Where to Find Natural Leavening Agent?

• Active Dry Yeast:this dry, granular yeast is the most commonly used. It must be activated or proofed by dissolving it in warm water, ideally heated to 105ºF.

• Instant Dry Yeast:a dry, granular yeast that can be mixed directly in with your flour and does not require proofing. Use ⅓ to ½ less than active dry yeast.

• Fresh Yeast:also called cake yeast is most commonly used in professional bakeries. It can be mixed directly into dry ingredients or dissolved in water to more evenly disperse it, but does not need to be proofed first.

• Yeast Conversions: to use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast in a recipe, multiply the amount of yeast in the recipe by 1.25. To use active dry yeast instead of fresh yeast, multiply the fresh quantity by 0.4. To use instant dry yeast instead of fresh yeast, multiply the fresh quantity by 0.33.

• Beer: has carbon dioxide in it and is used as a wet ingredient to leaven beer bread.

• Fermented dough starter: a live culture made of flour and water that once mixed begins to ferment, cultivating the naturally occurring wild yeasts and bacteria present within the mixture. A small portion of this culture is used to make your bread dough rise.

List of Mechanical Leavening Agents

There are a number of mechanical leavening agents that are used in baking to make dough and batter rise, including:

• Whipped cream: whipping heavy cream traps air between thin layers of cream fat in a foam-like substance that expands and holds shape in baking.

• Whipped egg whites: whisked or beaten at a very rapid pace so air bubbles become trapped in the soft or stiff peaks and provide most of the finished baked good’s structure.

• Whipped whole eggs: often used in cake recipes will make the final product more dense than using only egg whites.

• Whipped aqua faba: the liquid from canned or cooked chickpeas or other legumes can be whipped and used as an egg white replacement.

• Whipped fats or creamed butter and sugar: cutting sugar crystals into fat produces air bubbles that cause a slight rise during baking. Most cookie recipes combine creamed butter and sugar with a chemical leavener to boost the rise.

• Kneading: adds air into dough through repeated folding and rolling, which forms the network of gluten strands that make the dough rise.

List of Physical Leavening Agents

There are a several ways to easily introduce steam in your baking, including:

• Steam oven: an oven that has a built-in mechanical function or an attachment that creates controlled steam injection.

• Pan of water: set a sheet pan or cake pan on the bottom of the oven to preheat with the oven. Pour hot water into the pan after you place the dough on the rack, then close the door quickly.

• Dome:enhance the pan of water method by placing a large metal mixing bowl over your loaf of bread to trap the steam.

• Dutch oven or cloche: place the dough in a preheated heavy pan with a tight fitting lid to bake. The pan traps and enhances the steam created when the dough begins to rise. Remove the lid after 25 minutes to bake in a dry oven.

• Bain marie or water bath: a pan of hot water placed in the oven to hold the baking pan. This adds moisture to the oven and surrounds the baking pan with gentle, uniform heat, which is important for cheesecakes and custards which easily crack or become rubbery.

• Spray:a simple way to add steam is to spritz your bread dough a few times with water as it enters the oven. You can repeat after a minute or two and also spritz the sides of the oven to create more steam.