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Boulder flatironsHigh-Altitude Baking: It's about
atmospheric pressure
Ris Keller aka @vanillagrrl
Hi, I am Ris Keller and I am here to talk with you about high-altitude baking, because it's really all about the atmospheric pressure!
It's simple!
The higher you get,
the thinner the atmosphere
As altitude increases, less atmosphere exerts pressure on your baked goods.
sea levelLess atmosphere means less atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure affects the temperature at which water
boils:187 F at 14,000 feet203 F at 5,000 feet212 F (100 C) at
0 feet (sea level)
Long's Peak187
212
Less atmosphere means less atmospheric pressure, and the lower the temperature at which water boils.
When water boils at lower temperatures, it evaporates faster, which can dry out cakes and breads at higher altitudes.
What does boiling water have to do with baking?
Lower atmospheric pressure means you need less leavening
Baking soda, baking powder, and yeast leaven cakes & breads by adding carbon dioxide.
Baking powder, baking soda, and yeast all leaven by creating carbon dioxide bubbles in the batter. When the batter is heated and sets, these bubbles create what is called the crumb. Lower atmospheric pressure and a lower boiling point mean less leavening is needed to lighten the batter before it sets.
Cake recipe adjustments
for high altitude (5,000 feet)
Reduce leavening by 1/2
Increase moisture
Reduce sugar
Increase baking temperature
Some basic cake recipe adjustments:Use half the leavening.Add more moisture. Increase the baking temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
Five ways to add moisture
to cake batter
Just add water! Or:Another egg
Milk (dairy/soy/nut)
Oil or butter
Applesauce
Because water boils earlier, your baked goods cook faster and earlier and can dry out. These are some things you can add to a recipe to keep it moist.
What happens if you don't adjust the recipe?
Here is a series of photos of cupcakes I baked here the other day without adjusting the recipe for high altitude. At 10 minutes, the cupcakes are already about to spill over the pan, and at 20 minutes they were overflowing. Although they tasted yummy, the cake crumb was open and crumbly; my daughter and I had to eat these over the sink.
Adjustments for sea-level
cake recipes at 5,000 feet
Reduce baking powder, baking soda by 1/2
Reduce sugar by 2-1/2 tablespoons per cup.
For each cup of liquid, add another 3 tablespoons of liquid (or an egg)
Add 2 tablespoons flour
Increase baking temperature by 15-25 degrees F.
From The High Altitude Cookbook, by Beverly Anderson Nemiro and Donna Miller Hamilton, 1969
Another joke?
What is the left side of a birthday cake?The side that's not eaten.
Why was the birthday cake as hard as a rock?Because it was marble cake!
"Doctor, I get heartburn every time I eat birthday cake."Next time, take off the candles."
Why did the birthday cake go to the doctor?Because it was feeling crumby!
Yeasted bread recipe adjustments for high altitude
Use 1/2 the yeast
Add more liquid for a wetter dough
Punch dough earlier
& more often, or let rise in a cool place
Baking Dos and Don'ts
Even without all these handy-dandy high-altitude guidelines, you
can remember a few things that will help you bake great cakes and
breads wherever
you go.
Sometimes it's important to know what to avoid when cooking. You don't have to learn everything the hard way!Overbeating egg whites can result in a fallen cake; instead, whip them to soft peaks. If they start looking lumpy, your batter could fall.
DO add more liquid!
If you do nothing else to adjust your recipe, add extra moisture to your batter.
DO beat egg whites to
soft peaks!
Good:
Soft peaks
Not so good: Overbeaten, clumpy, dry egg whites
This one is especially Important for folks who don't use leavenings like baking powder or soda, or yeast.Bring egg whites to room temperature before beating them.
DON'T let bread doughs
rise as long!
With less atmospheric pressure at higher altitudes, doughs rise higher and faster than they do at sea level.
Photo from http://twentytwopleasant.blogspot.com
Yeasted bread adjustments
Reduce yeast by 1/2
Add liquid
Punch down/knead
at least 2 times
Reduce baking temperature
by 25 F
NYT No-Knead Bread:
Great for high-altitude bakers
A New York Times* 2008 recipe features a simple, shaggy dough you bake in a hot Dutch oven. It yields a crackling, crusty loaf.
*http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/dining/081mrex.htmlor Google speedy no-knead bread
This is a great recipe, so easy. You can start a loaf of bread at 2 and it can be ready for dinner by 6 or 6:30, with virtually no time spent beyond folding the dough. The best part is taking it out of the oven and listening to the crust crackle.
Remember to adjust other recipes, too
Canning,
candy making, & deep-fat frying require temperature and/or time
adjustments above 2,000 feet
Two muffins are baking in the oven. One says, Wow! Sure is hot in here!The second one says, Yikes! A talking muffin?!
What do I know about baking at high altitude?
My mom was a pastry chef at Caribou Ranch recording studio in Eldora, and she had to learn to bake cakes for really high rock stars (8,500 feet)
And what does it have to do with Elton John? My mom was a pastry chef at the Caribou Ranch recording studio in Eldora, near Nederland, and she had to learn to adapt recipes to work at 8,500 feet.
High-altitude cooking resources
Pie in the Sky, by Susan G. Purdy
Culinary School of the Rockies
Your local Cooperative Extension office
Go bake some cake!
To bake at 5,000 feet:Reduce leavening by 1/2
Increase moisture
Increase heat for cakes; decrease heat for breads
Links to slides and adaptation details: http://travelsinmybackyard.blogspot.com