An Insight Into Examples of Leavening Agents

Are you thinking of the examples of leavening agents? Well, it is critical first to understand the leavening process. Leavening is the process of adding gas bubbles to a food mixture, either by biological or chemical means. These agents allow bread and cakes to rise, resulting in softer textures.

Leaveners are used with doughs that undergo fermentation before baking. The agents contain yeast or bacteria that help produce Carbon Dioxide (CO2) bubbles during the fermenting. When these products come into contact with moisture in the AIR, they release CO2 more readily than if they were dry. This increased gas production makes pancakes, waffles, cakes, muffins, cupcakes, biscuits, scones, popovers, and crepes lighter and fluffier because air cells expand when heat is applied to them. In this article, we'll discuss the examples of leavening agents.

Biological Examples of Leavening Agents

Biological agents work by the process of fermentation. In this case, yeast or bacteria cause sugar to form alcohol and carbon dioxide as a byproduct. The CO2 is trapped by the dough, allowing it to rise in size during baking. Biological agents may be either natural or commercial. They include:

Commercial Yeast

Yeast is alive only when you buy it; it's killed with heat during baking because yeast can't survive at oven temperatures without special preparation (such as freezing). "Active dry" yeast doesn't need to be activated before use; it can be mixed with warm water or other liquids if the recipe calls for that type of yeast. Fresh yeasts are more perishable, but they work faster in doughs because they're kept alive in a moist, dark environment. Specialty yeast is sold in cake-like squares or compressed balls. This type of yeast is known as fresh yeast, quick-rising yeast, or fast-acting yeast. Fresh yeasts are most often sold in 6-, 1- and 2-ounce cakes. Keep fresh yeasts frozen until you need them; then defrost under refrigeration for 12 hours before using.

Both active dry and fresh yeasts may be used interchangeably with no difference in the final product if they're added to dough at the same time, but there can be differences when they're mixed into the dough by different methods.

Sourdough Starter

With this type of biological agent, flour and water are fermented with naturally occurring yeasts for up to 24 hours, allowing acid development in the mixture. The finished sourdough starter can be used as a leavener in bread or mixed with yeast if you prefer a milder flavor.

Compressed Fresh Yeast leaving agent

This yeast is sold in refrigerated blocks that must be cut to use in dough recipes. Each block equals about 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast or one cake of fresh yeast.

Chemical Leavening

Chemical agents make use of:

l Alkaline compounds such as baking soda, baking powder, and cream of tartar

l Acidic ingredients such as lemon juice and vinegar;

l A combination of both types of ingredients.

In each case, leavening occurs due to a chemical reaction that produces gas from another compound.

Chemical biological agents are used with doughs that either doesn't undergo fermentation (such as biscuits and scones) or where yeast is not desired (such as cakes). These agents produce fast-acting carbon dioxide to aerate the batter and make it rise during baking. Chemical agents may be single-acting (effective only once in the oven) or double-acting (effective twice, first when combined with liquid ingredients and again when exposed to heat). The chemical reaction for producing CO2 through chemical means occurs only once the temperature reaches 120;F. Keep in mind that cream of tartar is an acid that requires baking powder to work.

Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate, which produces CO2 when mixed with acidic ingredients in a batter at room temperature. A second reaction occurs when the mixture is heated in the oven, allowing for more CO2 to be produced and released by the agents. Baking soda is also sodium bicarbonate, but it must be combined with an acidic ingredient or an electrically charged substance before being added to recipes. Otherwise, it will not work as a leavener.

Mechanical Examples of Leavening Agents

In Mechanical leavening, agents combine air and moisture within a dough to produce CO2. Puff pastry is the best-known example of this type of leavening agent. But beating or whipping air into any dough will allow it to rise during baking. Beating air into batter results in a fluffier product with surface bubbles. Whipping introduces large air cells throughout the finished baked good, which contributes to its texture and structure. This type of leavener can be used with all kinds of cake batters if you choose not to add chemical ingredients such as baking soda or powder. The result will be lighter cakes that won't fall as drastically after cooling from the oven. In fact, some bakeries use whipped eggs to fill layer cakes.

Lamination Leaveners

This examples of leavening agents is sometimes referred to as "folding in." It involves layering sheets of dough with butter or other ingredients, folding the layers over one another to create alternating sheets of butter and dough, then rolling out the mixture into a sheet again before baking it. The result is hundreds of separate air pockets that expand during baking, creating flaky textures for pastries such as puff pastry or croissants. This technique can be used with all types of batters that are baked to create layered effects. Laminated doughs are generally made with yeast-leavened breads but may also contain chemical leaveners for quicker results if desired.

Natural Leaveners

Natural leaveners such as yeast, sourdough, or cultured buttermilk are starters that are allowed to ferment before they're used in recipes. These mixtures of wild yeasts and bacteria release enzymes that break down complex carbohydrates in the dough, creating tasty byproducts such as alcohol, lactic acid, or acetic acid. Over time, these acids lower the pH of the batter, so it is more acidic than if only agents are used. This acid environment reacts with baking soda or powder to produce CO2, which causes the batter to rise during baking. A new batch of natural leavening agents must be cultured for 3-5 days before it's ready to use in recipes.