Wednesday 11 October 2017

Home Made Baking Powder

You know how there are some things you just never, ever would think of making yourself?  Like Coca-Cola?:=)  Though I did find a recipe for it once that called for 30 lbs of sugar!  Well, I was flipping thru a recent cookbook purchase and came across this recipe for home-made baking powder.  I was amazed and intrigued.  Who would ever have thought to do this?  But back in granny's day, they did. 

This is incredibly simple.  Only 3 ingredients, and a bit of sifting.  I am halving the recipe, 'cos I'm just not sure how this will turn out.  And really who needs that much baking powder?  Grannies must have been baking all day every day, back in the day:=)  Alison gives no temperature or timing for the drying-out part, so I have made a stab at it.  As we don't live in the damp environs of Victorian Derbyshire, I think this will be sufficient.




funnily enough, I came upon this ad. for baking powder the other day



ingredients:


110g. (4 oz.) of cream of tartar

55g. (2 oz.) of bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tbs rice flour



Method:



Sift the 3 ingredients into a small mixing bowl


Give it a good stir

Spread it out on a baking tray

Place in the oven to dry at 100C for 6 minutes - the powdery mix should feel warm to the touch

Take it out of the oven; give it another stir and leave to cool down on the tray

Grab 2 mixing bowls and sift the mixture twice


Give it another good stir before spooning into very clean and sterilised small jars





ingredients gathered



sift the 3 ingredients together 



tip into the baking tray to dry out in the oven




give it a good stir and allow to cool




a cornucopia of baking powder 

Now I just have to try it in some baking, and see if it actually works.


Recipe is from Alison Uttley's book Old Farmhouse Recipes; a collection of recipes and stories based on her childhood growing up on a Derbyshire farm.  Her mum made everything from scratch, using their own farm produce, eggs, meat etc.  Alison Uttley lovingly took the recipes from her mum's handwritten recipe book, and turned them into this charming collection.  A real family treasure.




you can guess what this is:=)

12 comments:

  1. Making that recipe would cost quite a bit more than buying a box of baking powder, according to google prices in the US right now. I can't see how it could be any better than the commercial product, as unlike almost any other product except salt, it's chemically pure. But it does have a curiosity value.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi Mae
      I was just so intrigued by the thought of making it myself!

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  2. I'd be really interested to see how this compares to the store bought stuff. Will you keep us updated? :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes I will Lorraine. I am very intrigued too:).

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  3. I didn't know how to make baking powder! How did I not know this? Now I know. This is cool Sherry :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know. It’s crazy. Who ever thought of making their own ?:)

      Delete
  4. Ahhhhhh, the occult secrets of baking powder revealed!

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is half tbs rice flour or 1 to 2 tbs rice flour

    ReplyDelete
  6. Simples! I've made my own in the past. Tis a good thing indeed.

    ReplyDelete

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