A few weeks after moving to Denver, I prepared my ever-yummy Applesauce Banana Bread to share with my new roommates. I had prepared this recipe dozens of times before and it was always a success with anyone who tried it, so you could imagine my shock when I opened the oven and found someone else’s banana bread inside it.
That’s right, someone had apparently swiped my perfectly formed loaf of Applesauce Banana Bread with a huge brown brick of a loaf that was so heavy and dense, it would have broken my toe if I had dropped it. Where was MY Applesauce Banana Bread, which was known for its perfectly glazed golden crust and its slightly gooey goodness? I just stood there in the kitchen, bewildered. Why hadn’t the dogs gone wild when this intruder waltzed in to the kitchen and swiped my loaf? Some watchdogs–there wasn’t a drop of blood on the floor. Oh, no–it must have been someone the dogs knew …
Then it hit me.
Of course! I was cooking at 5,280 feet, definitely considered high altitude, and I hadn’t made a single adjustment to my usual recipe. Drrgh!
Don’t make the same mistake I made. As a rule, most standard recipes need to be adjusted for elevations 3,000 feet and higher. Why? Because water and other liquids evaporate faster and boil at lower temperatures, and leavening gases in baked goods expand more … hence the big brown brick of a loaf.
At sea level, water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. For every 500 degree increase in elevation, the boiling point is lowered about 1 degree. So up here in Denver, water boils at 201 degrees. So while you can throw your pasta in the water sooner, you will have to cook it longer since the water doesn’t get as hot. Keep this in mind when cooking anything that requires boiling or simmering at higher elevations. Your food will turn out just as tasty as it did at the beach–you’ll just spent a bit more time slaving over that hot stove ; )
Now let’s talk about baking. For you Betty Crockers out there, here’s what you need to know:
Like I said before, leavening gases expand more up in the mountains. That means that you will need to reduce baking powder and baking soda by 1/8 teaspoon per teaspoon called for in the recipe. Yeast, for reasons unknown to me, isn’t as problematic. Unless your experience proves otherwise, just use the same amount of yeast as usual.
As for sugar, something about the air pressure apparently concentrates it and can even change its texture. So reduce it by 1 tablespoon per cup required at 3,000 feet–more for higher altitudes. And hey, if you want to cut back even more, go for it. Don’t most recipes have too much refined sugar in them anyways? Even back in North Carolina, I would sometimes just cut half of the sugar out of the recipe automatically and no one ever complained.
Because liquid evaporates quicker at high altitudes, you will need to increase all liquids in your recipe 1 to 2 tablespoons at 3,000 feet–more for higher altitudes. The accelerated evaporation rate also means that your food, like, your skin if you haven’t already noticed, dries out faster here. So cover it up! … the food, I mean. (And moisture your skin regularly and liberally.)
Legend has it that the pioneers who settled the Rockies used to solve their high altitude baking dilemmas by simply adding an extra egg to a recipe. You can try that, but I recommend tossing in the extra egg as well as making the other adjustments we are discussing here.
Fats can be problematic here, and not just because they pack on the pounds, which slows down your running times and makes that quick little hike not so fun. No, they just act weird in high elevation baking, resulting in uneven distribution throughout your product as they tend to glop up when heated. Again, don’t ask me why. Try using 2 to 4 less tablespoons for breads, and keep in mind that butter generally yields better results than margarines.
As for flour, you really don’t (in my experience) need to make adjustments if you adjust the amount of liquids in your recipe. However, if your recipe does not have a lot of liquids in it, try increasing the amount you use by 1 to 4 tablespoons for every cup called for in the recipe at 5,000 feet. Also, and this is important, avoid self-rising flour if at all possible. Just trust me on this one.
And one more thing: baking pans. Because your lovely culinary creations will rise faster and higher than you could have imagined, you should consider either using larger pans for your recipe or using less batter per pan. So if you typically fill your baking pans two-thirds full, fill them half full instead.
I know firsthand that all these adjustments can be a lot to take in at first. After a few trial runs, though, you’ll be making the adjustments like you were born in the Rockies and never left. And when you go to the beach to vacation, you’ll forget where you are and STILL make the adjustments! heh heh … Anyways, to ease your growing pains a bit, I have a present for you. Read on.
It’s a handy little baking guide I’ve whipped up with all the adjustments you need to make to your recipes at 3,000, 5,000, and 7,000 feet. You can post it on your fridge or slip inside your recipe book.
Download cookingintheclouds.doc
Also, if you have any great high altitude recipes of your own, email them to me at the same address and I’ll post your recipes for all to enjoy here at Mile High Kitchen.
Happy baking, and good luck, ya’ll!
