What you need to know:
If using homemade baking powder, place the batter into your pre-heated oven right away, since it almost immediately releases carbon dioxide gas when mixed with the batter, making it ineffective.
If using store-bought baking powder, you can afford to wait for about 15-20 minutes before you bake.
If you do not bake, chances are that you do not know the difference between baking powder and baking soda.
Before we talk about the differences, it is worth pointing out that both are used to make batter rise when baking.
However, the baking powder does most of the leavening, while the baking soda neutralises the acid in the flour, and makes the batter tenderer.
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Too much baking powder gives rise to bitter-tasting batter. It can also cause the batter to rise rapidly and then collapse. The result will be a coarse, fragile crumb with a fallen center.
How to test baking powder’s effectiveness:
Mix 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder with 1/2 cup (120 ml) hot water - the mixture should bubble immediately. Store in a cool dry place and use within 12 months from day of manufacture.
To test baking soda’s effectiveness:
Mix 1/4 teaspoon baking soda with 2 teaspoons of vinegar - the mixture should bubble immediately.
This general rules on the amount of baking powder to use will be of help.
1 to 2 teaspoons (5-10 grams) of baking powder leavens 1 cup (140 grams) of flour. The amount will however depend on the ingredients used and how you have mixed them.
If you don’t want to use commercial baking powder, mix 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 grams) baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar, plus 1/4 teaspoon of cornstarch or 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 grams) baking soda plus 1/2 cup (120 ml) of an acidic ingredient such as buttermilk, sour milk or yogurt.
This equals one teaspoon of commercial baking powder.
If using homemade baking powder, place the batter into your pre-heated oven right away, since it almost immediately releases carbon dioxide gas when mixed with the batter, making it ineffective.
If using store-bought baking powder, you can afford to wait for about 15-20 minutes before you bake.
Several people have written to ask me to send them a recipe they can use to make tasty mandazi. For this recipe, I have used self-raising mandazi flour which already contains raising agents, making the recipe even simpler.
Feel free to adjust the sugar to what your taste buds will enjoy. You can also use coconut milk instead of dairy milk or adddesiccated coconut to the dry flour, or other spices like powdered cloves or cinnamon, for variation of flavour.
For “healthy looking” mandazis, do not roll the dough too thin.
Ingredients
- 1kg mandazi flour/self-raising flour
- 6 tbsp sugar
- 2 eggs
1 cup milk
- 1-2 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)
Method:
1. Mix the flour, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs together with the milk.
3. Make a well at the centre of the flour and add the milk and egg mixture and mix.
4. Knead the dough for 3-4 minutes or until it stops sticking to the sides of the bowl.
5. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
6. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 1cm thick piece.
7. Using a small sharp knife, cut the dough into the desired size, and set aside for deep frying.
8. Heat oil in a spacious pot and gently dip the pieces to cook until light brown on both sides.
9. Serve warm or cold with a hot cup of tea.
Chef’s tip
When using baking powder or baking soda, sift or mix with the other dry ingredients to ensure uniformity before adding to the batter. If you don’t do this, the finished product will have large holes.
