Mar
18

High altitude baking

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Sometimes at the end of a recipe, we come across a small section on how to adjust the ingredients if we are baking at high altitude. This mention always makes me wonder. Do we really have to adjust our cooking or baking if we are living on high land, a mountain or if in outer space, like our handsome astronaut? ;-) ( I don’t think they cook there..)

I did some reading. It is quite technical but it seems that at altitude above 3000 feet, due to less air pressure, some changes is required. At higher altitude, the leavening gas in our bread dough will be more active and cake batter also will expand more. The adjustment needed :

  • Yeast bread should be made with less flour and deflated twice. Baked at temperature 15 to 25 F higher.
  • Bake cookies at an increase temperature of 20 to 25F.
  • Most baked goods like muffin, cakes and bread need less leaveners (yeast or baking powder). The amount of sugar and liquid also need to be adjusted.
  • Some increase the quantity of eggs in bread and cakes to help strengthens the batter.

For more information, you can visit this site, and here too.

Be back soon.. 

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Yasmin says:
January 24, 2010 at 10:47 pm

Hi Randi, thanks so very much for the additional info.. I hope it will be useful to any readers out there who are baking at high altitudes. :)

Randi Levin says:
January 24, 2010 at 2:31 am

Salam,

I have been successfully adjusting recipes from sea level to high altitude for decades to date. (I currently live at 8000 ft)
With this said, I would suggest:
>Do not raise the temperature. For yeast breads, add a pan filled with water to the bottom oven rack while baking the bread.
>Increase flour 1-2 tablespoons per cup
>Use large to extra large eggs, and know that some recipes will require an additional small egg.
>Increase liquid by 1-2 tablespoons per cup
> Decrease baking soda and baking powder a pinch by slightly indenting your finger into the ingredient while leveling the measuring spon. (if above 9000 ft. decrease these ingredients by 1/4 teaspoon required.)

AND
>Keep in mind that sugar adds moisture to the final product, thus do not decrease the sugar, instead measure it to the bottom of the measuring line per required amount.

And always remove a baked product from its pan within a few minutes after removing from the oven to prevent further baking and possible drying out of the product.

IF you have any additional questions, please contact me.

Aqiss says:
October 28, 2009 at 10:01 am

Salam..would like to know..is there any class in KK sabah? I’m from sabah & very interested to learn this baking stuff but seems that none in sabah yet..

val says:
March 18, 2008 at 4:40 pm

min, this applies to those who lives in cameron highlands or mount kinabalu area maybe kan min