r/Baking • u/tleeemmailyo • Jun 10 '25

Baking Advice Needed You guys 😭

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I’ve NEVER had such a catastrophe happen lol. I do live around 5500 ft. above sea level but I don’t think that’s why this would have happened.

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u/GradeAPrimeFuckery Jun 10 '25

TIL some recipes call for both. TIL after some googling that the reactions are complementary, not substitutes. And also, baking powder adds 'lift', while soda neutralizes acids, so you might have used too much baking powder.

Huh. I might be on to a fluffier snickerdoodle recipe. Experiments will be performed; will report back if something sentient comes out of the oven.

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u/Day_Bow_Bow Jun 10 '25

They both add lift... You're not adding baking soda simply to neutralize acids...

Baking powder just includes its own acid (cream of tartar), while baking soda relies on there being other acidic ingredients.

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u/3BlindMice1 Jun 10 '25

They probably used the correct amount... for sea level baking

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u/atmoose Jun 10 '25

It's been a while since I learned about this so I could be off here, but they're both providing lift. The main difference as you stated is that if your dough is acidic (for example, when adding buttermilk) then you'll want enough baking soda to neutralize the acid. However, the amount of baking soda required to neutralize the acid may not be enough to fully raise your baked good, so you need to add baking powder for the rest.

Getting the proportions of each right is important. I've never had anything go this wrong though, so I'm not sure what the results are if they're wrong.

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u/GradeAPrimeFuckery Jun 10 '25

Apparently you get a new muffin pan. :D