Recipe Talk

Can anyone help me with adjusting my Almond Lace cookie recipe? I live in Denver, and it must be the altitude!

High Altitude Baking & Cooking
Collapsing cakes, overflowing batters, brittle cookies: If you live at an altitude of 3,000 feet or higher, you may have experienced these problems.

At high altitudes, lower air pressure and generally lower humidity cause liquids to evaporate more rapidly. These conditions allow baked goods to rise more easily and lose moisture faster. Rapid rising can make gas bubbles coalesce, resulting in a course texture. In extreme cases, it can cause batters to overflow the pan because they have not set-up sufficiently, or rupture cell walls resulting in collapse. Rapid evaporation concentrates the sugars in a recipe and makes the product prone to sticking to the pan.

Cakes are most vulnerable to these phenomena because of their delicate balance of liquids and sugars though other recipes can be affected as well. Unfortunately, there is no one simple set of rules that can accommodate every situation but here are some general guidelines followed by recipe-specific tips.

General Guidelines
Many recipes will work well at high altitudes so always try a new recipe as is before you contemplate making adjustments. Remember that a collapsed cake - while it doesn't look very good, usually tastes just fine.

If a recipe does fail, you can then make one or more of the following adjustments on your next attempt.

Leavening Agents
At high altitudes, leavening stimulates overproduction of carbon dioxide gas causing recipes to rise so rapidly they cannot establish any structure, thereby overflowing the pan or collapsing.

Try reducing baking powder by 1/8 teaspoon per teaspoon at 3,000 ft., more at higher altitudes.

For quick breads, reduce baking soda by 1/4 of the total amount used. But if using acidic liquids such as buttermilk or citrus juice, use a minimum of 1/2 teaspoon for each cup of such liquid.

Because it expands at altitude, Air can act as a leavening agent. In fact, meringue toppings as well as angel food and sponge cakes rely upon it. So avoid excessive beating of ingredients, particularly eggs and egg whites.

Yeast does not pose as much of a problem, just be sure that recipes do not rise more than double in size.

Sugar
Rapid evaporation at high altitude concentrates sugars, affecting the texture of baked goods. Reduce sugars by 1 tablespoon per cup at 3,000 feet, more at higher altitudes.

Liquid
To compensate for the higher evaporation rate, increase liquid content by 1 to 2 tablespoons at 3,000 feet, more for higher altitudes. For cookies, add 1/2 to 2 teaspoons per recipe. Consider using buttermilk or sour cream for additional moisture to increase richness and flavor.

Eggs
Eggs add liquid and strengthen the structure of baked goods, so as a general rule, use extra-large eggs or increase the total number of eggs. In recipes calling for egg whites, use cold eggs and do not beat them as long. Interestingly, pioneers seem to have relied almost solely on an extra egg in a recipe to solve their high-altitude baking problems.
Fats
Excessive fat in a recipe will weaken the structure. You may need to reduce fat content by 2 to 4 tablespoons for quick breads. Use butter or high-quality vegetable shortening instead of margarine because most margarine has a high fat to water ratio.

Flour
Like eggs, flour strengthens the structure of baked goods. Increase flour by 1 to 4 tablespoons at 5,000 feet, more for higher altitudes. Dough used in cookie presses may actually require less flour. Avoid using self-rising flour.

Baking Pans
Because baked goods expand more at high altitude, use larger pans or increase the number of pans and use less batter per pan. Baked goods also have a greater tendency to stick to the pan at high altitude. Except for angel food and sponge cakes, always grease pans generously and dust them with flour or use a baking liner such as parchment paper.

Oven Temperature
Higher oven temperatures assist in establishing structure, offsetting some of the effects of rapid leavening. Increase temperatures anywhere from 15degreesF to 25degreesF. Delicate cakes and recipes with high chocolate content, as well as most cookie recipes, are an exception because of their tendency to burn.

Baking Time
Due to the higher oven temperatures mentioned above, baking time should be reduced accordingly. There are no set rules for this, so monitor the progress of the baking process and resign yourself to a trial and error method.

High Altitude Reactions of Various Types of Recipes
All baked goods recipes do not react to high altitude in the same way. Yeast dependent goods, like yeasted bread, often do not need any adjustments, while recipes that rely on baking powder and baking soda can be quite temperamental due to their greater volatility.

Here are a few high altitude tips specific to a variety of baked goods:

Bread
The biggest problem with high-altitude bread baking is the loss of complex flavor. The more time bread takes to rise, the more complex and sophisticated the texture and taste. At high altitude, bread rises faster and does not fully develop these flavors. Here are some ways to combat this:

Use top-quality flour with high gluten content. For white flour, use unbleached and unbromated flour that contains a minimum of 12 grams of protein per cup (check the nutritional label). Whole grain flours should be used in combination with white flour because whole grains typically contain less gluten.

Additional liquids are sometimes needed for breads, particularly in areas of low humidity. Liquid is anything that pours, melts during baking, or contains moisture that is extracted in the kneading cycle. This includes eggs, pureed fruits, sour cream, cheese, and fresh fruits and vegetables.

Yeast is the catalyst for those complex flavors and textures. Decreasing the amount of yeast by 1/4 to 1/3-even up to 1/2 when above 5,000 feet-will help, as will using the best quality instant active yeast. Avoid rapid-rising yeasts. But the real key to good flavored breads is a second, slow proofing (rise) before it is formed and baked-just don't let it rise too much.

For sweet breads, reduce the amount of sweeteners such as honey, syrups and molasses by 1/4 to 1/3.

Salt retards the action of yeast and so can improve flavor by lengthening the rising process.

Bread Machines
Most bread machines come with high altitude instructions. Generally, some yeast reduction is required to prevent the bread from hitting the lid. Some programmable machines allow you to do a second proofing (rising) of the dough but it must be closely monitored so that it doesn't rise too much.
Cakes
Some people who grew up in high altitude areas think the dip in collapsed cakes was designed as a reservoir for frosting. Fallen cakes taste just fine but if you want yours to look good without making a triple batch of frosting, refer to the general guidelines above and these more specialized tips:

Use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour. All-purpose flour provides more structure because of its higher gluten content.

Use a Bundt pan. Bundt pans have more surface area for cake batter to cling to while baking.

Fill pans 1/2 full instead of the usual 2/3.

If large air pockets are a problem, try zigzagging a table knife through the batter or dropping the pan from an inch or two above the counter just before baking to help eliminate excess air bubbles.
Angel Food, Sponge and Chiffon Cakes
Foam cakes are characterized by their low-sometimes zero-amounts of fat, other than eggs. These cakes utilize air as a leavening agent so care must be taken to not over-beat the eggs or egg whites, creating a tough, dry cake. On the other hand, beating the cake helps develop the gluten in the flour which contributes to the cake's structure. Some practice will be required in determining how long to beat the ingredients in a particular recipe.

Cookies
Cookie recipes may need minimal, if any, adjustment at high altitude. Small reductions in dry ingredients or increases in liquids are usually all that's needed. Other tips include substituting brown sugar for granulated and being careful not to over-measure dry ingredients or over-baking.

Muffins
Refer to the leavening section of the general guidelines.

Pies
You may need a slight increase in liquids to prevent the crust from drying. Use a minimal amount of flour for rolling out the dough.

Cooking at High Altitude
The most important consideration for cooking in general at high altitude is that the higher your altitude, the lower the temperature required to boil water. At sea level, water boils at 212degreesF or 100degreesC. On the Fahrenheit scale, that number decreases 1degreesF for every 540 feet of elevation, so at 5,000 feet, water boils at slightly less than 203degreesF. This, together with the fact that water evaporates faster at altitude, can affect your cooking.

Boiling
Because of lower achieved temperatures, boiled foods such as pasta or potatoes must be cooked longer.

Roasting or Baking
Either higher temperatures or increased cooking time may be required.

Candy-Making
Mixtures with high sugar content such as candy and frosting become concentrated faster due to rapid evaporation. When using a thermometer, reduce recipe temperature 1degreesF for every 500 feet of elevation. Thus, if you live at 5,000 feet and the recipe calls for a temperature of 234degreesF, cook it at 224degreesF. Monitor closely to avoid scorching.

Cream Pie Fillings and Puddings
Recipes that use cornstarch as a thickener present special problems at high altitude. When using a double-boiler at altitudes over 5,000 feet, temperatures are not high enough for optimum thickening. The solution is to use direct heat at medium-low. It's important not to overcook starchy mixtures because they can break down and become watery.

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Additional Information
For more help with high altitude baking problems, contact:
Your state's agricultural extension service
The home economics department of a local state college or university
The home service department of your local utility company.

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