High Altitude Baking Tips

Here are some baking tips from the Salt Lake Tribune

To prevent your cake from rising up too high and then exploding and falling.
There is a cookbook just for it - Pie in the Sky:Successful Baking at High Altitude by Susan Purdy.
Here are some of her hints:

Cakes:
These are the most challenging to make at high altitudes, here there is less air pressure. Less pressure means cakes will rise higher - and fall quicker. One of the best things to do is strengthen the batter using one of several ways: reducing the sugar or other sweetener; adding a whole egg or an extra yolk; adding and additional Tbsp or two of flour or other starch; or decreasing the amount of leavening by 1/8-1/4 tsp.

Cookies:
Cookies are not affected by altitude as much as cakes, but the batter can spread too much at certain elevations making these treats thin, tough and crisp. Purdy suggests raising the oven temp15-25 degrees and cutting the baking time if spreading occurs. Cooks can also add a little flour or reduce the sugar to slow the spread. Another option is to reduce the leavening.

Muffins:
For best results fill muffins full instead of 2/3 full. Above 3,000 feet you might need to increase temp and cooking time slightly but do not overbake and make them too dry.

Other Quick Breads:
As altitude increases, baking power or soda should be reduced slighlty. To compensate for dryness that comes at high altitudes, add extra liquid. Using buttermilk or yogurt not only adds flavor and moisture it adds a bit of acidity wyich can help the batter set up more quickly and prevent sunken centers.

Yeast Breads:
With less air pressure pushing down, rising can get a little too enthusiastic, affecting texture and flavor.The remedy is to punch down the dough more often, at least 3 times, and avoid instant yeast which only exacerbates the problem. Refrigerating the dough overnight also helps slow the rising. As elevation rises decrease the amount of sugar in the recipe as it can contribute to the collapse.  Add more salt to improve flavor and slow the growth of yeast.

Egg Whites:
Many recipes call for betaing egg whites until stiff peaks form But Purdy found this to be detrimental at elevations higher than 2,500 feet. She says to stop beating when the whites have soft droopy peaks, when there is still room in the air cells to expand. If whites are beaten to stiff peaks, the air cells have no more room to expand and the cake will collapse when it cools.

Candies:
Altitude adjustments are absolutely necessary when making toffee, peanut brittle and caramels. At sea level, liquid boils at 212 degrees, but it boils at a lower temp the higher the altitude. Test your candy thermometers to determine at what temp liquid boild and adjust the recipe accordingly.

Other tips:
*All-purpose flour is oftenbetter than cake flour because it has a slightly higher protein content.
*Increase salt, extracts  or other flavoring agents, expecially over 7,000 feet, where flavors and aromas are less sharp.
*Have all of the ingredients at room temp before mixing so they blend smoothly
*Most mountain locations have extra-dry air that sucks moisture from baked goods. Cakes and cookies should be stored in airtight containers or covered with plastic as soon as they cool.
*Reducing the sugar by 2 Tbsp for every 1 C called for can help strengthen a cookie or cake batter.
*At elevations higher than 2,500 feet, do not beat egg whites to stiff peaks.
*Avoid quick or rapid-rise yeast. It can make dough rise too quickly affecting flaovr and texture.
*In quick breads use buttermilk or yogut, which can add flavor, moisture and a bit of acidity, which can add can help the batter set up more quickly and prevent sunken centers.