Difference between Baking Soda and Baking Powder

• Baking soda and baking powder are leavening agents. Leavening agent is a substance used to produce fermentation in dough or in a liquid.

• Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, which does not have any leavening capabilities by itself. When baking soda is mixed with sour cream, molasses, lemon juice, or buttermilk, fermentation takes place. Carbon -di -oxide is formed during fermentation and causes the baked item to rise.

• The reaction begins immediately upon mixing the ingredients, so you need to bake immediately if using baking soda.

• Baking powder has baking soda with cream of tartar, or calcium acid phosphate, or sodium aluminum sulphate, or a mixture of all these.

• Single-acting baking powders are activated by moisture, so you must bake recipes which include this product immediately after mixing.

• Double-acting powders react in two phases and can stand for a while before baking.

• With double-acting powder, some gas is released while making dough and a lot of gas is released in the oven.

• Double-acting baking powder has corn starch as a drying agent.