A GUIDE TO ROYAL BAKING POWDER THE EVOLUTION OF BAKING POWDER It hardly seems possible that the deli- unless they blended these ingredients cious, tender cakes and biscuits we correctly, and in the right proportion so greatly enjoy today are direct de- each time the results were most un- scendants of the sun-baked slabs of certain. grain and water our primitive ances- tors considered so good. ROYAL INTRODUCED IN 1866 Yet, the most important and essen- tial difference between them is the In 1866, however, American house- presence of a leavening agent. wives were offered a combination of Cream of Tartar and soda, prepared commercially by careful measure and EARLY COOK BOOK RECORDS exact rule, perfectly blended, care- fully sealed in cans and always ready Practically all the recipes for cakes for instant use. This was called Royal published in old cook books mention Baking Powder. large numbers of eggs—which appar- It met with immediate approval, ently were depended upon to some for it represented a sure and safe extent for leavening. These cakes way of leavening flour mixtures—a must have been strange indeed by way that abolished guess-work and comparison with what we call cake waste and increased the certainty that today! In the late seventeen hun- what went into the oven would come dreds, we do find records of "pearl- out perfectly raised. ash" being used in molasses and gin- ger cakes. Following its use came ROYAL BECOMES THE STANDARD Saleratus,- a crude form of our pres- ent baking soda, which had to be used Because of its marvelous leavening with sour milk, vinegar or molasses. action, as well as its purity and It was not too popular with house- wholesomen'ess, Royal—the Cream of wives, because cakes made with it Tartar Baking Powder—has become a were coarse-grained, streaked, yellow household standard throughout the in color and usually had the unmis- world . serving faithfully and effi- takably persistent acrid taste of strong ciently inf millions of particular homes. soda. For Royal Baking Powder in its tight covered tin, can be depended upon to THE FIRST BAKING POWDER keep its full leavening power and fine quality in all climates. Damp, muggy But in 1855 "The Practical American weather . blistering heat . bitter Cook Book" published news of a won- cold . are all the same to Royal! derful new combination of soda and And this reputation for fine quality Cream of Tartar. Cakes made with and dependability is well deserved. this were said to be tender, fine-tex- No efforts are spared in making Royal tured and wonderfully delicious. Baking Powder. Ever since it was "At last," thought housewives, "a first manufactured by two chemists in really satisfactory quick acting leav- a little Indiana town, more than 70 ening agent has been found." years ago, the greatest possible care Unfortunately they soon discovered has been taken to have each of its in- that this was not entirely true. For, gredients pure, wholesome. Copyright 1942, by Standard Brands Incorporated The special baking ROYAL, powder for cakes When you bake cakes, you use a special cake flour, don't you? Well then—isn'tit just common sense to use a special baking powder, too? Ordinary baking powder may be all right for or- dinary baking, but luscious, light, fine-textured cakes need a special leavening action to bring out the best in them. ROYAL is the special baking powder for cakes— l. Royal is made with wholesome cream of tar- and here's why: tar; Royal never imparts any bitter taste to cakes. 2. Royal has a steady action that gives batters a continuous, even expansion. That's what makes Royal cakes so velvety fine in texture and so beautifully even in grain—so feathery light and tender. 3. Royal's steady leavening action helps make the kind of cakes that keep their precious moisture and delicious fresh flavor so that they don't dry out and get crumbly for days. STEADY BAKING POWDER ACTION This is the cake that steady baking powder action made. The grain is firm and fine—the texture light and fluffy. There are no big air holes or tunnels. This cake will keep its precious moisture and flavor /or days. UNEVEN BAKING POWDER ACTION This shows how a cake may be ruined by uneven baking powder action. The grain is coarse and crumbly—the texture spoiled by holes and tunnels. This cake will dry out, lose its flavor, and get stale more quickly. Remember then—the perfect combination for fine cakes is special cake flour and Royal, the special baking powder for cakes. THE SIMPLE CHEMISTRY AND COMPOSITION OF BAKING POWDER CLASSIFICATION it is important to keep the can tightly covered and to use only dry spoons Every baking powder which is manu- for measuring. factured and sold commercially is grouped as one of three types— TARTRATE BAKING POWDER 1. Tartrate Baking Powder 1. Royal Baking Powder is the out- 2. Phosphate Baking Powder standing powder in this class. It is so- called because it contains Cream of 3. Alum-Phosphate (or S.A.S.) Tartar, a natural fruit acid of grapes. Baking Powder Tartaric acid is also used to more perfectly continue the leavening proc- THE COMMON I N G R E D I E N T - S 0 D A ess. Since it is simply another form of Cream of Tartar and is also de- All three types of baking powder con- rived from grapes, it can be consid- tain one ingredient in common—bi- ered here as the same acid. Both of carbonate of soda (better known as these acid ingredients, Cream of Tar- "baking soda"). Within its small white tar and tartaric acid, act immediately crystals is contained all the leavening upon the soda as soon as liquid is gas which cannot be released until an added to a flour mixture containing acid ingredient (for example sour this baking powder. milk) is mixed with it. When this While still in the mixing bowl, gas occurs as in cake batter, thousands of is released in the batter. When the tiny bubbles are released. These bub- mixture is placed in a heated oven, bles contain carbon dioxide gas (CO2), more bubbles are formed at an even, the same gas that causes the spark- steady rate, and the gas gently ex- ling and bubbling in a glass of ginger panded by the heat. This steady action ale or soda water. in the oven comes from the Cream of Tartar, producing fine, even texture. THE ACID INGREDIENT Here is a simple picture showing how the Cream of Tartar in Royal Baking In manufacturing baking powder the Powder leavens flour mixtures— soda cannot be mixed with a liquid, so the "Acid Ingredient" must be in KHC.H.O, + NaHCO, + H.O the form of a dry fine powder. When Cream of Baking Soda Liquid in liquid such as milk or water is added Tartar Flour to a mixture containing flour and Mixture baking powder, this acid ingredient EQUALS releases the leavening gas from the soda, and minute gas bubbles are NaKC4H.O,+ C02 + 2H20 formed throughout the mixture. The A harmless Carbon Moisture, heat of the oven further assists in residue Dioxide Steam the even formation of these bubbles, (Rochelle (leavening thereby making a well-leavened, light, Salts) gas) even-textured loaf. This "Acid In- gredient" determines into which of OTHER BAKING POWDERS the three groups the baking powder 2. Phosphate Baking Powder uses will be classified. for its acid ingredient a form of phos- phate chosen for keeping quality and CORNSTARCH wholesomeness in producing baked foods. This is the ingredient generally used in baking powders to keep the grains 3- Alum-Phosphate (or S.A.S.)Bak- of soda and acid ingredient separate ing Powder contains a combination of and dry. Moisture in the air will cause acid phosphate and Sodium-Alumi- some of the leavening gas to be lost num-Sulphate from which the term in the can. This is the reason why S.A.S. baking powder is derived. INGREDIENTS CHART Cream of Tartar Baking Powder RIPE GRAPES are pressed and the juice allowed to stand for a long time. In this juice there are formed gradually, just as in sugar syrup, small crystals or . ARGOLS which retain the coloring matter of the grapes. The longer the juice stands the larger the crys- tals become. These argols are crude and unrefined when shipped to this country and from them . CREAM OF TARTAR CRYSTALS are produced by washing out all the coloring matter and recrystallizing. These pure white crystals are then ground to a powder giving us the . CREAM OF TARTAR which with tartaric acid, derived likewise from grapes, is used in the manufacture of cream of tartar baking powder. BAKING SODA or Bicarbonate of Soda, from which comes the carbon-dioxide gas, is used in all baking powders. CORNSTARCH is used in, practically all baking powders to keep the powder dry. ROYAL BAKING POWDER is composed of the following ingredi- ents:—Cream of Tartar, Tartaric Acid (the acid of grapes), Bicarbonate of Soda and Starch. INGREDIENTS IN GENERAL FLOUR. Unless otherwise specified, Confectioner's or XXXX Sugar or the flour indicated in Royal recipes Icing Sugar is used for uncooked means bread or all-purpose flour milled icings and fillings. It combines readily from Spring wheat. Bread flour con- with liquid, making a smooth, glossy tains more gluten and is best for icing. breads, rolls and biscuits. It is also Brown Sugar, the lighter and finer satisfactory fcr cakes.