Workshop reveals the secrets to baking in the mountains

DILLON - Baking at high altitudes can be challenging - to put it mildly. Cakes fall flat. Cookies don't rise. Breads feel like bricks. And other baked goods come out of the oven looking good but tasting funny.

Altitude changes everything when baking, and most cooks in Summit County have had their share of frustration in front of the oven. Even Debbie Lengel, who cooks as a profession, has struggled with baking since moving here from the San Francisco area four years ago.

Lengel, owner of A Summit Chef, is leading a women's workshop on high-altitude baking Wednesday at the Borders Books Cafe in Dillon. The workshop is one in a series of workshops for women, co-hosted by the Summit County Women's Center and Borders Books in Dillon.

Even after several years of baking at this altitude, Lengel said she's still learning how to adjust her recipes. Altitude isn't the only factor affecting baked goods - so do air pressure and humidity. Different combinations of ingredients also can vary results.

One of the keys to baking successfully at high altitudes is having a conversion chart at one's fingertips, Lengel said. She will distribute a chart to workshop participants which lists conversions for ingredients from flour to shortening to eggs. She'll also give tips on how to use the conversion chart.

Lengel's baking workshop isn't only for the local Martha Stewarts. Her tips also will help women making cakes and brownies from a box. This workshop is for anyone who has struggled with baking at high altitudes, she said.

City Market is sponsoring the workshop.



Lu Snyder can be reached at (970) 668-3998, ext. 203, or

lsnyder@summitdaily.com