Baking Soda vs Baking Powder

In your choice of baking soda vs baking powder, you’ll need to consider the conditions under which you’ll use these two leavening products.

What is leavening?

Leavening is the chemical process that makes baked goods rise. This is usually achieved through the use of sodium bicarbonate which, when combined with some acidic substance, releases carbon dioxide. When combined with heat, the recipe will rise because of the release of carbon dioxide in the dough.

What is Baking Soda?

That box of baking soda you have in your refrigerator or laundry room is actually pure, undiluted sodium bicarbonate. In the dry form, it has been used for years to absorb odors in the cat box, carpet, car, and refrigerator. In baking, it is added to recipes that are going to be cooked right away. To activate the sodium bicarbonate, you’ll need some ingredient with a little acid in it, like buttermilk, yogurt, or honey. Chocolate is even an acidifier. So, if that recipe of biscuits doesn’t rise, blame it on the fact that you substituted milk instead of buttermilk. The acid in the buttermilk activates the soda, making your biscuits rise. If you don’t keep a carton of buttermilk in your ‘fridge, add a tablespoon of honey to your biscuit recipe. Problem solved, and in the battle of baking soda vs baking powder, baking soda wins.

Baking Powder

Baking powder actually contains some baking soda. It also has a ready-made acidifier already mixed in, in the form of cream of tartar. In addition, baking powder will contain a little starch to act as a drying agent.
Now, in the ongoing battle of baking soda vs baking powder, you may think that baking powder never works for you. That may be because you’re using the wrong kind of baking powder for your needs. Baking powder is available in single-acting and double-acting varieties. Single-acting baking powder is activated by moisture alone. So, if you use this type of baking powder, you’ll need to put the mixture in the oven immediately, or it will fall.

Double acting baking powder releases some of the carbon dioxide gas when it gets wet, but the majority of these gasses are activated by heat from the oven. When you use double acting baking powder, you can let the mixture sit for a while before you bake it.
Baking Soda vs Baking Powder—Which Should You Use?

Let’s go back to that biscuit recipe that calls for baking soda and buttermilk. If you’ve noticed a slight tang to the biscuits, it’s because there was no acid to counteract the bitterness of the soda. That’s an important combination. Baking powder, on the other hand, is a neutral flavor used in combination with other neutral flavors, such as milk—as opposed to buttermilk with the soda.
In the comparison of baking soda vs baking powder, you can make substitutions with care, if you’ll add some cream of tartar to the baking soda.