This is not the time of year for holding back. If I'm making a batch of cookies, I'm going to double it so I have enough to send to Mom, take to a weekend potluck, and still have some leftover for my own cookie cravings. If you're of the same mind, check out these handy tips for doubling our favorite recipes.
• Cakes, Muffins, and Other Quick Breads: These baked goods are the main offenders when it comes to unsuccessful doubling. And the culprit is usually the baking soda and baking powder. You can double all the other ingredients, but re-calculate the baking soda and baking powder based on this ratio:
→ 1 - 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder per cup of all-purpose flour
OR
→ 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per cup of all-purpose flour
When both baking powder and soda are called for in a recipe, it's usually because there is an acidic ingredient in the the recipe. Some of the baking soda or powder goes toward neutralizing the acidity, so you need a little extra to make sure your cake or muffin still rises. If your recipe contains an acidic ingredient like yogurt or buttermilk, include an extra 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda per cup of an acidic ingredient.
• Cookies and Bars: These recipes can usually be doubled without much problem. If you're aiming for puffy, cake-like cookies, keep an eye on the baking soda and baking powder ratios as described above. I'd also suggest refrigerating the cookie dough between batches so the dough doesn't become too soft in the hot kitchen; this can cause cookies to spread more than usual while baking.
• Breads and Rolls: Yeast is a much more forgiving ingredient than baking soda and baking powder! Yeast-risen breads and rolls can be doubled without needing to adjust any of the quantities. If you're tripling or quadrupling, however, I'd recommend weighing your ingredients rather than measuring them by volume to make sure the ratios stay consistent.
If you're going the other way and looking to cut these recipes in half, the same general principles apply. Check the ratios of baking powder and soda, but halving the other ingredients should give you great results.
What tips do you have for doubling recipes for baked goods?
Related: Bake Now, Serve Later: 8 Tips for Freezing Holiday Desserts
(Image: Chewy Molasses Cookies/Faith Durand)
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Interesting. I haven't had a problem with doubling quick breads or pancakes or other chemically-leavened foods. My pancake recipe is currently quadrupled, actually, to meet the appetites of my growing boys. Maybe the recipe was heavy on baking powder and baking soda in the first place?
I do, however, reduce the amount of yeast I use when doubling yeasted goods. Reducing the yeast a bit (I usually knock off a teaspoon or so when doubling the recipe) slows down the rise and gives me more time to shape the dough after the first rise. This is really helpful for rolls and bagels, especially.
I am definitely printing and saving this post! Thank you for posting!!! Ironically, I just posted a comment on another post about how I don't understand why doubling a recipe doesn't always work!! Thanks for enlightening me! ;-)
I don't understand why you're saying that we need to re-calculate the amount of baking powder &/or soda in a recipe. If the original recipe was written with the proper ratio of leavening agent to flour, and accounts for any acidity in the batter, then that ratio would hold even when everything is doubled. I don't see any reason to do any calculations other than multiplying everything by 2.
Maybe it is to account for rounding approximations that would be compounded by doubling or tripling? That said, I have been puzzling over this too, because I have never had any issues whatsoever, and I frequently double cookies, muffins, biscuits, etc either to give some away or freeze for later.