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From:	Dr. Neal Pinckney (pinckney.vegsource.com)
Subject:	Re: Baking powder
Date:	September 20, 2008 at 12:43 pm PST

In Reply to: Baking powder posted by Hanawaiman on September 20, 2008 at 11:56 am:

It seems you're confusing baking soda with baking powder.

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) has 1230 mg of sodium per teaspoon.

Baking powder has 4.5 mg of sodium per teaspoon.

Here's a brief quote on the differences from Abount,com:

Both baking soda and baking powder are leavening agents, which means they are added to baked goods before cooking to produce carbon dioxide and cause them to 'rise'. Baking powder contains baking soda, but the two substances are used under different conditions.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate. When baking soda is combined with moisture and an acidic ingredient (e.g., yogurt, chocolate, buttermilk, honey), the resulting chemical reaction produces bubbles of carbon dioxide that expand under oven temperatures, causing baked goods to rise. The reaction begins immediately upon mixing the ingredients, so you need to bake recipes which call for baking soda immediately, or else they will fall flat!

Baking Powder

Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate, but it includes the acidifying agent already (cream of tartar), and also a drying agent (usually starch). Baking powder is available as single-acting baking powder and as double-acting baking powder. Single-acting powders are activated by moisture, so you must bake recipes which include this product immediately after mixing. Double-acting powders react in two phases and can stand for a while before baking. With double-acting powder, some gas is released at room temperature when the powder is added to dough, but the majority of the gas is released after the temperature of the dough increases in the oven.