High Altitude Baking

I am sure many of you bakers living at higher altitude have a disaster story to share. Most of the times I hear about cookies, that are as flat as the baking sheet itself or cakes that puff up while baking and then deflate and end up like the biggest mess you have ever seen, almost like a volcano explosion.

Here is a picture of a cake that failed.  Baked at our house.

Here are a few adjustments that worked for me and I would like to share with you.

* decrease sugar, 1-3 tablespoons per cup of sugar
* decrease baking powder or baking soda by 15% to 25 %.
* increase liquid; add another egg or 3-4 tablespoons of water per cup of flour
* beat egg whites only to a very soft peak consistency
* raise your oven temperature 20 to 25 degrees
* decrease baking time
* use room temperature ingredients
* I bake with unsalted butter
* buy yourself a baking scale for accurate measurements (this is mine)

I hope this helps. Often sea level recipes work without any adjustments. It just depends. Check out King Arthur Flour’s great info here.

Good luck and Happy Baking!