High-Altitude Baking
The higher the altitude, the lower the air pressure. While this is an excellent environment for training athletes, it is a difficult one for baking recipes. Baking depends on the specific interactions of several kinds of ingredients: flour, leavening (primarily baking soda and baking powder), fats, liquid, and more. To complicate things further, individual microclimates vary greatly in the mountains, so the adjustment that works for you may not work for your neighbor down (or up) the road.
These charts are meant as a starting point, to help you convert recipes. Different types of baked goods need different high-altitude adjustments, and we offer suggestions about adjusting chemical leaveners according to altitude and baking cookies at high-altitude, too. It may take a few tries to get results you're happy with; if possible, try to adjust only one ingredient at a time, so you can isolate the effect it has. Be sure to keep notes on what you've done, and try the smaller adjustments first when a range is given. And remember: High-altitude can be a range (what works at 3,500 feet may not work at 6,500 feet!), so this process can be as much an art as a science and require more trial and error than usual.
Because high-altitude baking is a complex subject, we recommend the excellent cooking guides from Colorado State University Extension and New Mexico State University.
In this article:
- What is considered high altitude for baking?
- How to adjust baking for high altitude
- How to adjust leavening when baking at high altitude
- How to bake high-altitude cookies
- How to bake high-altitude yeast bread, sourdough, and pizza
- How to bake high-altitude pie
- How to bake high-altitude cake
- How to bake high-altitude banana bread and other quick breads
- How to make high-altitude doughnuts and other fried doughs
What is considered high altitude for baking?
When it comes to baking, high altitude is generally considered to be above 3,000 to 3,500 feet.
How to adjust baking for high altitude
| What to change | How to change it | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Oven temperature | Increase 15°F to 25°F; use the lower increase when making chocolate or delicate cakes. | Since leavening and evaporation proceed more quickly, the idea is to use a higher temperature to set the structure of baked goods before they over-expand and dry out. |
| Baking time | Decrease by 5 to 8 minutes per 30 minutes of baking time. | Baking at higher temperatures means products are done sooner. |
| Sugar | Decrease by 1 tablespoon per cup. | Increased evaporation also increases concentration of sugar, which can weaken the structure of what you're baking. Lowering the sugar helps support better structure in baked goods. |
| Liquid | Increase by 1 to 2 tablespoons at 3,000 feet. Increase by 1 1/2 teaspoons for each additional 1,000 feet. You can also use extra eggs as part of this liquid, depending on the recipe. | Extra liquid keeps products from drying out at higher temperatures and evaporation rates. |
| Flour | At 3,500 feet, add 1 more tablespoon per recipe. For each additional 1,500 feet, add one more tablespoon. | In some recipes, a flour with a higher protein content may yield better results. Additional flour helps to strengthen the structure of baked goods. |
How to adjust leavening when baking at high altitude
One of the biggest challenges to adapting sea-level recipes for high altitude comes down to the leaveners. In general, you want to decrease the amount of leavening in a baked good. When using baking powder and baking soda, the following chart can help you decide how to adjust amounts. When baking a recipe that calls both baking powder and baking soda plus an acidic ingredient, like buttermilk or sour cream, try switching to all baking powder and milk.
| Baking powder or baking soda | 3,000-5,000 ft. | 5,000-6,500 ft. | 6,500-8,000 ft. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 teaspoon | 7/8 | 1/2 | 1/4 |
| 1 1/2 teaspoons | 1 1/4 | 3/4 | 1/2 |
| 2 teaspoons | 1 1/2 | 1 | 3/4 |
| 2 1/2 teaspoons | 1 3/4 | 1 1/4 | 1 |
| 3 teaspoons | 2 | 1 1/4 | 1 |
| 3 1/2 teaspoons | 2 1/2 | 1 1/2 | 1 |
| 4 teaspoons | 2 1/2 | 1 1/2 | 1 |
Learn more about leaveners in baking: What's the difference between baking soda and baking powder?
How to bake high-altitude cookies
Because cookies bake for a shorter amount of time than bread or cakes, and are relatively low in water and high in fat content, they're much less susceptible to the vagaries of high-altitude baking. Many bakers report that they can make sea-level cookie recipes at altitude with minimal to no changes and still achieve good results, so these are a great starting point if you're looking for reliable high-altitude bakes.
The principle adjustments recommended for high-altitude cookies (generally considered to be above 3,000 feet) are to increase the water slightly, to help the dough come together, and to decrease the amount of chemical leaveners (baking powder, baking soda) used. One of the other main challenges is an increase in spreading; cookies may turn out thinner. You can bake cookies at a slightly higher temperature, with a shortened baking time, to help with structure and reduce spreading. The table below gives guidelines about what adjustments to make for baking cookies at high-altitude:
| What to change | How to change it | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Oven temperature | Increase 15°F to 25°F. | Since leavening and evaporation proceed more quickly, the idea is to use a higher temperature to “set” the structure of cookies before they spread too much. |
| Baking time | Decrease by 1 to 2 minutes per 10 minutes of baking time. | Baking at higher temperatures means cookies are done sooner. |
| Sugar | Decrease by 1 tablespoon per cup. | Increased evaporation also increases concentration of sugar, which can weaken the structure. |
| Liquid | Increase by 1 to 2 tablespoons at 3,000 feet. Increase by 1 1/2 teaspoons for each additional 1,000 feet. You can also use extra eggs as part of this liquid, depending on the recipe. | Extra liquid keeps cookies from drying out at higher temperatures and evaporation rates. |
| Flour | At 3,500 feet, add 1 more tablespoon per recipe. For each additional 1,500 feet, add one more tablespoon. | In some recipes, a flour with a higher protein content may yield better results. Additional flour helps to strengthen the structure of cookies. |
| Chilling time | Chill cookie dough for 30 minutes to 2 hours before baking | Chilling the dough solidifies the fat and helps prevent too much spreading while baking. |
How to bake high-altitude yeast bread, sourdough, and pizza
According to Colorado State University Extension, decreased atmospheric pressure at higher elevations makes dough rise much faster, so adjustments to high-altitude bread need to account for this, both in terms of timing and flavor of the bread.
Decrease the amount of yeast in the recipe by 25% to slow proofing times. Make sure your bowl has plenty of room for the dough to rise in. Since rising times are much shorter at higher altitudes, you have a number of options to help its flavor, outlined below.
Make water and flour adjustments as necessary to get a dough with the correct texture. Because conditions are much drier at high altitude, you may need to increase the amount of liquid to ensure your bread dough is not too dry.
Use slightly colder water and an overall lower Desired Dough Temperature (DDT) to slow the rate of fermentation and overall rise time of the dough.
Give the dough one extra rise by punching it down twice before forming it.
Try covering the dough and placing it in the refrigerator for its first rise, to slow the action of the yeast and give the dough more time to develop flavor, which can be lost during quicker rising times.
If you have sourdough starter on hand, use it to replace a portion of the liquid in non-sourdough yeasted recipes in the recipe (25% is a good place to start) to help add flavor that is otherwise lost during quicker fermentation times. If you don't have any sourdough starter, make a quick sponge by mixing the yeast, liquid, and 1 to 2 cups of the flour called for in the recipe. Cover and let the sponge work for a few hours in the refrigerator to develop it before proceeding.
Consider using high-protein bread flour, which can provide additional strength and structure to bread and pizza dough.
How to bake high-altitude pie
Because of low moisture content of pie crust, you don't need to make any significant adjustments when baking at high-altitude. There are two primary tips to keep in mind when baking high-altitude pie:
Add extra liquid as needed to bring the pie crust dough together. Because of the drier conditions, your pie dough may need a bit more water to come together into a smooth, easily rolled dough. Add a little bit at a time, to avoid a tough dough or a soggy crust.
Bake fruit pies longer and consider extra pie filling thickener. Because of the lower boiling point at high-altitude, fruit pie fillings may need to bake longer to fulling thicken and set. You can also slightly increase the amount of pie filling thickener in the recipe, such as flour, cornstarch, or Instant ClearJel.
How to bake high-altitude cake
The decrease in atmospheric pressure at high altitude can cause cakes to rise too much in the oven, which may even cause them to collapse. Many of the adjustments made to a recipe are designed to address this issue.
Decrease sugar according to the general guidelines above to support better structure in the cake.
Increase liquid according to the general guidelines above to prevent the cake from turning out too dry, which is a common issue at high altitude. We recommend using extra eggs to increase liquids; if only part of an egg is needed, use the whites.
Prep cake pans thoroughly with non-stick spray and parchment paper to prevent sticking, as baked goods tend to stick to pans much more at higher elevations. See our guide to the best way to prep a cake pan to prevent sticking.
If you're making a cake leavened with egg whites, such as chiffon or angel food cake, whip the egg whites to soft peaks, as opposed to stiff peaks (which may be what the recipe calls for), as the air trapped in the whites will continue to expand while baking.
How to bake high-altitude banana bread and other quick breads
Quick breads like banana bread or zucchini bread tend to be pretty resilient at high-altitude and don't need many special adjustments. We recommend using the general high-altitude baking guidelines above to make adjustments.
How to make high-altitude doughnuts and other fried doughs
Lower the frying temperature by 3 degrees per 1,000 feet, and increase cooking times.
