Baking at a high altitude can be a
challenge. Bogota is located at 8,500 ft. and I've found the
altitude does weird things to my baking. Cookies flatten and become
brittle, cakes explode leaving the oven covered in baked batter, and
brownies spill-over smoking the kitchen and setting off the smoke
detector. Is there a way to combat the altitude and return to
beautifully baked goods? Of course!
A quick Google search will give you
many charts and suggestions. I found the Pillsbury website to be the
most helpful. I don't like to feel overwhelmed with too much
information or science. Just give me a simple formula to fix the
problem. The truth is there are several factors to take into account
when finding the perfect combination of ingredients, temperature and
proportions at altitude.
Here is what Pillsbury suggests:
Ingredient 3,000 ft 5,000
ft 7,000 ft
Liquid: Add for
each cup 1-2 Tbs. 2-4 Tbs. 3-4 Tbs.
Baking Powder:
Decrease for 1/8 tsp. 1/8 - ¼ tsp. ¼ tsp.
Each teaspoon
Sugar: decrease
for each cup 0-1 Tbs. 0-2 Tbs. 1-3 Tbs.
For me the magical
combination has been quiet simple. Don't change the liquid, decrease
¼ tsp. baking powder for each tsp., and decrease 3 Tbs. sugar for
each cup. Occasionally I will add a bit of flour to make the
consistency of the batter the same as it was at home, but be careful
not to add too much or you will get a bland flavor. I do this for
all brownies, cakes, quick breads and cookies.
Yeast breads don't
need any changing. The more you knead by hand, the easier you will
find it to determine the correct consistency. Some days require a
little more flour and other days a little less. It depends on the
humidity in the air.
It takes a bit of
playing around. The sugar in your country may be a different
consistency than the heavy granules here in Colombia or the air might
have more humidity. Good luck and just keep in mind that just when
you think you've got it figured out, something will rise too high and
then flatten, but don't get discouraged, just keep baking!
