Did you know you can make your own baking powder? I tend to make my own quite a bit, especially when I don’t want to make a trip to the shop. Depending on how much you are needing, here are a few recipes that will help you.

Make Your Own Baking Powder

You can use this recipe to make you own baking powder when you run out, if you are a gluten-free family or if you are trying to eliminate aluminium from your diet. Yes, there is aluminium in some baking powders.

To make this powder, you will need:

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp arrowroot powder / cornstarch (your preference)

Mix all the ingredients together and use as needed. This makes 1 TBSP of baking powder. Store in an air-tight container.

Pretty much, you will need to use equal amounts of bicarb soda and arrowroot powder / cornstarch and twice as much cream of tartar, making it easy to adjust the ratios if you need to make a larger batch.

So therefore to make ¼ cup of this Powder, you will need:

1 TBSP bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
2 TBSP cream of tartar
1 TBSP arrowroot powder / cornstarch

Mix all the ingredients together and use as needed. Store in an air-tight container.

How to store Baking Powder

Baking powder should be stored in a cool, dry place in an air-tight container. Cans of commercial baking powder will have an expiration date stamped on the bottom; always check the date before using the baking powder.

To test if baking powder is still good, add one teaspoon of baking powder to 1/3 cup of hot water; if the mixture bubbles vigorously, then the baking powder is good to use.

How to use Baking Powder

This powder contains baking soda or bicarbonate of soda, so when a liquid is added to the recipe, the powder and the liquid react to form bubbles of carbon dioxide gas. Due to this, it is important to use the recipe right away before the bubbles disappear and before over-mixing.

Baking powder is used in baking, in things such as cakes, muffins, and bread. It is important to measure this ingredient precisely as too little or too much can have serious effects on your baking, such as falling or preventing it from rising.

Here are some recipes that use baking powder.