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High-Altitude Baking
Appears in
By Bo Friberg
Published 2003
Because most recipes are developed for use at sea level (including those in The Advanced Professional Pastry Chef), when baking at higher altitudes, where the atmospheric pressure is much lower, you must make some adjustments to produce a satisfactory result. Although some experimental baking has to be done to convert a sea-level recipe to a particular local condition and altitude, certain manufacturers supply the rate of adjustment for some of their products.
At high altitudes, the lower air pressure causes water to boil at a lower temperature. Thus, more evaporation takes place while a cake is baking, because the liquid begins to boil sooner. This results in insufficient moisture to fully gelatinize the starch, which weakens the structure. The lower air pressure also causes the batter to rise higher; however, it later collapses due to the lack of stabilizing starches.