Baking Powder:Single Acting? Double Acting? What is the difference?

There are two types of baking powder.

The basic difference between the single acting and the double acting is the time it takes them to react. Either ultimately work as well as the other.

The single acting baking powder begins to release the gas as soon as it becomes wet while the double acting releases the gas in two parts, one with the liquid and the other with the heat.

With the single acting baking powder you cannot mix up a batter and then set it aside for any period of time, you must bake it immediately.

The homemade baking powder recipe that I posted yesterday is single acting…but as long as you bake the item immediately you should have as good results as with a commercial brand, without the expense or aluminum.

You would use the single acting measure for measure to the double acting, with the caveat that you did not hold the batter for more than a few minutes before baking.

Some sites suggest that you add 1/2 measure more to substitute for double acting bakign powder but I am skeptical about that. Other sites say that there is not a substitution for double and I tend to agree.

I will try to make the same recipe twice in the next few days, using both types and let you know.

Hope that clears things up.

Image Marye Audet