Vinegar the Rising Agent

• Vinegar is used along with baking soda as a rising agent in cake and bread recipes. The vinegar and baking soda produce a chemical reaction -- and the chemical carbon dioxide -- to aerate the batter or dough it is in. If you've ever seen what happens when a kid mixes vinegar and baking soda to make an erupting volcano for science class, the bubbling of the mixture is similar to the reaction that takes place when you are baking with it.

Vinegar Over Other Ingredients

• Vinegar is preferred in many recipes over other leavening and emulsifying agents in baking for a few reasons. It is liquid, and thus adds moisture to the batter without diluting the other ingredients. Eggless chocolate cake and red velvet cake are examples. Apple cider vinegar is used to also add a fruity flavor to the dough or batter without use of the actual fruits or the sometimes overpowering flavors of extracts.

Vinegar as a Substitution

• Sometimes it's necessary to use a substitute for an ingredient when you are missing the original ingredient or trying to alter the recipe to avoid a particular ingredient. One missing ingredient that vinegar can help replace is buttermilk. When you add a tablespoon of vinegar for every cup of milk and let it sit for five minutes, the result is buttermilk. Buttermilk is used in breads such as biscuits and pancakes, in batters for frying, and in dessert pastries. Apple cider vinegar is also a suitable replacement for white wine in baking. It has a similar flavor with less calories.

More about Vinegar in Baking

• In cakes and aromatic breads, vinegar does work to enhance the flavors and aromas. The odor of vinegar fades quickly when baking, leaving behind the smell of homemade baked goods. Vinegar originates from a grain alcohol mixture. That's why it can easily substitute for white wine, but you must use the apple cider variety in that case to maintain the fruity flavor.