baking powder

Save This Word!

noun

any of various powders used as a substitute for yeast in baking, composed of sodium bicarbonate mixed with an acid substance, as cream of tartar, capable of setting carbon dioxide free when the mixture is moistened, causing the dough to rise.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of baking powder

First recorded in 1840–50

Words nearby baking powder

Bakewell tart, bakgat, Bakhtaran, Bakhtin, baking, baking powder, baking sheet, baking soda, Bakke decision, bakkie, baklava

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use baking powder in a sentence

Self-rising flour is a lower-protein all-purpose flour mixed with baking powder and salt.
How to make your own self-rising flour at home|Olga Massov|July 23, 2021|Washington Post
Add the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda, then mix well.
How to Eat Delmarvelously|jversteegh|July 8, 2021|Outside Online
Mix the sugar, eggs, salt, baking powder, flour, and milk, and add this to the cooled cornmeal mixture.
How to Eat Delmarvelously|jversteegh|July 8, 2021|Outside Online
A little baking powder could help your less-than-flaky crust.
America forgot how to make proper pie. Can we remember before it’s too late?|Megan McArdle|July 1, 2021|Washington Post

Before chemical leavening became common with the invention of commercial baking powders in the mid-19th century, cooks had two main ways ways to make a light cake rise.
America forgot how to make proper pie. Can we remember before it’s too late?|Megan McArdle|July 1, 2021|Washington Post
Divide batter into prepared ramekins, place ramekins on a baking sheet, and bake about 20 minutes.
Make ‘The Chew’s’ Carla Hall’s Sticky Toffee Pudding|Carla Hall|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Place the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt on parchment or wax paper.
Make ‘The Chew’s’ Carla Hall’s Sticky Toffee Pudding|Carla Hall|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cover crust with parchment paper and pour in baking beans or weights.
Make ‘The Chew’s’ Carla Hall’s Pumpkin Pecan Pie|Carla Hall|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Other versions are coated in marzipan, or dusted in powder sugar.
One Cake to Rule Them All: How Stollen Stole Our Hearts|Molly Hannon|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The tradition of baking of Stollen is probably the strongest in Dresden, Germany.
One Cake to Rule Them All: How Stollen Stole Our Hearts|Molly Hannon|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The law went into operation in England imposing a tax on wearing hair powder.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
The girl began to hum, as she powdered her nose with a white glove, lying in a powder box.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
Steam machinery would accomplish more than nine-tenths of all the work, besides saving the expense of all the powder.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
When first seen it is said to have had a pasty consistency, but on exposure to the air it dried and crumbled into powder.
Asbestos|Robert H. Jones
The poorest people reduce it to powder by manual labour, in the same way as they grind corn preparatory to baking it into cakes.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick

British Dictionary definitions for baking powder

baking powder

noun

any of various powdered mixtures that contain sodium bicarbonate, starch (usually flour), and one or more slightly acidic compounds, such as cream of tartar: used in baking as a substitute for yeast

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for baking powder

baking powder

[ bā′kĭng ]

A mixture of baking soda, a nonreactive filler (such as starch), and at least one slightly acidic compound (such as cream of tartar). Baking powder works as a leavening agent in baking by releasing carbon dioxide when mixed with a liquid, such as milk or water.