15 Delicious Recipes That Call For Baking Soda
Baking soda appears in recipes that contain an acid it can react with, such as buttermilk, brown sugar, molasses, cocoa, bananas or yogurt. These 15 classics all rely on it, for rise, for spread, or for their deep brown color. For each one we explain what the soda is doing, so you know why it is there.
15 recipes that need baking soda
| Recipe | Acid partner | What the soda does |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chocolate chip cookies | Brown sugar | Spread, chew and golden edges |
| 2. Banana bread | Ripe bananas, brown sugar | Rise and a dark, moist crumb |
| 3. Irish soda bread | Buttermilk | The only leavener, no yeast needed |
| 4. Buttermilk pancakes | Buttermilk | Fluffy lift and balanced tang |
| 5. Gingerbread | Molasses, treacle | Dark color and a soft rise |
| 6. Ginger snaps and molasses cookies | Molasses | Crackled tops and snap |
| 7. Devil’s food chocolate cake | Natural cocoa, buttermilk | Deep reddish-brown color, tender crumb |
| 8. Red velvet cake | Buttermilk, vinegar | Lift and a velvety texture |
| 9. Carrot cake | Brown sugar | Rise and moistness |
| 10. Oatmeal raisin cookies | Brown sugar | Chewiness and spread |
| 11. Snickerdoodles | Cream of tartar | Puff, crackle and tang |
| 12. Buttermilk cornbread | Buttermilk | Tender lift |
| 13. Blueberry buttermilk muffins | Buttermilk | Domed tops and a light crumb |
| 14. Honeycomb (cinder toffee) | Heat breaks it down; no acid needed | Creates the airy bubbles |
| 15. Soft pretzels | Used in a hot water bath | The chewy, deep brown pretzel crust |
Three to try this week
Irish soda bread (1 hour)
Mix 450 g plain flour, 1 level tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt. Pour in about 400 ml buttermilk, and bring it together into a soft, sticky dough with your hand. Do not knead. Shape into a round, cut a deep cross on top and bake at 230°C / 450°F for 15 minutes, then 200°C / 400°F for 25–30 minutes. The base should sound hollow when tapped.
Honeycomb (15 minutes)
Line a 20 cm tin with baking paper. In a large pan, heat 200 g caster sugar with 5 tbsp golden syrup, stirring until the sugar melts, then let it bubble without stirring until it turns a deep amber. Take it off the heat, tip in 2 tsp baking soda and whisk for a few seconds. It will foam up dramatically. Pour into the tin straight away and do not spread it. Leave to set for an hour, then snap into pieces.
Caramel is far hotter than boiling water. Use a big pan, keep children away, and never touch the foam until it has set.
Soft pretzels (2 hours)
Make a simple yeast dough, then shape it into pretzels. Bring 2.5 litres (10 cups) of water to the boil with ⅔ cup baking soda, and dip each pretzel in for 30 seconds. Sprinkle with coarse salt and bake at 220°C / 425°F for 12–14 minutes. The alkaline bath is what gives pretzels their shiny, mahogany crust.
Baking soda rules that apply to all of these
- Use about ¼ tsp baking soda per 125 g (1 cup) of flour. More tastes soapy.
- Whisk it into the flour so there are no lumps.
- Get the batter into the oven soon after the wet ingredients go in.
- Check your soda is fresh: ¼ tsp in vinegar should fizz hard. See does baking soda expire.
Out of baking soda? See baking soda substitutes by recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Baking soda needs an acid in the recipe to react with. Recipes with buttermilk, brown sugar, molasses or cocoa use soda. Recipes with only milk use baking powder, which carries its own acid.
Soda bread, buttermilk pancakes, banana bread, gingerbread and most chocolate chip cookies all rise with baking soda alone.
About ¼ teaspoon per 125 g (1 cup) of flour is a good general guide.