Leavening refers to the gases that are trapped in a baked good during baking. There are numerous ways baked goods are leavened. Whatever method is utilized, leavening is an extremely important part of baking.
There are three main categories of leavening utilized in baking:
- Chemical leavening (baking powder and baking soda)
- Biological leavening (yeast)
- Physical leavening (air and steam)