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                    Hi All--
   
  First of all, thanks to all who responded to my question re: baking powders and GF bread - I managed to turn out a decent loaf of bread from this information! I hope some of you who were looking forward to the summary find this info helpful as well. My original question was:
   
    Does anyone know if there is a difference in how baking powder and double-acting baking powder perform in yeast-free GF bread recipes? I've checked the archives and haven't found any mention of different types of baking powders.
   
  In the Joy of Cooking cookbook, they make a distinction among the soda/cream of tartar/salt BP, the double-acting BP, and BP not labeled double-acting (sorry, but I can't recall some of the brands other than Clabber Girl, which is double-acting). The soda, cream of tartar and salt type seems to be rather popular in GF recipes. Does it work better with the heavier GF flours?
   
  RESPONSES:

   
  almost all recipes today are talking about double acting baking powder.  if you sub single acting, you must double the amt
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My preference and this was independly confirmed by my older sister is Magic Brand Baking Powder. I've tried others, including those from Health Food stores labelled Gluten Free. I am back to Magic brand and will stick with it. 
   
  [In a follow-up email, responding to my query re: Magic brand, this is what the listmember wrote:]
   
  I googled Magic Baking Powder and found these interesting sites: 
    1. this site explains what baking soda, powder and double action are. Ignore the first bit about mixing - GF flours need more mixing from what I've found. 
http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/bakingtips.QuickBreads/QuickBreads.cfm
 
  2. All about Baking Powder: 
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/BakingPowder.htm
   
  3. 'Only in Canada" as the TV ad went for tea - it also applies to Magic Baking Powder made by Kraft in Canada and is also Kosher according to the previous website. 
http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/ProductsPromotions/M-O/MAGICBAKINGPOWDER.htm
 
  Celiacs in Canada are always seeing products available only in the USA and I've often made special trips south of the border for groceries. I'm gloating a tiny bit about this one. Perhaps someone you know will be visiting us and can pick up a can for you. Otherwise I would go with Glabber Girl. Hope it turns out for you. I can't use yeast so all my breads are made with baking powder, baking soda and  yogurt, etc.  I just tried a bun recipe posted on this listserve years ago by a woman in Nova Scotia. I goofed and put in 2 tsp xanthum gum instead of 1/2 tsp. Another website that quoted the recipe recommended adding extra liquid by up to 1/2 more(another accident).  I made them as buns on my cookie sheet and they were fantastic. 
  http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE? A2=ind9906D&L=CELIAC&P=R819&I=-3   

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  Personally I make my own to avoid the cornstarch, I buy Cream of Tartar by 
the pound and add Tapioca Starch and Baking Soda.
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  I think the baking powder labeled double acting does not work until you put the item into the oven. In Canada recently, I tried some of the locally available baking powder (NOT labeled double acting) and noticed it puffed up the wet ingredients before I had a chance to put it in the pan. I was making muffins and this didn't seem to make any difference in the final product.
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  We used to use Rumford and it worked fine but that was when we had wheat and before I discovered my husband is corn allergic (it has corn starch).It is aluminum free however. I now use Featherlight which has potato starch but it appears to be single
acting as it goes up quick and does not state double acting on the label.  It seems
to work ok but I don't do breads, mostly cupcakes, that sort of stuff.  I do some yeast
(make a bread recipe and put in donut pan to make a fake bagel), and some yeast
dinner roll things.
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  All of the major brands - Davis, Rumford, Clabber Girl are double acting.  So they react when you mix the wet and dry ingredients and react again with the heat of the oven. I  think double-acting produces lighter baked goods.

My understanding is the single acting, the type you would make yourself using cream of tartar / baking soda only reacts in the oven.  Some people use this because they have allergies.  One reason may be that they are allergic to corn and most of the major brands contain cornstarch.  
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    I'm not an authority, but this is what I remember.

Single acting baking powder works by chemical change, and double acting baking powder works by both heat and chemical change. For example, lemon juice (or vinegar) and soda will emit carbon dioxide  which will leaven bread. However, it gives up all of its gas-producing power more or less immediately. A double acting baking powder will produce carbon dioxide with the chemical reaction (immediately) and also when the batter gets hot. Cream of tartar (tartaric acid) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a single acting baking powder mix.

Another good brand is Rumford. So is Red Star. We buy Red Star in giant quantities (who knows why) from Costco. It works very well.

When you convert a recipe to gluten free from wheat based, increase the baking powder by 50%. If the recipe calls for both baking powder and baking soda, increase each by 50%. Salt doesn't actually help the rising at all. It is chemically inert in the carbon dioxide gas formation process. Salt is used in yeast recipes to moderate the speed of the yeast. You need to put in about 3/4 of the amount most recipes recommend to moderate the yeast. The rest is most likely for taste.

Hope this helps,

PS 
I may still know enough college chemistry to make it through the analysis. Our Red Star double acting baking powder contains sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch and monocalcium phosphate. Sodium acid pyrophosphate is also used in canning seafood. It's chemical formula is Na2 H2 P2 O7. 
  
  It is a "sodium salt of phosphoric acid." Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate is an acidic buffering agent to ensure that the sodium bicarbonate does not fully react, thus saving some of the carbon dioxide for discharge in the heating process. (If you heat baking soda Na H2 CO3 , it will decompose into carbon dioxide plus other salts.) The monocalcium phosphate works with the sodium acid pyrophosphate in the buffering process. The corn starch is there to prevent caking; however, our baking powder cakes because of its antiquity. There you have it - aluminum-free double-acting baking powder.
  

 











		
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