John, I haven't tried the recipe without it, but you know what? I'm sure it would be fine. Or substitute baking powder, if you like. I'm thinking it's one of those things you often see with older recipes - an "odd" ingredient, small amount, and you wonder why it's there. Originally, the recipe might have been made with buttermilk (acid); or perhaps someone just threw the baking soda in there for no particular reason... and it stuck. And since the recipe worked just fine, no one changed it. I have an ancient oatmeal cookie recipe that calls for 1/2 teaspoon water. Yeah, that's really going to make a difference? After chatting with my fellow test bakers, we decided that originally the water was probably for dissolving the baking soda, back when baking soda tended to clump and become hard, and therefore needed dissolving. As baking soda production improved and there wasn't an issue with it becoming hard any longer, the water was no longer necessary; but it just "stuck," since the recipe worked... Hope this helps set your curious mind at ease! PJH

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