Borwick's

Borwick's is a long-established British baking brand, known for its baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. The range we carry is bicarbonate of soda, also called baking soda or sodium bicarbonate, which is a pure alkali that reacts with acid in a recipe to release bubbles of gas and lift a batter or dough.

Borwick's sits in our baking powder and soda collection, part of the wider baking shelf. The difference matters: bicarbonate of soda needs an acid such as yoghurt, buttermilk, lemon or tamarind to work, while baking powder already contains its own acid, so the two are not swapped one for one.

South Asian cooks reach for bicarbonate of soda constantly. A pinch goes into dhokla and khaman batter with lemon juice so it rises light and spongy, into bhatura dough with yoghurt, and into pakora and bhaji batter for extra crunch. Some cooks add a little to the water for soaking chickpeas and rajma so they soften faster, and it is used in some recipes for jalebi and Mysore pak. In British baking it raises soda bread, gingerbread, scones made with buttermilk and many cookies. Use it sparingly, since too much leaves a soapy, metallic taste.

Keep the tub closed and dry, since bicarbonate absorbs moisture and odours; a quick test is a pinch in vinegar, which should fizz strongly. To compare with a ready-mixed raising agent, look at the Dr. Oetker baking powder, and for dhokla see our dhokla and khaman mixes.