Baking at higher altitudesUpdated 2 years ago

Tips for High Altitude Baking When Using Bread Machines

As with any adjustments to a recipe, make small changes and document it.  View the results and make more adjustments as needed.

• Decrease yeast – at 4,800 feet I’m using about 25% less yeast that I did at sea level
• Increase liquid by 1 to 2 Tablespoons
• Decrease sweetener by 1/2 teaspoon
• Increase the salt slightly
• If the recipe calls for the medium crust setting, try the light crust setting

Why Does Altitude Affect Baking?

Before diving in to all the great tips to help you bake at higher altitudes, you may be wondering why altitude affects baking at all. Why does making a cake change when you are at a higher altitude and why do you need to follow special rules just because of elevation?

The main reason is the air pressure. As you climb in altitude, the air pressure falls and this low air pressure can have a significant effect on your baking.

Lower air pressure causes baked goods to rise more easily. Leavening occurs much faster when you are at a higher elevation and the gas bubbles in your breads will expand much faster.

When the dough expands too quickly, it can cause irregular and very large pockets of air inside your baked good.

This can mean a very large, airy loaf of bread that rises to high and too fast, making it have a coarse crumbly texture. If the air expands too much, your dough may even “explode” as the air bubbles expand, pop and cause your baked goods to collapse.

The other way in which lower air pressure affects baked goods is by causing them to dry out quickly. You may already know that water boils at a lower temperature at higher altitudes.

This means that liquids evaporate faster and your baked goods will lose moisture quickly. This can have several effects on your baking.

It can cause your breads to be dry and crumbly or it can cause them to be very sticky as the sugar inside the dough becomes more concentrated as the water evaporates.