Baking at Not-So-High Altitude

[gabelle671]

Since moving to North Georgia from the flatlands of Texas, I have had lots of problems with baking. Everything I have read about baking at high altitudes says don't worry about it until above 3000 feet elevation. I am at 1650, and have problems with cookies spreading too much, cakes rising beautifully and falling flat, etc. I think the problem is elevation because I made some cookie dough this winter and baked half before going on a trip and took the other half with me in a cooler to Florida - Elevation 5 feet. When I baked the cookies there, they turned out perfectly. What to do to overcome this problem?

[Kitchen Witch]

here's parts of my notes - and you can read my reply in this thread about cakes as well -
If homemade cookies spread too much during baking, the following problems may have occurred:
The oven temperature was too cold. Pure cane sugar (sucrose) was not used; fructose sugar or a blend of sugars was substituted. The cookie sheets were greased too heavily. Diet margarine or vegetable oil spreads were substituted for butter or regular stick margarine (80% fat). Dark brown sugar was used instead of light brown sugar generally called for in recipes. The cookie sheet was still warm when the cookie dough was placed on the sheet.

If homemade cookies did not spread enough during baking, the following problems may have occurred:
The cookie dough was over-mixed. The cookie dough was too cold. The oven temperature was too hot. Solid vegetable oil shortening was substituted for butter in the recipe.

If homemade cookies stick to the cookie sheet, the following problems may have occurred:
The cookie sheets were not sufficiently cleaned between uses. The cookie sheets were not greased and the recipe called for greasing. The cookies were under-baked. The cookies were left on cookie sheets too long before removal. The cookie batter is too warm (hot kitchen). The cookie sheets are warm or hot before baking.


do you have an oven thermometer? there is a good chance that your oven needs to be calibrated and that can be the problem.

hope this helps

Kitchen Witch