Hi everyone! So I’ve been meaning to do this for some time now, but I’m going to start working on a series of high-altitude baking blogs to help those of you with altitude issues.
I live in Denver, CO, and we’re above 5,000 ft from sea level here, which has presented an entirely new set of baking challenges. Many of my recipes are actually written and baked at a high altitude. I’ve lived here for most of my life, so it’s something I’m used to at this point- I make adjustments to nearly every single recipe that I bake.
We’re starting off with some misconceptions that I’ve heard, and that I’ve fallen for myself.
If you share this struggle, you’ve probably run into these issues while baking:
Basically, when I first got into baking, I spent a ton of time and money making recipes that sounded awesome, and having them fail miserably. I can’t even count how many chocolate cupcake recipes I made before I realized that writing my own, high-altitude-friendly recipes was the only solution.
When you go online and search for a recipe, it’s an almost certainty that it was written and tested in a sea-level part of the world. That makes things tough for all of us up higher. Common high altitude baking misconceptions for solutions include:
Alright guys- expect more in this series in the coming months! I’ll be delving into cakes, yeast breads, and quick breads so all of us high-altitude-bakers can get some relief! If you’ve heard other misconceptions, I’d love to hear from you!
Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!
Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!
2020, Dough-Eyed
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Tami
October 13, 2016 at 12:43 amBless you! I just moved to Colorado 2 years ago and my cakes are killing me. I do custom decorated cakes and have struggled BIG TIME! I'm going to scour your blog for more info. ?
nmespinosa12@gmail.com
January 16, 2017 at 3:54 pmOh! I'm so glad to hear from you- I hope my recipes are helpful!!
Mathew T
February 16, 2017 at 2:03 amThis is excellent. While I haven't struggled too much (yet) with the agony of high-altitude baking, I have started my own cooking/baking journeys. I am glad that I came across your blog, as I recently made some vegan biscuits that came out denser than I'd like. Now that I understand a little better about the leavening agents, I can try and adapt the recipe for a fluffier and flakier biscuit. I went old school and did it by hand without any biscuit cutters.
nmespinosa12@gmail.com
February 16, 2017 at 2:48 amOh I'm so glad to hear it! I hope it's helpful in your future baking!
Barbara | Creative Culinary
October 15, 2017 at 11:21 pmI'm also a blogger in Colorado although I do a wide variety of dishes and cocktails and only occasionally include a baked good. I've lived here for 3 decades and yet can still have a snafu. One of the best tips EVER came about when I met a professional dessert chef who owns a restaurant downtown. His tip for success? Raise the oven temp 10 degrees and shorten the cooking time. That will circumvent the problem with the dough not being cooked enough while it's risen too quickly and I did indeed have success with that method; I often only kept the heat higher for the first half of the bake if I was making cookies or muffins.
Then I moved to Castle Rock from Greenwood Village and it was a full year before I realized that the problems I began to have were because I was up another thousand feet! Back to fiddling with flour, liquid and leaving again!
My recipes are produced for sea level baking because I have a national audience so the flops when I have them are mine alone. I have long said, I may not be the best baker but I am a pro at punting…I can fix anything!
Looking forward to delving into your site; I have friends who struggle with baking here too; they'll enjoy finding your recipes!
Dough-Eyed
October 15, 2017 at 11:38 pmThat's a great tip Barbara, I'm so glad you found my blog!! Yours is beautiful too, I can't wait to spend more time checking it out!
Joanne
February 14, 2018 at 7:24 amYou should join "Forrager" on FB. You will reach the entire country!
Dough-Eyed
February 14, 2018 at 2:45 pmHi Joanne! I'm not sure what Forrager is- I'll look into this though, thanks for the information!!
Christy
September 27, 2018 at 9:25 pmThe struggle is real. I live at 4100’ on the Big Island of Hawaii and the humidity also messes with my bread making. Thanks for a great post. ?⭐️
Dough-Eyed
September 27, 2018 at 9:35 pmHi Christy! Oh, I bet the humidity does have a big effect too! Luckily I don't have to deal with that one. Thanks for stopping by!
Arica
November 8, 2018 at 3:48 pmI'm so thrilled to have found your blog! I just moved to Colorado 4 months ago and LOVE to bake, however I have been failing miserably and it's been really discouraging. I am so excited to start trying your recipes and learning your tips and tricks!
Dough-Eyed
November 9, 2018 at 1:29 amHi Arica!! I'm so excited to hear from you- I hear stories like yours all the time!! I really hope you'll find more success through here!! Thank you so much for stopping by!!
Ann
November 16, 2018 at 12:39 amYou have a recipe for salted caramel blondies in the latest issue of Colorado Life. Currently, we are living in Nebraska but will be moving to Colorado in the spring. Do I need to adjust your recipe for lower altitude now? They look too good to wait until we are “higher”! Thanks!
Dough-Eyed
November 19, 2018 at 1:05 amHi Ann! So yes, you'd want to adjust it just slightly. I would reduce the flour by 2 tablespoons and increase the leavener by 1/4 tsp. I think that should help, though of course I'm unable to test those recipes since I'm always here in Colorado! Also, pre-welcome to Colorado!! 🙂
Michellle Hansen
May 23, 2019 at 12:45 pmI am so excited to have found your blog, I am a frequent traveler to Lake Tahoe and the elevation is roughly 6,225 feet do you have any recommendations for adjustments at that altitude? Thanks so much!!
Dough-Eyed
May 23, 2019 at 9:56 pmHi Michelle!! I'm glad you found me too!! So I usually find that my recipes tend to work in the range of 4-7 thousand ft. If anything, you may need to add a touch more flour to cakes, but I'm at about 5,000 feet so it should be fairly comparable!
Anna
September 23, 2019 at 8:31 pmHello from Medellin, Colombia! Used to be an Ibio girl, so high altitude baking is ALL new to me! Looking forward to browsing your blog. 🙂
Anna
September 23, 2019 at 8:32 pm*Ohio, not Ibio
Dough-Eyed
October 11, 2019 at 12:34 amHi Anna!! Thanks so much!!
Colleen Pitts
January 27, 2020 at 8:02 pmHi Nicole,
I met you in Denver last November at your book signing. I just want to confirm that the Boston Cream Pie recipe on your blog is already formulated for high altitude. My family is going to meet in Joseph OR for a 60th anniversary party. We are going to make my Mom her favorite cake, Boston Cream Pie. My sisters and I want to make sure it comes out right.(I have enough trouble baking at sea level. Ha)
Thank you,
Colleen Pitts
PS-I am buying your book for my Mom on Amazon.
Dough-Eyed
January 28, 2020 at 12:08 amHi Colleen!! Thank you so much for the kind words! Yes, the Boston Cream Pie recipe will be good to go for you up there- it looks like Joseph is at a very similar altitude to what I develop all my recipes at!
Misty
February 7, 2020 at 5:53 amHi Nicole,
I’m glad I found your page, I live at almost 9000 ft elevation in southeast NM. I moved here almost 3 years ago from Houston TX and boy am I having a hard time with baking. I can’t wait to try some of your recipes!
Dough-Eyed
February 11, 2020 at 6:31 pmOh good!! I'm at about 5000 feet so you might have to make further adjustments but maybe not!
Laura
February 11, 2020 at 5:21 pmHi Nicole! I stumbled across your site today thanks to an Amazon search for high-altitude baking. I found your cookbook, headed to your mentioned site (from your author page) and was pleased to find out that you're in Denver! Which means, for me in Westminster, that I won't have to tinker with anything besides making dairy/egg/oil replacements (we eat whole food plant based, which is a whole separate journey of its own). Thanks for this great site… now to start making plans for trying recipes!
Dough-Eyed
February 11, 2020 at 6:32 pmHi Laura!! Thank you so much for all the kind words!! I hope my recipes make it easier for ya!
Sara Jane
March 27, 2020 at 6:46 pmHi Nicole!
I love all of your recipes and I love your writing! So excited that I found your blog, I live in Breckenridge and am doing a lot of baking with all of this unexpected free time. Really excited to try your cinnamon roll recipe out today 🙂
Thanks!
Dough-Eyed
March 29, 2020 at 1:52 pmHi there!! Thanks so much, I'm glad you found me too!! I hope they turned out great for you!!