Baking soda in cookie recipies

Escapees

Have come across online cookie recipes with baking soda listed but yet no 'acid' ingredient? Often self-raising flour is needed anyway. So what's the purpose then of the baking soda? Presumably not to give the cookies a bad taste?!

Dizzyblonde

I've moved this into Cakes & Bakes and I'm sure someone in here will be able to help.
I bake quite a bit myself but don't know much about how these things work.

Keane2baMused

I use baking soda in my cookies and it definitely makes a difference! I don't know a whole lot about the science behind it but since using it the texture and bake on them is great!

You just have to be very careful with the measurements and not go over what the recipe says, too much can ruin it!

Escapees

Thanks - found the answer online eventually. Baking soda increases the alkalinity of the mixture which speeds up the Maillard reaction -> in layman's terms, it causes the cookies to brown more quickly! That probably also means increased flavour...

I appreciate that my original post was not a trivial question, but at the same time I think it's useful for people who bake regularly to understand the reasons why certain ingredients are added. It amazes me in general life how regular bakers are often so very regid about sticking to the exact ingredient quantities under the belief that baking is an 'exact' science and that it's an all or nothing situation in terms of the end result - my experience is that it's not and there's usually a fair amount of scope to play around with quantities (or simply not bother weighing ingredients) and indeed omit or add extra ingredients without any significant effect on the end result. This is not a dig at bakers or anyone here - just an observation and something that continually frustrstes me. Rant over - apologies...!

Keane2baMused

Escapees wrote: »

Thanks - found the answer online eventually. Baking soda increases the alkalinity of the mixture which speeds up the Maillard reaction -> in layman's terms, it causes the cookies to brown more quickly! That probably also means increased flavour...

I appreciate that my original post was not a trivial question, but at the same time I think it's useful for people who bake regularly to understand the reasons why certain ingredients are added. It amazes me in general life how regular bakers are often so very regid about sticking to the exact ingredient quantities under the belief that baking is an 'exact' science and that it's an all or nothing situation in terms of the end result - my experience is that it's not and there's usually a fair amount of scope to play around with quantities (or simply not bother weighing ingredients) and indeed omit or add extra ingredients without any significant effect on the end result. This is not a dig at bakers or anyone here - just an observation and something that continually frustrstes me. Rant over - apologies...!

Agree with you there! Some things do need precision but others you can play around with, sure if you couldn't nobody would create anything new! Baking soda is a little different though in the sense that if you had too much it could absolutely ruin what you've made and taste awful so I generally would be more conservative in using it!

Escapees

Keane2baMused wrote: »

Agree with you there! Some things do need precision but others you can play around with, sure if you couldn't nobody would create anything new! Baking soda is a little different though in the sense that if you had too much it could absolutely ruin what you've made and taste awful so I generally would be more conservative in using it!

Jeeze, sorry, didn't realise I'd digressed so much with my rant! Was trying to make the point that baking is not black magic and it's helpful or more important sometimes to have a grasp over why something is an ingredient rather than being fixated on following recipes religiously.

But a discussion on baking soda was probably not the best place to make this point!! You are 100% right - too much of that and you're in trouble alright!! You put it exactly right - some ingredients (yeast, baking powder etc) do need precision but oftentimes the bulk of them are looser.

rubadub

Escapees wrote: »

Baking soda increases the alkalinity of the mixture which speeds up the Maillard reaction -> in layman's terms, it causes the cookies to brown more quickly! That probably also means increased flavour...

I heard of it being added to onions for browning too, I saw side by side comparisons of onions frying on youtube.

Baking soda absorbs smells, you can leave a plate in your fridge to absorb any bad smells. But for this reason it should be stored correctly in cupboards. If you had it in a tub with curry powder expect curry flavoured cookies.

I keep mine in a sealed glass jar. If using an old jar I would recommend one which had a food without strong flavours, like carrots. You can mix up some baking soda into a paste with water and leave it in the cap for a few days, this should absorb any remaining smells out of the cap.

I drink baking soda & water as an antacid. I find gem brand to be the least offensive.