Anyone know a substitute for baking soda?

By Mikeh (Mikeh) on Sunday, December 19, 1999 - 07:23 pm: Edit

Large-scale baking operations use ammonium carbonate, but otherwise I can't think of any substitute for baking soda.

By Mikeh (Mikeh) on Sunday, December 19, 1999 - 07:30 pm: Edit

Pardon my last response, but I forgot to mention that while I don't know of a substitute for sodium bicarbonate, there are a few sodium free baking powders that could be used to replace standard baking powder.

I've never tried, or for that matter seen, any of the following. Hopefully it will give you a place to start looking.

From the Handbook of Food Preparation of the American Family and Consumer Sciences Assoc., 9th edition, 1993, pp 166-167.

You can buy:
Baking powders are dry acid or acid salts and an alkali (carbonate of soda or a substitute for soda) separated by an inert filler such as cornstarch or powdered calcium carbonate added to standardize and help stabilize the mixtures. Standard set is that baking powder must liberate at least 12 percent of available carbon dioxide.

There are:
Tartrate powders (potassium and tartaric acid)
Phosphate powders (calcium acid phosphate)
Sodium Free Powders may be double acting with potassium bicarbonate replacing sodium bicarbonate.

Cheers, Mike

By Panini (Panini) on Sunday, December 19, 1999 - 08:49 pm: Edit

I'm pretty sure baking soda needs acids to give off carbon dioxide.If your going to change leavening agents you might want to look at the whole recipe. Why are you looking for a substitute?