Have you recently moved to Denver, Calgary, or Johannesburg and noticed that your baking and cooking skills seem to have disappeared? Now your cakes are falling flat, your meat is dry, and even your eggs do not act as they should.
Don’t blame yourself; blame the altitude. Unfortunately, even the most proven bakers and seasoned cooks don’t consider air pressure when it comes to preparing food.
Recipes, ingredients, measurements, techniques, and even cooking time are all calculated at sea level. When cooking and baking at 3,500 feet above sea level or higher, the air is drier, and the whole environment is drastically different.
If you are dismayed by the issues you’re experiencing in the kitchen, worry not. We have a list of the most common challenges when baking at altitude and how you can resolve them.
1. Liquids Evaporate Quicker
The air is drier at high altitudes. If you want to make sure your dish won’t end up dry, you must up the liquid content in your recipes.
An additional one to four tablespoons will do the trick. The specific amount depends largely on your home’s precise elevation. Starting with one to two tablespoons of water, add an additional 1.5 tablespoons per 1,000 feet. If the recipe is large enough, an extra egg can also add moisture.
Water evaporation will also become important when trying to determine the new relative boiling points of liquids, you can experiment: use a high-quality kitchen thermometer to check the temperature at which water boils and adjust as needed.
2. Dry Air Means Drier Dry Ingredients
Your dry ingredients, mainly flour, are going to dry out quicky at high altitudes. Dry flour can cause air bubbles to form rapidly in batters and doughs. These air bubbles cause mixtures to rise faster than they should in the oven. Cakes and breads that rise quickly, fall quickly.
Increasing the amount of flour in your recipe by one to four tablespoons, depending on your elevation will improve the structural strength of your doughs and batters. If your location Is 3,000 feet closer to the clouds, start with one extra tablespoon of flour. Add an extra tablespoon for every 1,500 feet beyond.
3. Early to Rise, Quick to Fall
Leavening agents such as baking powder and baking soda create gas. Gases expand quicker at high altitudes, which causes leavening to happen faster. This rapid leavening will cause your baked goods to once again rise up quickly only to once again fall just fast leaving a sunken, dense middle.
You can decrease the amount of baking powder or baking soda as the elevation rises. Decrease the amount of baking soda, baking powder, or cream of tartar in your recipes by 20% at 3,500 feet. Reduce those same leavening agents by 50% If you are hanging out 5,000 feet above the sea.
Yeast is another common leavening agent, most often used in bread baking. Much like Its non-living counterparts, yeast will also have its amounts reduced at higher altitudes, with only slightly modified percentages. Reduce your recipe amount by 25% at a 3,500-foot elevation. Make sure that the flour and water amounts are also adjusted for altitudes when using yeast.
Acidic Ingredients counteract leavening agents. Including buttermilk, honey, applesauce or any acidic Ingredient can help keep batters from rising too quickly. If an acidic ingredient Is introduced to your recipe, you may not need to adjust the amount of leavening agent quite as much. Try altering by 1/8 teaspoons.
4. No Stiff Egg Peaks on the Peaks
If you are used to eggs forming stiff peaks at sea level, don’t even attempt it when baking at high altitudes. Whipping so much air into your eggs will cause your batter to expand too fast. Of course, we have learned now that a fast-expanding batter will leave your baked good deflated.
When whipping eggs at high altitudes, beat them only until they form soft peaks. Leave some room for the air to expand so the eggs will remain stable when they cool.
6. More Flavor, Please
The dry air and the low pressure reduce the sensitivity of your taste buds. Since the best part of cake is eating it, this means you must add more robust flavoring agents when baking at elevation. Stronger cocoa or more vanilla extract can make your cakes and other baked goods much more flavorful.
7. Less Sugar, Please
As mentioned before, a dry climate can cause liquid to evaporate quickly. In addition to Increasing the moisture content of your batter, the amount of sugar will also need to be reduced. Too much sugar will cause batter to be too dense which will result in a dry and crumbly baked good.
Reducing the sugar by a couple of tablespoons per cup of sugar will do the trick. If you are worried that the taste of your creation will be affected, try upping the flavor enhancers.
8. Baking Temp Goes Up, Baking Time Goes Down
Baking at a slightly higher temperature helps batters set up a little sooner in the baking process. Adjust the temperature of your oven by 15 to 25 degrees. Use an oven thermometer to confirm your oven’s internal temperature, and always use the middle rack to ensure even heating.
An increase in oven temperature will require a decrease in baking time. Reduce the baking time by five to eight minutes for every 30 minutes of baking. With some experimentation and precise temperature measurements, you should be able to find the ideal adjustments for ideal results.
9. Baked Goods Stick to the Pan
Baked goods tend to stickier when baked at high altitude. To prevent losing some of your cake to the pan, line your baking pans with parchment, or grease and dust pans generously. If you are baking cupcakes and muffins, use good quality cupcake liners so they will not stick to the tray.
Become A Mile-High Baking Expert
High altitude baking can be a challenge. With the right tools and equipment, and this helpful guide, you can be a mile-high baking expert in no time!