The Secrets to Successful High-Altitude Baking

High-altitude baking can be full of unpleasant surprises: cakes that look like they’re rising beautifully suddenly collapse; cookies meant to be chewy and rich end up dry and flavorless. But there is one easy solution, according to cookbook authors Nicole Hampton and Mimi Council: Start with a recipe developed—and tested—at high elevation.

Along with Kimmy Fasani, Council is the coauthor of The Mountain Baker and co-owner of Dessert’D Organic Bake Shop in Mammoth Lakes, California (elevation 8,000 feet); Hampton wrote Sugar High: Sweet and Savory Baking in Your High-Altitude Kitchen and the forthcoming High-Altitude Breakfast, and lives in Denver, Colorado (elevation 5,000 feet). I sat down for a Zoom chat with the two of them recently to talk about how home bakers can adjust sea-level baking recipes for success at high altitudes. Their take: You’ll probably have better luck finding a great recipe developed for baking at altitude than trying to adapt one not meant for it on your own.

Nicole Hampton

Sugar High: Sweet & Savory Baking in Your High-Altitude Kitchen by Nicole Hampton

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The Mountain Baker: 100 High-Altitude Recipes for Every Occasion by Mimi Council and Kimmy Fasani

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You should know that you’re not alone in your frustration. Council grew up at sea level and has tried adapting some old family recipes—as well as recipes she developed herself—for her home in the mountains. “There are times,” she says, “when I try to re-create them in Mammoth and it’s like, I can't get it right! There's something about this recipe that is not translating, no matter what I do. And I just end up throwing it away and starting from scratch.” Still, if you're determined to take your great-great grandmother’s coconut cake recipe to that vacation cabin in the sky, these two pros do have a few tips to guide you toward making your high-elevation bakes the best they can be.

There is science to explain why cakes, cookies, pies, and more bake differently at 3,000 or 7,000 or 12,000 feet than they do at sea level (and we’ll get into that science a bit down below). But that doesn’t mean there’s a catch-all solution to ensure perfect baked goods every time you find yourself holding a sea-level recipe at the top of a mountain. There are some rules of thumb, though—guidelines to follow if you want to try adapting your own favorite recipes. But before we get into those, it helps to know how specific ingredients behave differently at high altitudes. What follows is a list created by Susan G. Purdy, whose high-altitude baking book, Pie in the Sky, has long been considered a must-have for high elevation bakers.

How altitude affects common baking ingredients

Liquids: Because liquid evaporates more quickly at altitude—and mountain air can dry out flour—adding more liquid (two to four tablespoons, depending on the elevation) to a recipe is often very helpful.

Flour: Increasing the amount of flour (one to four tablespoons, depending on the elevation) in recipes can improve the structural strength of a batter. However, flour's protein content is the most important factor governing liquid-to-flour ratios: Bread flour absorbs more liquid than all-purpose flour, which in turn absorbs more than cake or pastry flour. Using whole wheat flour or another whole grain flour presents a whole new set of considerations. At high altitude, all-purpose flour is preferred over cake or pastry flour because it is stronger, has more protein, and helps baked goods maintain their shape as they cool.

Leavening: Because of the rapid expansion of leavening gases, you usually need to decrease the amount of baking powder or baking soda as elevation increases (decrease each teaspoon of leavening by ⅛ to ⅔ teaspoon, depending on altitude). Whipped whole eggs are sometimes used as a leavening agent; they should be slightly under-whipped at high altitude. Whipped egg whites, too, are often used as leavening. A sea-level recipe may call for whites whipped to stiff peaks (air cells are fully expanded), but above 3,000 feet elevation egg whites must be whipped only until they form soft peaks, leaving room in the air cells so they can expand while baking and remain stable when cool.

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Eggs: Eggs increase liquid as well as fat and protein in baked goods. Occasionally, you can adjust a sea-level cake recipe for altitude simply by adding one more large egg. The egg white contributes strength and the yolk contains a natural emulsifier that allows batter to hold extra sugar without weakening the overall structure. Yolks also contribute richness and tenderness, which can counteract the drying effects of baking at altitude.

Fats: Fat weakens the gluten in flour and thereby creates tender baked products; this is good at sea level, but at high altitude, when fats are concentrated because of moisture loss, excess fat can weaken cell structure too much. In very rich cakes and some cookies, you need to decrease fat by a tablespoon or two to maintain structural strength.

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Sugar: Sugar also weakens the gluten in flour. Excess sugar (or other sweetener) can weaken a cake's structure and hasten its collapse. The fix: In many recipes, reduce the amount of sugar by one to four tablespoons as altitude increases.

Acidity: Acidic batters tend to set more quickly than others. In addition, acidic ingredients hold moisture in batter when reacting with baking soda. Therefore, at high altitude, most recipes for baked goods are improved by substituting buttermilk, sour milk, yogurt, or sour cream (all high in acidity) for regular (whole or low-fat) milk (which is lower in acidity). —Susan G. Purdy

Quick baking tips for high-elevation cooks

Because moisture evaporates so quickly at high elevations, the first thing you’ll want to do is make sure you’re prepared for what happens after your bakes come out of the oven. Baked goods meant to be soft and chewy, like chocolate chip cookies—even if they’re properly baked—will dry out if left on an open plate on the counter. Council says that a glass dome placed over a cake, cupcakes, or cookies is usually enough to retain the proper texture. You could also pack cookies into a cookie jar (with a heavy lid) or, better yet, go air-tight with a resealable silicone bag.

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If you’re open to different baking ideas, consider categories of baked goods that don’t pose as many problems. Carrot cake, which often starts with a high-moisture cake batter, is one example. Council still makes the carrot cake she developed years ago at sea level and says she hasn’t changed it a lick for baking at 8,000 feet. Biscotti is another ideal mountain baking recipe since it’s supposed to come out crunchy.

Brownies: not as easy. But, as Hampton—who grew up in Colorado, but began baking as a student in Boston—points out, and most bakers know all too well, there are some recipes (like brownies) that are just difficult to get right no matter where you are. “You can go the fudgy route or the chewy route or the cakey route,” she notes, “and making adjustments to get that unique texture right isn’t always about the elevation.”

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Still, bringing a sea-level recipe to high-elevation does add on another point of consideration. As you go higher and higher, Hampton says, you may find that to reach fudgy brownie bliss, your batter needs an extra egg. Sometimes, it’ll require a little more flour. Sometimes you just need to pull the baking pan from the oven sooner. One thing is for certain, though: Because flavors have a tendency to be dulled at high altitudes, using really robust ingredients is important. Hampton always opts for Dutch process cocoa powder at high elevations, whether she’s making brownies, chocolate cakes, or cookies. It has a deeper, darker flavor than naturally processed cocoa.

Hampton also says that you can push the flavor of baked goods further by increasing the vanilla extract (or adding some if there’s none and the flavor will fit in with the rest of the recipe), increasing or diversifying spices, or enhancing something like a chocolate cake with espresso powder. Don’t fiddle too much with the sugar, though: “When you increase sugar,” she notes, “it can change the texture of a baked good. Particularly with cookies, that can have a huge effect on how they spread.”

Developing a great recipe for high-elevation pound cake was a sticking point for Council. “It has to be dense and sweet enough and brown enough,” she says, and finding that balance in a cake that didn’t sink—and that hit all the nostalgia points she loved about her aunt’s classic version—proved to be a bit of a struggle. Today she has several go-to high-elevation pound cake recipes, including an almond-scented poppy seed number that she tops with a thick layer of whipped chocolate frosting.

You might notice that Council’s pound cake recipe doesn’t contain any chemical leaveners (neither baking soda nor baking powder). That's relatively common among pound cakes, but here it serves an added purpose: Cakes and cookies rise faster at higher altitudes, sometimes reaching their peak before they’re fully baked, which then causes them to collapse. So as you ascend, you might want to decrease the leavener in whatever cake or cookie recipe you’re carrying with you. From 3,000 to about 6,000 feet, Hampton suggests you “decrease the leavener by 25%–at 7,000 to 8,000 feet you might decrease by 30%. Higher than that, you might have to make some more drastic changes.”

Nuts and other mix-ins have a tendency to sink into cakes, quick breads, and other baked goods, too. Council’s best trick for making any recipe with a streusel or crumb coating, such as coffee cake? Hold onto the topping until halfway through the cooking time, and then quickly sprinkle over the half-baked batter before finishing.

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About that cooking time: In general, Council says “most things will bake more quickly at altitude than they will at sea level.” The main exception here is fruit pies. Because the boiling point of water is lower at high elevation, the liquid doesn’t get as hot. Said another way, at sea level, water boils at 212°F. At 8,000 feet, water boils at 197°F. That means, as long as there is moisture in your mountain-made pie, the interior temperature will never go higher than 197°F. Therefore, the fruit inside the pie cooks more slowly. (Need to speed things up? Council says metal pie pans are the way to go as opposed to ceramic or glass.)

Hampton points out that bread recipes can also be finicky wherever you’re baking. At elevation, it’s especially important to pay attention to the rising time of your loaves. Lower air pressure means that yeast doughs and sourdoughs both have a tendency to rise more quickly at high elevations than at sea level. If you’re in a hurry, that’s great news, but if you are trying to develop more flavor in your breads, you may want to let your dough do all its rising in the fridge.

No matter what you’re baking, both writers agree that high elevation bakers should use visual cues, not a recipe’s suggested baking time, as their primary guide. Try not to mess with the suggested temperature, though. “When you start adjusting temperature,” says Hampton, “it changes the recipe and brings in other complications: you’ll see too much browning too quickly, for example.”

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Why does changing elevation affect baking?

Wherever you cook or bake, results depend on many factors, including food chemistry, atmospheric pressure, climate, and elevation. The higher you climb, the thinner the air and therefore, the lower the atmospheric pressure. Beginning 2,500 feet above sea level, altitude starts to affect all cooking, but especially baking, in three significant ways:

1. The higher the elevation, the lower the boiling point of water (212°F at sea level, 206.7°F at 3,000 feet, 203.2°F at 5,000 feet, 199°F at 7,000 feet, 194.7°F at 10,000 feet). When water boils at lower temperatures, it takes longer for foods to cook in or over water.

2. The higher the elevation, the faster the evaporation. When moisture evaporates quickly:

• The ratio of liquid to solid changes, potentially weakening the overall structure of whatever you're baking.
• Flavors tend to be less pronounced because there are fewer moisture molecules to carry aroma to the nose.
• Baked goods dry out and go stale at an accelerated rate.

3. The higher the elevation, the faster leavening gases (air, carbon dioxide, and water vapor) expand. When leavening gases expand quickly:

• Cakes may rise too far too fast—and will sink in the center or collapse when cooling.
• Stiffly beaten egg whites expand quickly until they literally pop during baking, causing a cake to collapse as it cools.
• Yeast breads can easily over-proof (rise too much).–Susan G. Purdy

How to adjust a sea level baking recipe for for high altitude

When using a recipe developed at sea level at or above 2,500 feet in elevation, adjustments are required for optimal results. Baking above sea level can be tricky because one set of adjustments does not fit all situations; each recipe, altitude, and set of atmospheric conditions is unique. However, different kinds of baked goods do tend to follow certain patterns. Below are general guidelines for baking cakes, pies, cookies, muffins, quick breads, and yeast breads at high altitude.

Cakes: The delicate formulas that make cakes rise and maintain texture are strongly affected by changes in elevation. Some rising problems crop up between 2,500 and 3,000 feet; above 5,000 feet, cakes typically rise during baking, but may fall or cave in; or they may have a heavy, coarse crumb. Batter may be strengthened by reducing sugar, or adding eggs, egg yolks, or slightly more flour. Acidity helps batter set quickly in the oven's heat, so replacing regular milk with buttermilk, sour cream, or yogurt can be helpful. Leavening is usually reduced, while flavoring agents are increased. Oven heat is sometimes increased 25°F or the temperature is kept moderate (350°F) but baking times increased. Boxed cake mixes often include high-altitude adjustments, but beware—they are designed to work up to about 6,000 feet only; above that, cakes crash. Fortunately, many boxed cake mixes can be fixed using the same methods as you would for cakes made from scratch.

Pies: One of the myths of high-altitude baking is that pies need no adjustment. That is not exactly true, though pies are easier to adjust than cakes. Pie crusts are often too dry and need slightly more liquid to become pliable (be careful: too much liquid can develop gluten and toughen crusts). Baking pie fillings all the way through takes longer than it would at sea level. Cover pies loosely with foil during part of the baking time to prevent the top crust from burning before the fruit beneath is completely cooked.

Cookies: Cookie recipes often work without changes up to about 7,000 feet, but they sometimes spread too much or get tough. Some cookie recipes require less sugar, leavening, or fat; others only need a little more liquid and flour (avoid too much flour, it can make them tough), and some need only a slight increase in oven heat (15°F to 25°F).

Muffins and quick breads: This category also includes scones, biscuits, and cornbread. For the correct rise at high altitude, baking powder or baking soda must be reduced slightly. Also, you get a better rise and quicker set with an acidic batter, so you can reduce some of the baking soda, which neutralizes acidity—don't omit all of it, as some is needed for leavening. To strengthen batter and prevent collapse, sugar is reduced and flour increased. Extra liquid can be added (it is especially good to substitute buttermilk or yogurt for water or milk) to compensate for dry air and drier flour at altitude. Quick breads baked in loaf pans may crust over and start to brown on top before the batter underneath begins to set. To prevent this, sometimes it is helpful to cover the pan loosely with foil after half the baking time or to substitute a tube pan for a loaf pan. To get a better rise between 4,000 and 6,000 feet, increase oven temperature by 15°F to 25°F. At higher elevations, keep original heat and increase baking time slightly.

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Yeast breads: At high altitude, bread tends to rise much more rapidly than at sea level and changes in ingredients or technique are needed to slow down this action. Some bakers reduce the amount of yeast slightly or use ice water instead of warm water, while others punch down their dough more often, then add extra rises or one overnight rise in the refrigerator. Beware of dough that has risen too much or "over-proofed" before baking; it may warp, droop, or collapse in the oven. To prevent over-proofing at high altitude, only allow dough to rise about a third—not double in bulk—before baking. Never omit salt: At high altitudes, salt is essential not only for flavor, but also to slow down the growth of yeast and the expansion of gases. To achieve good rise and a crisp crust at high altitude, begin baking bread with a pan of boiling water on the bottom of the oven, then remove the water for the final 15 minutes of baking. –Susan G. Purdy

High-elevation baking rules of thumb:

Baking pans: Always use the size pan your recipe calls for; since baked goods rise markedly at high altitude, they may over-rise and spill into the oven if baked in a pan that's too small. Substituting a tube pan for a loaf or round pan will bring heat to the batter's center, usually resulting in a better rise and quicker set, especially for dense, fruited cakes. You can make your own tube pan by taking a round cake pan and placing a metal "cake tube"—sold for this purpose at bakeware shops—or an overturned one-cup metal measuring cup (without handle) in the center.

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Pan preparation: At high altitude, cakes tend to stick to pans, but this can be easily prevented. Up to 5,000 feet, it's sufficient to grease and flour pans, but if you're above that altitude, grease pan, line with parchment or wax paper, then grease and flour the paper. When baking cookies, it's best to use single-layer cookie sheets; insulated, double-layer pans reduce surface heat and prevent crisping. Prepare muffin pans by coating with shortening or nonstick vegetable spray. At 9,000 feet and above, muffins tend to stick even more so grease and flour pans or line them with paper or foil muffin cups.

Baking temperatures and times: At high altitude it's critical to completely preheat your oven—give it at least 15 minutes—because you need to get all the heat you can from it. Use an auxiliary thermometer inside the oven to make sure the temperature is correct. Oven rack placement is equally important: The hottest position is at the bottom (closest to the heat source); the middle rack delivers moderate, even heat.

From 5,000 feet to 7,000 feet, baking is often improved by raising the oven temperature 15°F to 25°F, because the higher temperature quickly sets the batter's cell structure. Between 7,000 feet and 9,000 feet, raising the temperature can sometimes cause over-crusting on the surface of baked goods. Instead, it's best to use a moderate heat and increase the baking time. At 9,000 feet and above, preheat oven about 25 degrees above the baking temperature called for in the recipe. As soon as the baked goods are placed inside the oven, lower the heat to the actual baking temperature called for in the recipe.

Storing baked goods: At high altitude, baked goods dry out and get stale quickly. As soon as they are completely cool, wrap them in airtight plastic wrap or sealable plastic bags. For long storage, double-wrap in airtight plastic, then cover with heavy-duty foil or place in heavy-duty freezer bags.

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