What does bicarb do ?

jcr16

i'm just making a batch of twinks hobnob's. anyway as i'd started mixing ect i realsied what i thought was bicarb was baking powder. ( my fault for not getting all ingrediants out before i started , i know)

so i've made them without. they look ok and smell delish. so was wondering what does the bicarb do ? i'm sure i won't die cause i've not added it, lol.

Badger_Lady

I'm not sure - an expert will come on and correct me - but I think it helps to add air into the mixture (hence its use as a raising agent in baking). If your goods are light and fluffy enough anyway, it's all good!

jcr16

i've just tried one now it has cooled. it is gorgeous. slighty chewy. perfect. don't think there will be many left by time hubby comes home, lol

make_life_easier

I was lead to believe baking powder and bicarb are the same.

Angelraesunshine

Just found this on the arm & hammer website

Baking Soda will react in combination with acidic ingredients in a recipe (like cream of tartar or lemon juice) to release the carbon dioxide that causes dough to rise. Baking powder, which already contains the acidic ingredients to make the carbon dioxide producing reaction, is used in recipes without other acidic ingredients.

jcr16

i can make baking powder by mixing bicarb and cream of tarter . it says on the cream of tarter tub. so i was thinking there all linked. but i was stumped. so firgured instead of making explosive hobnobs which i feared i might do if i mixed wrong things , lol. i'd leave it out.

Penelope_Penguin

make_life_easier wrote: »

I was lead to believe baking powder and bicarb are the same.

They aren't Baking powder is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate (bicarbonate of soda; an alkali) and tartaric acid (cream of tartar). When mixed with liquids the react chemically. A by-product is carbon dioxide, which is what helps things rise.

HTH, Prof. Penny