powder. Accessed 30 Dec. 2016.
3. “CFR – Code of Federal Regulations 21CFR182.1.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 1 Apr. 2016. www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=182.1. Accessed 03 Jan. 2017.