Weird recipe question

HardcoreP0rk

It seems like I have a weird reaction to quick breads. It's odd and difficult to describe. Kind of like an irritation in my esophagus and this heavy / bloated feeling when I eat it. I feel like I might be reacting to certain amounts of chemical leaveners - though smaller quantities dont seem to bother me.

Anyone know anything about these sensitivities? Have any suggestions for substitutions for baking soda, baking powder or the combo of the too? I have a feeling altering the leaveners would require a major recipe overhaul...

annacole94

Do you have a similar reaction to regular yeast breads?
Switch over to sourdough everything. It's fun. Plus I find my homemade breads last longer, as the acidity discourages mold.

mir1104

How about the gums? I mean guard gum, xanthan gum...and the others that are often added into these mixes? I know some of them can cause a reaction.

HardcoreP0rk

annacole94 wrote: »

Do you have a similar reaction to regular yeast breads?
Switch over to sourdough everything. It's fun. Plus I find my homemade breads last longer, as the acidity discourages mold.

I don't. But there are some really fun quickbreads (mainly corn bread variations) that I enjoy. I don't get this reaction from all recipes, but it seems like this one called for a LOT of chemical leaveners.

HardcoreP0rk

mir1104 wrote: »

How about the gums? I mean guard gum, xanthan gum...and the others that are often added into these mixes? I know some of them can cause a reaction.

No, I'm not using any boxed mixes. When I say "quick breads" I'm talking simply about no-knead recipes that don't require yeast.

bwogilvie

I've never heard of this reaction. Have you tried substituting baking soda plus cream of tartar for the baking powder?

Cat3141

I'm not aware of any other methods of chemical leavening that are commonly available. I've seen really old recipes that call for other agents, but getting them would likely be difficult, and they may not even be safe themselves. You could try recipes that rely on mechanical leavening, but that will most likely involve whipping a lot of egg whites or some sort of substitute thereof (e.g. aquafaba). You might try aluminum free baking power (just a random suggestion, since it exists and is widely available). You might also just stick to quickbreads that have relatively lower amounts of leaveners in them.

Edited to add: If you go the mechanical leavening route, I would recommend finding recipes that use this method, rather than trying to adapt the recipes you have to use this method.

HardcoreP0rk

bwogilvie wrote: »

I've never heard of this reaction. Have you tried substituting baking soda plus cream of tartar for the baking powder?

bwogilvie wrote: »

I've never heard of this reaction. Have you tried substituting baking soda plus cream of tartar for the baking powder?

I'm not sure that will help since baking powder IS baking soda and cream of tartar with a little starch added for preventing clumping.

I think it was just the sheer amount of chemical leaveners required for this recipe. Maybe I should stick with less dense quick breads that don't require as much or maybe just experiment with reducing them. The denser texture might be fine with me. Certainly possible that it's preferable to this awful feeling I've got.

ElizabethHanrahan

Can you show the recipe? No way to know how much is too much if you don't. Also, is it JUST cornbread? It might be the corn meal you are using if that is so.