Baking soda is alkali and mixing it with acid causes a reaction which releases carbon dioxide which adds the bubbles in cakes, pancakes and, of course, scones.
Bicarbonate of soda gives off carbon dioxide, which expands in a mixture. Once the mixture is cooked, the carbon dioxide is replaced by air, leaving a light cake or bread. As with all raising agents, use the amount specified in the recipe.
A final crucial ingredient in scones is some sort of leavening agent such as baking powder or baking soda. In the oven, these leavening agents will react and form carbon dioxide, a gas. This puffs up your scone – it's why it increases in height in the oven!
Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan, gas mark 6). Grease and flour a baking sheet. Step 2: Sift together the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda.
Much like cinnamon rolls, arranging your scones side by side, just touching one another, helps in making the scones rise evenly, and higher. Since the heat causes the scones to rise, if they are placed side by side, the scones will be forced to rise upwards, not outwards.
Use a small amount of an acidic condiment such as lemon juice or vinegar to neutralise the soda. If the recipe has chocolate, simply add half a teaspoon of cocoa powder to it. Buttermilk can also be used to counter the pungent taste of baking soda.
A mixture of bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar, or baking powder (which is a ready paired mixture of the two) are used as the raising agent in scones.
Bicarbonate of soda is approximately 3 times more powerful than baking powder so it is best to use baking powder when making self raising flour. However, if you only have bicarbonate of soda, sift just over ½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda through every 1 cup of plain flour.
These tiny CO2 gas bubbles allow for soft and airy baked goods such as cookies, pancakes, and cakes. Baking soda also increases pH levels while reducing gluten. This creates less chewy and more tender baked goods.
The less you knead the mix, the less the gluten will tighten up – which means your scones will stay loose and crumbly, rather than tight and springy. Make sure you sieve the flour and baking powder into your bowl. This means that the two will be well mixed together, which gives you a better chance of an even rise.
Placing a dough in a cool oven that then slowly heats up actually affects the rising agent. Make sure your oven is at the right temperature you will be baking the scones at before you put them in. Also having an oven that is too hot or too cold will affect the baking of your scones immensely.
For example, if the recipe calls for a teaspoon of baking powder, substitute it with ½ a teaspoon of bicarb soda and then include an additional teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to offset the acidic components.
Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, a fine white powder that has many uses. You may wonder about bicarbonate of soda vs. baking soda, but they are simply alternate terms for the same ingredient. If your recipe calls for bicarbonate of soda, it is simply referring to baking soda.
Egg: Adds flavor, lift, and structure. Optional: Vanilla extract adds necessary flavor to sweet scones, but skip it if you're making savory scones.
I found that using eggs makes scones less flaky and less melt-in-your-mouth. They're delicious by themselves, or even better with honey butter, jam or whipped cream. It's the perfect base for lots of different flavor variations such as my lemon poppy seed scones, chocolate scones, raspberry scones, and more!
Flat scones that spread when baked are usually caused by the dough being too soft or an oven that's too hot. A dark color can be caused by too much sugar or an oven that runs hot. Heavy, dense scones can be caused by weak flour, overworked dough, or expired leveling agents.
Generally speaking, between 40 and 50 grams of baking powder (or about 15 grams of baking soda) per kilogram of flour is used. It is important to measure the baking powder carefully.
A common chemical raising agent used in food is baking powder, which contains two active ingredients, bicarbonate of soda (sodium bicarbonate - something called an alkali) and cream of tartar (potassium hydrogen tartrate - something called an acid).
Run out of self-raising flour? All you need is regular plain flour and baking soda to make your own. Self-raising flour bought at a supermarket is pre-packaged plain flour with the addition of a leavening agent (and sometimes salt), used to achieve a desired leavening in cooking and baking.
Self-rising flour is a type of flour that includes leavening agents, which ensures perfectly risen baked goods. You don't need to use additional leavening agents (such as baking powder or baking soda) when you use self-rising flour.
My scones have a dense, heavy texture and poor volume
You may have used too little raising agent or over handled the dough before it was baked. The oven may have been too cool.
Not chilling the dough before baking: to really ace your scones, it helps to chill your dough again before it's baked. Using cold ingredients does help, but your hands will warm up the dough when you're working with it and the extra step of chilling will help you get the best result.