Baking soda and baking powder: two common ingredients in baked goods. In the latest edition of Periodic Graphics in Chemical & Engineering News, we take a look at what these leavening agents are made of, what the difference is between them, and how they help your cookies, muffins, and cakes rise. View the full graphic on the C&EN site.
As we took a look at the complex chemistry of bread-making last week, this week it seemed to make perfect sense to look at some of the chemistry that results from putting the end result of that process into the oven! There are a host of compounds that contribute towards baked bread’s aroma; here we take a look at a selection of them, how they are formed, and what they contribute.
Though chemistry teachers might have to regularly field questions about the chemistry of ‘Breaking Bad’ these days, baking bread is probably more likely to figure on a list of their recreational activities. Bread-making is a process that seems simple, essentially involving the mixing of just four ingredients. However, there’s a lot more chemistry to it than meets the eye; here we delve into the science to work out what’s going on in your loaf.
