3. Leavening powders

The idea of using chemical reactions to create a gaseous release seems to date back to Whinting around 1838. He mixed sodium carbonate and hydrochloric acid with dough. The CO ₂ released caused the dough to rise, and the sodium chloride formed salted it. But this process, attractive in its concept, was too brutal and never entered common practice. Nevertheless, all the research undertaken pointed in the direction of the release of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) and its action on the dough during baking. It was in the 20th century that the trade in baking...