What are chemical leavening agents, what are the different types, and how are they used in baked goods?
The process of making many different types of baked goods requires the aeration of the dough or the batter. This is achieved by the action of the leavening agents. The process of aeration makes the structure of the dough and batter light and fairly porous, which translates into the crumb characteristics of the finished baked products. In the process of baking, the porosity of the batter is very important because it results in good volume and provides tenderness and good cell structure in the crumb. The leavening in baked goods is achieved by the production of carbon dioxide, either from the action of yeast through the fermentation process, or by the release of carbon dioxide through the reaction of different chemical leavening agents. Leavening can also be achieved by the mechanical aeration of mixing and creaming of batters, and the water vapour that forms by the heat of baking. In the last issue, we discussed how yeast is used as leavening agent for different yeast-raised baked goods
