by Steven Gomez

Created on: January 05, 2010

The higher your local elevation, the thinner the air gets, and it doesn't just affect the flight of the ball in sports, or how short your breath gets when exercising.  When baking, the rate at which liquid evaporates and which some foods expand can also vary.

You usually see the elevation start to affect your baking at around 3000 feet above sea level, so most of the world is fine.  Below that, everything seems to cook as normal.  But if you live along the Rocky Mountains, where the elevation tops 5000 feet, or anywhere else with high elevations... you probably need to make some adjustments, especially if you're baking pastries like cakes and muffins.

First of all, if your recipe requires water, add 1-2 tablespoons for every cup of water used if the place you're cooking in has an elevation of 3000 feet, and 1-2 more for every additional 2000 feet of elevation up to 7000.  The same goes for any other liquids you're using, including milk.

You'll want to cut sugar and baking powder as well.  At 3000 feet and above, eliminate one teaspoon of baking power for every 4 teaspoons you're currently using in the recipe.  Cut out one tablespoon of sugar for every cup of sugar used, and cut an additional tablespoon for every 2000 feet of elevation above 3000.

You'll also want to bake at a temperature 25 degrees higher than usual, and bake for a slightly shorter time to prevent over-expansion and drying out.  The thinner air allows cakes to expand more freely, and reducing the amount of baking time and heat helps contain your dish.

If your cake contains a lot of chocolate or uses a lot of shortening, you'll want to use 1-2 tablespoons less shortening than usual to give the cake a fuller base and prevent it from collapsing.  Also, add an additional egg for substance.

The above recommendations mainly apply to cakes.  Muffins shouldn't require any adjustment, and the only adjustment cookies honestly require is to cook them at an additional 25 degrees and slice the baking time a bit.  Breads only require the same as well as a couple extra tablespoons of flour.

For most other items, like meat dishes and casseroles, you should be able to bake them in high altitudes just fine.  Maybe you'll need to cook them at 25 degrees above usual and slice the baking time a bit as mentioned above to prevent drying your dishes out.  But baking in high altitudes shouldn't be a challenge as long as you make the requisite adjustments.

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