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 preparation 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. On 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. By itself, soda is not a very good baking powder and therefore requires the presence of acid in the dough.

Baking powder or baking powder is a mixture of soda, acid (most often citric acid) 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, when using a baking powder, no additional acid is required.

Why quench baking soda with vinegar?

If everything is clear with the baking powder - I fell asleep, stirred it and is 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 go up 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 in such a way 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 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.

Oh, how sometimes you want to please your loved ones with a gorgeous homemade treat: pie or cookies, cake or pancakes. But in almost all recipes there is a phrase like this: "Extinguish half a teaspoon of baking soda."

But often young housewives are just interested in the question of how to extinguish soda. Usually such a moment is present in recipes for making various types of baked goods. Soda is used to make the cake or cake crust lush, and not a hard "sole".

Of course, you can do just fine with a baking powder bought in a store. By the way, it is created on the basis of elemental soda and acid, which interact when in contact with liquid. The chemical process is practically no different from how the hostess can repay the soda herself, without unnecessary spending on baking powder.

If the recipe indicates that the soda needs to be taken at the tip of a knife, then the extinguishing process can be omitted altogether. When more sodium dioxide is needed, about a teaspoon, then you need to neutralize it. During this reaction, soda and acid interact with the release, which "lifts" the product, creating the splendor of the product. The acid itself turns into water. Therefore, it is very important to correctly observe the proportions, otherwise either acid or soda may remain unused, which may affect the taste of the product.

Considering the moment that soda is neutralized not only when exposed to acids, but also at high temperatures, it is not scary if the acid is slightly less than required for a complete reaction: the remainder of the soda will decompose already during the cooking process. But the excess acid will remain there, giving the product not quite the taste that the hostess is counting on.

So we came to the conclusion that the less acid, the better. Since you can extinguish soda with any acid that can be eaten, you should use vinegar (wine, apple, fruit or diluted or fermented milk products, lemon juice, or Why it is recommended to use diluted vinegar, and not essence, can be understood from the beginning of the article. it is rather difficult to determine the exact amount of concentrated acid, and you can easily “overdo it.” For the same purpose, it is better to use not a spoon for tea, holding it directly over the dough, but a glass on the table.

The amount of acid is determined empirically, gradually adding it to a glass of soda and stirring. As soon as the soda begins to boil, actively emitting carbon dioxide, the mixture is poured into the dough and stirred. But there is no better way than to extinguish soda "dry" by mixing it with flour. It is recommended to add acid to liquid ingredients, for example, milk, water, kefir - those components that are included in the recipe. During the mixing of products, a chemical process will occur, and the question of how to extinguish the soda will disappear by itself.

You can also use a similar option, replacing the liquid dry acid, which can always be purchased for mere pennies in the supermarket.

This method, of course, is more convenient, since it is not entirely correct to extinguish soda in the air. After all, the very carbon dioxide that we need to loosen the dough, almost all goes into the air. Thus, the process loses its significance. This is probably why many housewives prefer to use purchased baking powder. Because it is in them that dry acid and soda have the ability to interact with each other, being "inside" the dough, which creates the maximum splendor and tenderness of the product.

And in order not to spend money on buying a baking powder, make it yourself, pouring the right amount of soda and a pinch of citric acid into the flour. This will save the hostess from the problem of extinguishing soda, from the need to measure out the acid and dilute the essence, achieving the desired concentration.

To feed the family with delicious and modern dishes, the hostess needs to constantly improve her skills, as required by the recipe for the delicacy, its serving and decoration.

For example, to prepare aromatic buns with a golden crispy crust, it is necessary to knead the dough correctly and according to the recipe, with the exact amount of all ingredients.

And without yeast, it turns out to be dense, does not rise, and remains "squat". In the absence of baking powder, you can take baking soda, you just need to extinguish it correctly.

How to do this, we will understand in this article.

Why do you need to extinguish?

In cooking, yeast-free dough is used in many types of products. For example, for shortcrust and puff pastry, pizza, dumplings, khinkali, etc.

And the splendor in it is achieved due to the fact that carbon dioxide is released during quenching, during baking or an acidic environment.

And in order for the baking to turn out to be porous and light, you need to carefully separate the slaked soda (carbon dioxide). Based on the theory, a product without quenching gives a much smaller opening effect.

One of the main reasons why it is extinguished in baked goods is to improve the quality of the baked product. But for this it is not at all necessary to use slaked soda, but it is used as a dry ingredient, and the baking does not get worse at the same time.

It should be noted that if there is no acidic environment, then the quenching process is not complete. Baking soda will be felt after baking.

It does not matter which vinegar or fermented milk product was chosen for extinguishing.

The usual one is used - table, and the one that is intended for dressing salads - apple or wine. The main challenge is to create the right acidic environment.

And it is very important to use the exact amount of food, otherwise you will not get a fluffy and airy treat.

What else can you use?

• Apple cider (or any other fruit) vinegar 6-9%;
• Citric acid or freshly squeezed juice;
• Any fermented milk product;
• Preserves, jams from sour fruits and berries;
• Natural juice of sour fruits, such as cranberry juice.

How to extinguish with vinegar according to the classic recipe?

The number of products in exact proportions will directly depend on the recipe chosen.

• Baking soda;
• Flour;
• Vinegar;
• Water or any dairy product.

You cannot extinguish soda in advance, this is done immediately before kneading and baking the product.

In order to properly knead the dough, you need to mix all the dry ingredients, add baking soda and mix well so that it is evenly distributed.

Liquid ingredients with the addition of vinegar are mixed separately in another container. If kefir is used, then vinegar can be omitted.

Before placing the product in a baking dish, you must thoroughly mix the liquid and dry bases, and immediately start baking. This will create a very airy and soft treat.

The amount of water must be accurate as indicated in the recipe, otherwise the chemical reaction may not fully occur. And as a consequence - the taste in baked goods.

It is this method that is considered correct, while the reaction of sodium bicarbonate will be visible to the naked eye.

Carbon dioxide, which makes the yeast-free dough porous and airy, does not evaporate during kneading, and continues to work during the baking process.

Expert opinion

We immediately answer the question - do not extinguish the product in a spoon, as our grandmothers did. CO2 in this case will evaporate almost instantly, without getting to the rest of the components, and it makes no sense to wait for an amazing result from the delicacy.

Alternative methods of extinguishing

In rare cases, it happens that you need to choose another option without using soda quenched with vinegar, then you can use baking powder.

Expert opinion

Attention!

IMPORTANT!!! It should be borne in mind that it is recommended to bake with NaHCO3 at a temperature of 180-200 C.

In addition to the vinegar quenching method, chefs and pastry chefs use other ways to get fluffy and airy pastries:

1. Yesterday's kefir is used, which is heated, and soda is kneaded in it. Kefir then foams strongly and is immediately added to the dry components of the product;
2. Used baking powder (baking powder) in which the composition is almost identical.

How to extinguish with boiling water correctly?

If one of the family members has gastrointestinal diseases, an ulcer or gastritis, it is recommended to extinguish the soda with ordinary boiling water.

• Flour;
• Boiling water;
• Baking soda.

Stir the baking soda and flour in a bowl so that everything is evenly mixed. Boil a kettle with water, quickly pour the required amount of water into the flour and knead, first using a spoon, and then when the mass has cooled down a little, you can start kneading with your hands.

How to properly extinguish with citric acid?

You can also use dry citric acid, the exact amount and the remaining proportions of the components will be indicated in the recipe.

• Baking soda;
• Wheat flour;
• Lemon acid.

It takes three kitchen bowls. Pour flour into a large one, mix water with lemon juice, and water with soda in the other two.

After dissolving all the grains, the liquids can be mixed and kneaded.

How to extinguish properly for making pancakes and pancakes?

Just a couple of pinches are used to make pancakes, thin pancakes or soda pancakes.

It is necessary not to overdo it, so that its taste is not felt, and by all means extinguish. This can be done with lemon juice, ordinary vinegar (just a few drops) or boiling water.

Expert opinion

Did you know?

If you use kefir or another fermented milk product, for example, whey, then there is no need to quench sodium bicarbonate for pancakes, the reaction will occur by itself during the baking process.

It is imperative to extinguish in a separate bowl, then mix with the rest of the liquid components and only then add flour to the resulting mixture.

How To Redeem With Natural Lemon Juice?

Plain vinegar, and even dry citric acid, are quite negative for the stomach, and many of these ingredients should not be eaten.

On the other hand, not everyone likes or tolerates fermented milk products, but they want delicious pastries for tea.

It may seem that when quenching with kefir, no reaction occurs, especially if they do not heat it up. But this is far from the case, a complex chemical process occurs during baking.

• Soda;
• Flour;
• Kefir or any other fermented milk product.

Combine soda with flour, mix well and pour in the required amount of kefir. Knead by adding the rest of the baking ingredients.

Is it possible to extinguish soda in the dough with sour cream?

The answer to this question is quite simple - yes, you can, since sour cream is a product that contains lactic acid.

• Sour cream - from 10 to 25%;
• Soda;
• Wheat flour.

It is enough just to add soda to sour cream, mix everything well and combine with flour, kneading products for subsequent baking.

Is it possible to extinguish soda with milk?

Unfortunately, it is practically impossible to extinguish soda with ordinary milk. First, the reaction occurs only if the product contains acid.

And secondly, it is possible to extinguish the soda if you heat the milk until it boils.

To make yeast-free baked goods tender and fluffy, cooks use slaked soda in the recipe, which is an analogue of a conventional baking powder. When interacting with the dough, this chemical compound releases carbon dioxide, due to which the finished product acquires the necessary porous structure. For those who do not know how to extinguish soda with vinegar, our article will help, which describes the main subtleties of using such a component.

For the preparation of crumbly shortcrust pastry, pizza, as well as various layered pastries, culinary experts use exclusively yeast-free dough. If mixed incorrectly without adding baking powder, the finished dish may turn out to be "squat" and tasteless.

The carbon dioxide produced by the combination of the dough with the yeast dilutes the dense texture of the baked goods, making them more fluffy. To achieve this in an off-road recipe, you need to add slaked soda, which acts like yeast or baking powder.

When combined with vinegar, baking soda releases very small gas bubbles. Thanks to this interaction, as a result, the hostess receives airy porous pastries with incredible taste.

Theoretically, even without a quenching reaction, soda can give the dough the necessary porosity, but added undiluted it causes an unpleasant taste in the finished dish. This is because without an acidic medium, even at high temperatures, the reaction does not take place completely, and the released carbon dioxide is not enough to give the baked goods the necessary friability.

What vinegar is needed in order to extinguish soda

Novice cooks quite often ask themselves the question of how to extinguish soda with vinegar so that the finished baked goods turn out to be tender and crumbly. Experienced chefs advise using any vinegar to loosen the dough.

For cooking, it is recommended to choose not only a table product, but also an apple or wine product. The main purpose of the component is to give the medium sufficient acidity, at which a full-fledged chemical reaction will occur with the formation of the smallest gas bubbles.

In addition to vinegar, it is also used:

• boiling water;
• lemon juice or acid;
• dairy products.

How to properly extinguish soda with vinegar: step by step instructions

If the dough is prepared using kefir or sour cream, it is absolutely not necessary to extinguish the soda powder with essence. It is enough to add quite a bit of soda for a full reaction to occur during the interaction of the powder with an alkaline medium.

Note to the hostess: use as much powder as indicated in the recipe for cooking. Otherwise, a lack or an excessive amount of a component in an alkaline environment may not give the desired opening effect.

Still not sure how to extinguish baking soda with vinegar? Follow the instructions below and delight your household with delicate pastries that melt in your mouth.

The most effective way:

1. In a container, combine all the liquid ingredients for kneading the dough.
2. Next, add a pinch of soda to the mixture, then pour in a couple of drops of vinegar essence. Mix all ingredients gently until smooth.
3. After the quenching reaction occurs, add the remaining flour and thoroughly mix the resulting mass again.

Classic method:

1. Combine dry products included in the recipe with powder.
2. Whisk all the liquid ingredients separately, then pour a couple of drops of vinegar into the mixture.
3. Next, mix the dry ingredients with the resulting liquid mass. As a result, in the process of kneading the dough, carbon dioxide is formed, giving the mass the necessary porous texture.

Ineffective way:

Soda powder is separately diluted with vinegar, and then the foaming mixture is poured into the dough. This method is considered less effective, since most of the generated carbon dioxide evaporates during the mixing step.

Often housewives add products "by eye". Gas bubbles form much later when alkali reacts with sodium bicarbonate under high temperature.
If the required number of components is not indicated in the recipe, then soda powder and acetic acid are used in proportions of 2: 1.

Is it possible and how to extinguish soda with apple cider, 70 percent, balsamic vinegar

For cooking, it is recommended to choose apple cider vinegar or 9 percent vinegar. But often in housewives in the house you can find only 70 percent essence, which is distinguished by an increased concentration and in the wrong dosage can harm the human body.

To avoid negative consequences, before using vinegar, its concentration must be reduced with water (combine 1 teaspoon of vinegar and 7 teaspoons of water).
As for balsamic vinegar, culinary experts do not recommend using the product to quench soda.

Under the influence of high temperature, the essence loses its taste, therefore it is best to use such vinegar in its pure form for dressing various salads. Each housewife decides for herself whether it is worth adding balsamic to baked goods in order to give them the necessary friability. For 4 tsp. vinegar is used 1 tsp. soda.

What to do if there is no vinegar at home

A full-fledged chemical reaction will occur only if an alkaline environment is created that promotes the formation of tiny bubbles. In addition to vinegar, freshly squeezed lemon juice or regular citric acid is also suitable. For 250 g of flour, 1 tsp is used. soda and 9 tsp. acid. Recently, cooks have been using boiling water, which is poured into soda.

If the recipe for the dish provides for the addition of fermented milk products, then instead of vinegar, put yogurt, kefir, sour cream or yogurt into the dough. In some cases, citrus fruit juice or regular honey is used.

Slaked soda is often mentioned in various culinary recipes, thanks to which you can make delicious homemade baked goods. At first glance, it seems that the functions of such an ingredient, as well as the methods for its preparation, are known to everyone. But this is a misconception. After all, there are so many housewives who have no idea what slaked soda is. In this regard, we decided to devote the presented article to a very important culinary topic.

General product information

A natural substance called "crystalline soda" is extracted from lakes where there is a high concentration of various salts. After heating this component, the initially colorless product turns into a white powder. It is he who we are used to seeing in our own kitchens.

Application

The chemical name for common baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. This product is irreplaceable in the preparation of flour products. We can say with complete confidence that without this component it is impossible to imagine a huge number of test types.

Explanation of the concept of "slaked soda"

We talked about what baking soda is. However, in culinary recipes such a thing as "slaked soda" is very often found. What does this expression mean?

The fact is that such a component itself is an alkaline substance. And if you mix it with any acid, then a violent chemical reaction will surely occur. As a rule, externally, this process looks like hissing and foaming of the combined products. From a chemical point of view, at such a moment, water is actively released from the resulting mixture, as well as carbon dioxide and salt. It is these components that, once in the kneaded dough, give it a loose structure, contribute to the correct preparation and rise of baked goods.

What can be used to extinguish?

Soda, slaked with vinegar, is most often found in recipes. This is due to the fact that the alkaline substance enters into a vigorous reaction best with the aforementioned ingredient. However, it should be noted that it is possible to extinguish baking soda not only with the help of vinegar. It is allowed to do this using fresh lemon juice, kefir and even sour jam. Often, dry citric acid is also used to start this process. But in this case, it should be diluted with plain water in advance.

If you have chosen table vinegar to extinguish this component, then you should know that it can be anything: synthetic and natural (grape, cherry, apple, berry, etc.).

We extinguish the product correctly

In this section of the article, we will tell you how to make slaked soda. To do this, you need to take a white alkaline powder in the amount indicated in the recipe. Next, it needs to be placed in a tablespoon. After that, it is necessary to pour into the device any acid-containing liquid (for example, vinegar). Moreover, it should be taken in a similar quantity of soda.

Having combined both ingredients together, mix them slightly with a small spoon and wait until a violent reaction takes place. At this point, the contents of the cutlery should be immediately added to the dough.

When is soda quenched with vinegar added to the dough?

Most housewives add the effervescent mixture to the dough after the base is completely cooked. And there is no mistake about that. This way you can get delicious and fluffy pastries. However, it should be noted that experienced chefs carry out this process in a slightly different way. Typically, they mix dry baking soda with sifted flour and add acid to liquid ingredients.

After combining the two parts of the dough, you can yourself get very tasty and fluffy homemade cakes.

By the way, if you decide to make a base on such a fermented milk drink as kefir, then you should extinguish baking soda directly in it. For this, the product is slightly warmed up, a dry alkaline component is added to it and stirred intensively with a large spoon. In the process, the kefir should foam well.

What will happen if the soda is not extinguished?

Soda added to the dough without first quenching can easily impart a very unpleasant aftertaste to baked goods. Moreover, if this component was added in large quantities, then the cooked product will acquire a greenish-brown color. Not very appetizing, right?

How to replace slaked soda?

If you forgot to buy baking soda and vinegar, these ingredients can be easily replaced with baking powder such as baking powder. It also contributes to the rise and good preparation of baked goods.

It should be noted that the main advantage of baking powder is that there is no need to extinguish it beforehand. After all, it already contains baking soda and citric acid, which are selected in ideal proportions. That is why it is not recommended to add vinegar and other ingredients to them.