How to multiply baking recipes
Dear Lynne,
Is there a general rule of thumb for increasing the volume of baking recipes with baking powder or soda? If I do six times a recipe, do I increase the leavening according to the math, or should I stop after a certain point?
–Louisa in Portland
Dear Louisa,
As long as the larger recipe is going into a baking pan that keeps the food at the same thickness as the original, multiply everything by the same amount.
The essential rule of thumb for multiplying baking recipes is:
1. Get a scale with a range from 1/8 ounce to 4 or 5 pounds. (This is the most essential piece of equipment for a professional baker and it should be for us, too.)
2. Do a single recipe the way you always do, but once you’ve measured an ingredient as usual, weigh it.
3. Multiply by those weights, not by bulk measure (meaning not by cups, but by ounces). You can generally figure that 1 cup flour (4 to 5 ounces) needs no more than 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and/or 1 teaspoon baking powder.
-Lynne
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