leavening agent


leavening agent

A substance (e.g., baking powder or yeast) which is incorporated in dough and batter and creates a gaseous foam (most commonly CO2) through either a chemical or biological reaction, causing baked products to rise and, because of the products’ protein (e.g., gluten) and polysaccharide (e.g., pentosan or xanthan gum) content, sets in the risen state.