Americans love a fluffy stack of pancakes, whether it’s Sunday brunch at home or a quick stop at the diner. But if you’re tempted to sprinkle baking soda into your store-bought or homemade pancake mix, think again. Here’s why that extra scoop could be ruining your breakfast.
1. It Throws Off the Flavor
Overly Bitter or Soapy Taste
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a strong alkaline. If your pancake mix isn’t formulated with enough acidity (like buttermilk or lemon juice) to balance it out, you’ll end up with a bitter or almost soapy taste.
Masked Sweetness
Most American pancake mixes are mildly sweet. Adding extra baking soda can override that subtle sweetness, giving your pancakes an off-putting aftertaste instead of a light, fluffy flavor.
2. It Can Mess Up the Texture
Excess Air Bubbles
Pancake mixes already include the right amount of leavening, often baking powder. Adding baking soda on top of this can create too many air bubbles, leading to a strange, uneven crumb or even deflated pancakes once they cool.
Rubbery Consistency
When there’s too much leavening, the structure of the pancake can collapse. You might find your pancakes turning tough or rubbery, far from the melt-in-your-mouth texture you expect.
3. Pancake Mix Is Already Balanced
No Need for More Alkaline
Commercial pancake mixes are designed with specific ratios of flour, sugar, and leaveners. Baking soda is usually paired with an acid (like cream of tartar) to create the bubbles for lift. Throwing in extra soda upsets that delicate balance.
Perfectly Fine as Is
The joy of ready-to-use pancake mix is convenience and reliability. By following the package instructions, you’re already set to get a golden, fluffy result. Tweaking the recipe can do more harm than good.
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