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Baking 101: The Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder

October 1, 2013 by Joy the Baker 160 Comments

soda + powder

I tell you this with nothing but love and understanding. I tell you this as a person who received the most mediocre grades in middle school science. I tell you this as someone who copied her chemistry homework from the nicest chemistry-smart boy she could find in high school.  Don’t judge.  It’s just the truth.

Baking is a science. It’s important to understand the reactions.

We need to talk about baking powder and baking soda… and you can totally copy my homework if you need to. It’s cool.

The difference between baking soda and baking powder:

Baking soda and baking powder are both odorless white powders that work their magic in our cakes. Though they’re both white powders, the two are certainly not interchangeable. Let’s talk about the facts behind these baking essentials.

Baking soda is also known as sodium bicarbonate. I told you we were talking science. Stay with me.

When sodium bicarbonate meets with heat, carbon dioxide gas is formed. It’s this gas that gives rise to our favorite cakes, cookies and biscuits. There is one drawback to the production of this gas. When heated, sodium bicarbonate also produces sodium carbonate, which doesn’t taste very good. If you’ve ever eaten any metallic tasting cakes or biscuits, you know what I’m talking about.

Thankfully, the metallic taste of sodium carbonate can be neutralized by acid. Lemon, yogurt, buttermilk, and unsweetened natural cocoa powder can neutralize the taste of sodium carbonate and keep our baked goods risen and lifted.

Baking powder is a mixture of baking soda and acid. Yea! Baking powder is part baking soda! Baking powder is made up of baking soda, a powdered acid, and cornstarch.

Most baking powders are labeled ‘double-acting’ meaning they release a small amount of carbon dioxide gas when they’re stirred into the batter or dough, but they release a majority of their precious gas when triggered by the heat of the oven.

Because baking powder is a leavener that contains both the sodium bicarbonate and the flavor-saving acid, it is usually paired with non-acid ingredients like whole milk and Dutch-processed cocoa.

Baking soda need an acid.  Baking powder has an acid.  We made that science easy, right?

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  1. Wanda

    January 11, 2016 at 9:53 pm

    Thank you for keeping it simple but I am still confused. I have seen recipes for pound cakes requiring the same ingredients, butter, sugar, eggs,sour cream or cream cheese, flavoring, etc. The difference is using either baking soda or baking powder? Which makes the best pound cake, powder or soda?

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      October 25, 2016 at 11:08 am

      That’s not what makes a good pound cake. What makes a good pound cake is the amount of butter!

      Reply
  2. ankita

    January 7, 2016 at 6:28 am

    Awesome description! Joy! :) Love ol ur posts!

    Reply
  3. Pat

    January 2, 2016 at 4:46 pm

    Can all purpose flour be used in a recipe that calls for self rising flour?

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      October 25, 2016 at 11:14 am

      Not exactly, here is a link to making your own self-rising flour

      Reply
  4. Lynn

    December 20, 2015 at 6:34 pm

    So if you chose to sub the powder for the soda, what is the exchange value? 2 to one……??? Any ideas??

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      November 1, 2016 at 12:41 pm

      No, that is not a good idea, I am not sure about the exchange value

      Reply
  5. Veliswa

    November 28, 2015 at 6:09 am

    Thank u 4 d information it really helps alot.

    Reply
  6. That Darn Carrot

    June 1, 2015 at 8:31 am

    A few people were wondering why some recipes use both baking soda and baking powder but I did not see a reply to that question:

    The basic answer is because while the baking powder is doing the leavening of the baked product a recipe that calls for both probably has another acid in the recipe like a lemon juice or something that needs counteracting, the baking soda is used to counteract the acid from the other ingredient to even out taste.

    And yes it is important when swapping baking soda for baking powder to substitute it properly. Baking powder is appx 1/4 the strength of baking soda since baking powder is already mixed with an acid so if a recipe calls for 1/4tsp of baking soda you’ll need 1 tsp of baking powder.

    Reply
  7. R Simak

    May 20, 2015 at 3:42 pm

    So why do some recipes call for both AND how does one determine the ratio?

    Reply
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Trackbacks

  1. What Does Baking Powder Do? | School says:
    December 4, 2015 at 8:41 am

    […] https://joythebaker.com/2013/10/baking-101-the-difference-between-baking-soda-and-baking-powder/ […]

    Reply
  2. Triple Chocolate Banana Muffins says:
    October 15, 2015 at 10:09 pm

    […] is used in recipes without acidic ingredients and the Dutch process cocoa I added is not acidic.  Joy the Baker Blog has an in depth post explaining the difference between baking powder and baking soda when added to […]

    Reply
  3. Cheddar Buttermilk Waffle BLTs | bediva says:
    September 6, 2015 at 6:03 am

    […] you’re still curious about the difference between baking soda and baking powder, we can totally talk about […]

    Reply
  4. Baking 101: Natural vs Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder | bediva says:
    September 6, 2015 at 5:00 am

    […] cocoa powder in baking is usually paired with baking powder because, as mentioned in The Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder, the baking powder takes care of the acid component in leavening our baked […]

    Reply
  5. How to Rescue Culinary Mishaps | melindakucsera says:
    August 31, 2015 at 8:19 pm

    […] Baking soda is also a base and it’s purpose is to lower the acidity of a recipe so that it will bake properly. If you go this route, be very careful how much you add because it tends to cause your recipe to froth and it will affect the flavor. There’s a great blog post explaining when and how to use baking soda here. […]

    Reply
  6. Soda Cake, Cooking in the Scripps Archives Part 2 | Cooking in the Archives says:
    June 25, 2015 at 7:47 am

    […] Reader, do you cook with baking soda or baking powder? I bet you do. Twenty-first-century recipes for cake, cookies, breakfast breads, and pancakes (I could go on) are predominantly leavened with sodium bicarbonate. Joy the Baker explains how, why, and when to use baking soda or baking powder in this excellent Baking 101 post. […]

    Reply
  7. Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder | We Dish Nutrition says:
    May 6, 2015 at 7:06 am

    […] https://joythebaker.com/2013/10/baking-101-the-difference-between-baking-soda-and-baking-powder/ […]

    Reply
  8. Midweek Tidbits says:
    March 25, 2015 at 3:56 pm

    […] Ever wonder what the difference is between baking soda and baking powder? I did until I read this post from Joy the Baker explaining it […]

    Reply

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