Knowra Leavening agent Leavening agent A leavening agent creates gas or expands existing gas to increase the volume of dough or batter. Its action produces a lighter, more porous baked structure.
Carbon dioxide : A colorless gas produced by respiration, combustion, and many chemical reactions. It is the main gas that chemical and biological leavening agents produce in dough.
Baking powder : A dry leavening mixture containing sodium bicarbonate and one or more acid salts. It packages a base and acid together so moisture and heat can release carbon dioxide.
Mechanical leavening : The expansion of a baked mixture through air introduced by mixing or creaming. It supplies trapped air directly, unlike agents that create gas through fermentation or chemical reaction.
Bread : A baked food made from flour and water, usually formed into a dough. Yeast or sourdough commonly leavens bread by producing gas over time.
Gluten : A network of wheat proteins that gives dough elasticity and helps it retain gas. Its elastic network traps leavening gases, allowing dough to expand before baking sets its structure.
Cream of tartar : Potassium bitartrate, an acidic powder formed during winemaking. It can react with baking soda to produce carbon dioxide in batter.
Biological leavening : Leavening produced by living organisms, especially yeast, through fermentation. It is a slower route to gas production that also develops characteristic flavors.
Quick bread : A bread leavened without yeast, commonly using baking powder or baking soda. Chemical agents make it possible to mix and bake the batter without fermentation.
Yeast : A single-celled fungus used in fermentation, including the production of bread dough. It leavens dough by fermenting sugars and releasing carbon dioxide.
Ammonium bicarbonate : A leavening salt that decomposes on heating into gases, including ammonia and carbon dioxide. It can leave baked goods exceptionally crisp because its gaseous products escape during baking.
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