Do you bake bread? Advice for high altitude baking (Albuquerque: live, oven) - New Mexico (NM) - City-Data Forum

Hunter Wold · 10-03-2010, 06:14 PM

We are at about 7000' and I have this urge to start baking bread, cinnamon rolls, sour dough etc.

What can you say about hints for baking at 7000'.

I am going to use King Arthurs flour and Red star yeast

Thanks in advance.

HW

CAVA1990 · 10-03-2010, 06:50 PM

Use less of the yeast than you would closer to sea level. King Arthur's website has information on the correct proportions by altitude and other info on it here:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recip...de-baking.html

jiminnm · 10-03-2010, 10:12 PM

Check the King Arthur web site from time to time for their traveling baking demos. They did one in ABQ 3-4 years ago and one in Colo Springs 7-8 years ago. We went to both and they were informative and entertaining, and discussed high altitude baking in some detail (as stated on their web site).

karmathecat · 10-04-2010, 05:45 AM

My mom ( great cook including breads ) recommends this:

Amazon.com: Pie in the Sky Successful Baking at High Altitudes: 100 Cakes, Pies, Cookies, Breads, and Pastries Home-tested for Baking at Sea Level, 3,000, 5,000, 7,000, and 10,000 feet (and Anywhere in Between). (9780060522582): Susan G. Purdy: Books

Phawk57 · 10-04-2010, 06:17 AM

I had no idea that you had to change things for altitude. Thanks for the info CAVA.

HerpsofNM · 10-04-2010, 10:44 AM

Huh!?...

Having lived in Alamogordo (~4300 ft), Las Cruces (~3300 ft), and now Albuquerque (5606 ft at my front door [GPS'd it]) I, nor my fiancé have adjusted ingredients for elevation. My fiancé's from Los Alamos and I don't think her or her mom ever adjusted for elevation there either. I'm more the cook though and not so much the baker, whereas my fiancé is much more the baker. We've never had, to my knowledge, problems with making breads, pastries, cakes, or cookies.

Cathy4017 · 10-04-2010, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HerpsofNM

Huh!?...

Having lived in Alamogordo (~4300 ft), Las Cruces (~3300 ft), and now Albuquerque (5606 ft at my front door [GPS'd it]) I, nor my fiancé have adjusted ingredients for elevation. My fiancé's from Los Alamos and I don't think her or her mom ever adjusted for elevation there either. I'm more the cook though and not so much the baker, whereas my fiancé is much more the baker. We've never had, to my knowledge, problems with making breads, pastries, cakes, or cookies.

Consider yourself lucky. Even though I came from 2800-3000 feet to 43-4500 ft Alamogordo, I've had to make adjustments for biscuits and breads, both oven and bread machine! That's not even that much difference, but boy.....

I though I was going nuts when I looked in the oven at my usual biscuits (scratch)....and they would NOT brown. I ended up using seasoned cast iron a lot more, longer baking times and higher temperatures.

For breads, I've had to adjust liquid, yeast, eggs, flour, baking powder, etc. depending on the recipe.

It has really been hit or miss (mess???) for sure.

songinthewind7 · 10-07-2010, 08:54 AM

Google 'THe Muffin Lady'
She has some good ideas and recipes.

JDTH · 10-07-2010, 02:04 PM

Following is a link for instructions on high altitude cooking and baking.

The Cooking Inn : High Altitude Cooking

It is by the "Muffin Lady".

Song it is good to see you back on CD. I hope you are doing alright.

songinthewind7 · 10-07-2010, 02:51 PM

Thanks JDTH. I'm doing great. Heading to Missouri in a couple of weeks. Seems like I've been 'imprisoned' for the past several months with surgery and then chemo but now I'm cancer free and I'm doing the happy dance on that.

Time for some different scenery for a week or so and see some of my family members.

I'm so used to high altitude cooking now, it would feel strange if I didn't do it.

Cathy, are you giving out biscuit recipes? I haven't made biscuits from scratch in ages. Can't find a good recipe.