FFS Forgot my baking powder in scones | Mumsnet (2024)

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What happens if you don't put baking powder in scones? ›

Many quick scone recipes recommend self-raising flour, which contains a leavening agent that helps achieve the desired rise. Without this leavening agent, scones can become dense and heavy. However, you can opt for plain flour and add the appropriate amount of baking powder to your mix.

Baking powder, in particular, is one of those ingredients you can easily run out of without noticing, but when it comes to baking, it does a very particular job, and can be difficult to replace. Most baked goods need a leavening agent to make them rise, and if you leave it out, your cake or your cookies will fall flat.

Simply, without these leaveners, many cookies would fall flat and cake layers would be dense and stodgy. But baking powder and soda are not interchangeable, and if you're out of one, the other won't act as a direct substitute (though it can be part of the solution—more on that below).

Good news: You can easily add the chemical leavener — baking powder or baking soda — in at the end of mixing. “To make sure the leavener is fully incorporated, sift and sprinkle the powder(s) over the batter and gently stir them in,” says Martina.

As well as the raising agent in the flour, baking powder adds a bit of lift to scones. Baking powder is a convenient choice as it is a ready-mixed leavening agent, generally made of bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar (usually some cornflour too).

For every teaspoon of baking powder, you'll want to substitute in ¼ tsp of baking soda with ½ tsp of cream of tartar. If you don't have any cream of tartar, you can also substitute one teaspoon of baking powder with a mixture of ¼ tsp of baking soda plus ½ tsp of either vinegar or lemon juice.

Baking Soda Substitute: Egg Whites

Whipped egg whites can give your recipe structure and add leavening abilities. They work better when substituted for baking powder, but can work as a baking soda alternative in a pinch.

Believe it or not, you can actually bake delicious banana bread without baking soda or another leavening agent to help it rise. Generally, it won't rise quite as much, but it will still taste absolutely delicious.

If you accidentally add baking soda instead of baking powder to baked goods, they won't rise because there is not enough acid. To fix this, add about one tablespoon of white or apple cider vinegar for every half teaspoon of baking soda to the liquids before mixing with the dry ingredients.

Your baked goods will have no leavening, be quite flat, and have an altered taste.

What happens if you don't add baking powder to pancakes? ›

Baking powder gives traditional pancake recipes a fluffy, cake-like texture, so when it's omitted without changing the recipe, the end result will be flat and dense pancakes. This is why this recipe was developed specifically without it with a slightly different method, it doesn't just leave it out.

Substitute each teaspoon (5 grams) of baking powder in the recipe with 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams) vinegar. Summary: Each teaspoon (5 grams) of baking powder can be replaced with a 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda and a 1/2 teaspoon vinegar.

If you want to successfully substitute the yeast called for in a recipe, you just need to swap in the right amount of baking soda and acid to make the dough rise. You can use lemon juice, buttermilk, or milk combined with an equal part of vinegar as your acid. Add all the ingredients according to the recipe.

Keep your wet and dry ingredients separate for as long as possible, then combine them at the last possible minute before placing them straight into a preheated oven. This is especially important for baking powder, which shouldn't get wet until the very last minute.

Not using enough leavening agent. Placing scones far away from each other on the baking tray. Not preheating the oven before putting in the scones. Low-quality ingredients.

Potentially the product won't rise as much. You can offset this if you add some acid (eg,lemon juice, buttermilk, yogurt, white vinegar) to the batter. Baking powder is just baking soda and cream of tartar and a little cornstarch to buffer.