Chemical Leavening

North American predilection for speed and innovation spurred the nineteenth-century adoption of chemical leavenings in common baking and so laid the groundwork for prepackaged mixes. A flurry of experimentation through the 1800s with combinations of chemicals known to work as leavening agents resulted in the most common and popular modern types. Along the way, there was much controversy and confusion about the dangers of using the agents and charges and countercharges of ingredient adulteration.