How much flour to add?

Hello everyone!

I live in Denver, Co (high altitude) and my cakes and especially my muffins and cupcakes are not rising properly when baking (they are flat but still taste delicious).  I know that I need to add extra flour due to the high altitude but my question is how much do I need to add?

I would appreciate any help or advice!

Thanks,

Susan

I'm not sure how familiar you are with the search engine on this website.   Where it says "enter recipe or keyword" next to search, you will want to type in "high altitude baking".   When nothing will probably come up, then go over to the left where it says "community" and click on that.   The first you come up with is for the TOH only search (magazines) and when you click on community, then you are getting access to what has been discussed on this BB.

With that being said, I do know you can get excellent information from your CO Extension office.

 I live in the Salt Lake area and have problems too, but not sure as serious as you.   In an older BH&G cookbook (for 5,000 ft) they say these are the 3 changes you can make.  

 #1 is your liquid - add for each cup - 2 to 4 TB

#2 is your baking powder - decrease for each tsp - 1/8 to 1/4 tsp

#3 is sugar - decrease for each cup - 0 to 2 TB

I have read quite a bit on the topic and most of the articles say to only try 1 change at a time and always begin with the smallest number.   What I read mostly is to begin with the change in the baking power first and if that doesn't help add 1 more change.

On cakes, I do know that I have much better luck with baking a cake in 2 smaller pans rather than a 9x13.   I do the same for quick breads - I don't bother with a 9x5x3 - I use those small ones (can't think of the dimensions right now).

Yeast breads don't seem to be bothered by the altitude, at least for what I've made.   Your best bet is the Extension Service.

The simplest thing is to go to your Coounty Extension Service and ask their nutrioninst to give you a copy of adjustments for just about anything you want to bake.

Would it not be simpler to use less baking powder instead of adding more flour? When adding mor flour you may have to add more fat, liquids, sugar and such and make the baked goods larger (possibly over flow the pan).

 I am just guessing but  but to me it makes more sense to reduce the amount of baking powder.

When I lived in Denver years ago, there was a special high altitude flour.  I can't remember what it was called.  Check the newspaper for receipes.  They will be for high altitude.  If you use a cake mix there are special instructions on the box.  Most cookbooks will tell you what to do.  Just have to do a little searching, this type of info is stashed in different places.

Thanks so much for your help!!  I have never heard of an Extension Office before but did google it and found what you were talking about.  There are brochures but here in Co they all cost so this morning I made muffins and decreased the baking powder as you suggested and it worked!!  Thank you so much!!  I have had such a problem with it.  As for yeast breads they are a problem as well here in Denver anyway I have to add extra flour as they are very wet otherwise. 

 Your suggestions and help were a lifesaver!  This is the first time I have used this site and am glad  did.

Happy Holidays!

Susan

I have never heard of an Extension Office before but did google it and found what you were talking about. There was a little bit of free info but the booklets available are for a fee. 

The reason I said adding extra flour is b/c when I have bought boxes mixed in the past for high altitude it says to add x amount of extra flour and when I have googled the problem the answers I found were that the mix was being over mixed or there was not enough flour.   

But I did to as you and another person suggested and this morning when I made muffins I decreased the baking powder and it worked!!

Thank you so much for your help!! 

Happy Holidays! Susan

I have never seen that flour but then again I have never looked but I will now!  I have not had a problem with premade mixes it is when I am baking from scratch which I have been doing a lot lately.  Everything taste very good just does not rise properly until this morning when I made muffins and decreased the baking powder as was suggested by others and it worked great!  I will check the newspaper and more throughly in cookbooks as I have not seen any info in them either.

Thanks for your help!

Susan

The county extension service is definitely the place to start.  It's a service provided by your tax dollars.  They are a resource for agricultural questions, food questions as well as running the 4-H programs.  They're generally associated with the state's land grant college.  In my experience, their printed materials are excellant--so even if you do have to pay a small fee, if there's one that you need, I think you'll find it will be very informative.

I just wanted suggest an alternate source, though, in case you ever need it.  The cooking teacher at your local high school is no doubt an expert at baking in your location.  It's not really her job to help the general public, but if she's a good person, she may be willing to give you some tips (maybe she even has a hand-out she uses in class that she'd be willing to share.) 

What a wonderful idea!  My husband happens to be a high school teacher at a relatively small school and I am sure he could ask a home ec teacher about it!  It never even crossed my mind but thank you very much for the idea!  I am certainly going to look into it!

 Happy Holidays!

Susan

I also live in Denver, however I'm a new baker and haven't really had problems with my breads or cakes not rising properly. I have been using the special high altitude flour that was mentioned before, and it's just at King Soopers. I believe it's called Hungarian High Altitude flour. I've been baking with this, so maybe that's why I haven't had problems.

I like the idea of reducing how much baking powder is used rather than add more flour....it makes sense really! I'll take any tips and tricks!

I am new to homemade baking as well and never had problems until I started making things from scratch.  It is not my cakes so much as muffins and cupcakes but I found that decreasing the baking powder by 1/8 tsp per tsp has solved all my problems and adding 1 extra tbsp of flour to my bread machine keeps the bread from being too wet as well.  So I don't think I need to buy the specialty flour since this simple trick has worked wonders for me and besides the Hungarian flour probably costs more.  Thanks for the help!