Anyone ever used Baker's Ammonia?

[blueribboncakes]

for what? And how?

I have never used it, but I have read about it. It is used to make breads and cakes rise. The ammonia smells quite bad while baking I am told. I would not jump at the chance to use it, I mean, is it really ammonia?

[Isa]

Baker's amonia (ammonium carbonate) is an old fashionned leavener. It gives up a noxius smell while baking, but the odor dissipated by the time baking is complete, leaving extra crisp cookies or crackers.

From The King Arthur Flour Catalog

[kokopuffs]

According to an article at the King Arthur website, staghorn antler, that is a kind of deer antler, has a high amount of that compound, ammonium carbonate. It's an old fashioned leavening, offered at KA, that makes cookies crispier, too.

[blueribboncakes]

Every time I have asked someone about it, they look at me like I am looney. Sure glad that you guys have heard of it. I bought it once, but was scared to use it. Weird huh? Well, it is also found in some mennonite recipes I have.

[Svadhisthana]

Interesting, I've heard of it but never seen it called for in a recipe or used it myself.


Svadhisthana

[monpetitchoux]

Baker's ammonia is still used as a leavener of choice for certain recipes because of it's ability to make cookies crisper. The chemistry is very interesting. It creates gas when mixed with liquid ingredients but the baker's ammonia removes one extra water (or was it oxygen) molecule than soda so it leaves a dryer crisper product. Some old-fashioned recipes for biscotti and ameretti call for it because of the desired affect.

Would it be any good in meringues (eg.for napoleans)?

[monpetitchoux]

I've never seen leaveners added to meringues. They crisp up quite well on their own if the whites are whipped up properly (I have trouble judging that when the white are in the hobart). I am also not sure about meringue in napoleons. How do you make them?

Here in Iceland we use baker's ammonia quite a lot in cookie baking and I always have a jar at hand. Yes, it does smell when it heats up (although the smell isn't really noticeable unless you open the oven). By the time the cookies are ready the smell has disappeared and the cookies certainly do not taste of ammonia.

It does make a difference. Cookies made with baker's ammonia are more crisp and delicate than cookies made with other leaveners. You can substitute baking powder but the cookies will not be as good (my opinion).

[CompassRose]

If it makes things crispier, has anyone here tried it to resolve the dilemma of the uncrispable low-fat cookie? If it would work for that, it would be worth me searching it out...

Monpetitchoux'
The last bakery i worked at we made nepoleans with puff dough rolled into sheets and then cut it 2"x4" 1 layer bavarian cream, 1 layer rasberry, 1 layer buttercreamAnd finally whipped topping with a chocolate drizzle for eye appeal. As for the bakers ammonia i have used it once. A few baking suppliers still carry it. The smell is terrible. You don't want to be in the building while its baking and the cookie I thought still had a faint taste of it. For info purposes it was a cracked black walnut cookie recipe.