raising agents... Cooks can give a lift to their breads and cakes by using raising agents. These work by generating bubbles of carbon dioxide gas that become trapped inside the mixture and inflate it. The gas can be produced by yeast, a living organism that feeds on sugars in the dough and produces carbon dioxide as a waste product. Alternatively, a simple chemical reaction between baking soda and an acid can produce the required gas. When the food is cooked the gas heats up and expands, forcing the dough or batter to swell further. The heat also sets the mixture so that when it is taken from the oven it doesn’t collapse, although some shrinkage is inevitable as it cools. Tip for bakers: be careful not to use too much raising agent as the stretchy component in the flour, called ‘gluten’, can only expand so much. If the bubbles over-inflate, they will burst and your previously towering creation will collapse in a heap. << Go Back