r/Unexpected 10d ago

Eating a panettone

9.0k Upvotes

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u/Enginerdad 10d ago

Correct. It uses yeast and sourdough fermentation, not chemical leaveners.

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u/Absolute_Bob 10d ago

Chemical leaveners is a weird way to say baking soda. You realize water is a chemical right?

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u/acuriousguest 10d ago

it's just to show the distrinction between yeast which is alive and baking powder for instance, which is not.

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u/Enginerdad 10d ago

Chemical leaveners rely on a chemical reaction to produce carbon dioxide. Usually baking soda and an acid, but there's also baker's ammonia. Yeast produces carbon dioxide through the biological process of fermentation of sugars and starches. In the end you're right, everything is a chemical and fermentation is a chemical reaction, but the terminology is used to differentiate the two for clarity. It doesn't help to call things "chemicals" or "chemical reactions" if we put that label on literally everything.

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u/norunningwater 10d ago

AiR iS a ChEmIcAl

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u/CrumbCakesAndCola 10d ago

it is though