I live at about 3,400 feet above sea level, and I think this is affecting my baking. My cookies come out flat all the time. When I lived in Edmonton, I never had any problems. Is the higher altitude the problem, and if so, is there anything I can add to my recipes to ensure a cookie with a little more "height"?
Carmel,
You are right on in guessing that the altitude is the culprit of your flat cookies. Cooking in altitudes above 3000 feet can affect the outcome of your products and not just with baking but with cooked items as well. The problem arises because air density is lower at higher altitudes than at sea level therefore there is less pressure exerted on the environment the higher up you are.
This is significant in cooking for two reasons. The first has to do with leaveners; baking soda, baking powder and yeast. The decreased air density exerts less outside pressure on your baked goods and therefore you leavening agent becomes much more effective at rising your baked goods before the batter has set to capture the gases that create the height and lightness you desire - the “flat tire cookie affect”.
At 3400 feet, try raising the oven temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit to set the structure of the batter before the gas from the leavener has escaped. At higher altitudes, more drastic action might be needed: at 5000 feet try reducing the baking powder or baking soda by 15% - 25% , at 7000 feet decrease by 25% or more. The exception to this is in recipes using sour milk or buttermilk where baking soda’s neautralizing power is needed, do not reduce baking soda to less than ½ tsp for every cup of sour milk, cream or buttermilk in the recipe.
If you are working with yeast, you will also find that it will work more quickly than at sea level – adjust rising times and look to your doughs to visually increase in the bulk size recommended by the recipe rather than adhereing to time guidelines or your products will over proof.
If your are relying on eggs to give you height as in an angel food cake, make sure you do not overbeat the eggs, beat only to soft peak consistency to not have your cake deflate.
The second cooking problem has to do with liquids; the higher the altitude the lower the boiling points of liquids. This quite often mean longer cooking and braising times, items need to be cooked longer after they reach the boiling point to achieve desired doneness and be sufficiently heated through. For example rice cooked at 5000 feet will take 10 minutes longer than rice cooked at sea level. A slow braised dish may take up to an hour longer than the recommended cooking time. In some baked goods especially cakes, you may need to decrease flour or sugar slightly or increase liquids slightly in order to achieve the best results.
There are many recipe books in print specifically designed for high altitude cooking. Also a good “basics” cook book should outline information that will be helpful for specific cooking techniques in higher altitudes.
Hope this helps and your cookies rise to the occasion!
You are right on in guessing that the altitude is the culprit of your flat cookies. Cooking in altitudes above 3000 feet can affect the outcome of your products and not just with baking but with cooked items as well. The problem arises because air density is lower at higher altitudes than at sea level therefore there is less pressure exerted on the environment the higher up you are.
This is significant in cooking for two reasons. The first has to do with leaveners; baking soda, baking powder and yeast. The decreased air density exerts less outside pressure on your baked goods and therefore you leavening agent becomes much more effective at rising your baked goods before the batter has set to capture the gases that create the height and lightness you desire - the “flat tire cookie affect”.
At 3400 feet, try raising the oven temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit to set the structure of the batter before the gas from the leavener has escaped. At higher altitudes, more drastic action might be needed: at 5000 feet try reducing the baking powder or baking soda by 15% - 25% , at 7000 feet decrease by 25% or more. The exception to this is in recipes using sour milk or buttermilk where baking soda’s neautralizing power is needed, do not reduce baking soda to less than ½ tsp for every cup of sour milk, cream or buttermilk in the recipe.
If you are working with yeast, you will also find that it will work more quickly than at sea level – adjust rising times and look to your doughs to visually increase in the bulk size recommended by the recipe rather than adhereing to time guidelines or your products will over proof.
If your are relying on eggs to give you height as in an angel food cake, make sure you do not overbeat the eggs, beat only to soft peak consistency to not have your cake deflate.
The second cooking problem has to do with liquids; the higher the altitude the lower the boiling points of liquids. This quite often mean longer cooking and braising times, items need to be cooked longer after they reach the boiling point to achieve desired doneness and be sufficiently heated through. For example rice cooked at 5000 feet will take 10 minutes longer than rice cooked at sea level. A slow braised dish may take up to an hour longer than the recommended cooking time. In some baked goods especially cakes, you may need to decrease flour or sugar slightly or increase liquids slightly in order to achieve the best results.
There are many recipe books in print specifically designed for high altitude cooking. Also a good “basics” cook book should outline information that will be helpful for specific cooking techniques in higher altitudes.
Hope this helps and your cookies rise to the occasion!
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