High Altitude Baking
I consider myself to be an experienced baker, so imagine my dismay when it finally dawned on me as to why my cakes never seemed to rise as expected. Of course living at 4327 feet (and now 5003 feet) affected my baking. I’m ashamed to admit that it took seeing the small print high altitude instructions on a cake mix box (shameful admission number two) for this realization to occur.
As long as I plan to live nearly a mile above sea level, I thought it best to do a little high altitude baking research to pass along as neatly and concisely as possible for the great Interweb to consume.
What is considered high altitude?
Above 3500 feet is considered high altitude.
Why does high altitude affect baking?
As one climbs above sea level atmospheric pressure drops. The lower pressure translates into a lower boiling point which means foods will take longer to cook. The lower pressure also causes rapid rising during baking as less pressure is present to balance the upward pressure.
Why don’t you cough up some real tips
The best source I found in my searching was that of the Crisco® website. Among Crisco’s helpul tips:
- Use 5% more flour to disperse the leavening action and slow down the rapid rise of the cake.
- Use 20% more water to counterbalance the rapid evaporation of liquids at high altitudes and the extra flour added to the cake batter.
- Bake about 25 degrees higher to help “set” the cake’s crust.
- Reduce baking time by about 20% to prevent overbaking at the higher temperature.
- Fill pans 1/3 to no more than 1/2 full to avoid batter overflow caused by rapid cake expansion.
- Use cold water and large, cold eggs to give cake extra strength.
So, does high altitude affect things other than cakes?
Yep. Reduce baking powder/baking soda amount by half for cookies with a large amount of chocolate, nuts or dates. If you live above the treeline, you may also want to slightly reduce the sugar amount.
Anything else?
Inquisitive minds may wish to contact their local extension office for more tips. Or as long as one is cruising the Internet, a few more sites for reference.