Which gas is produced during leavening to help dough rise?

Which gas is produced during leavening to help dough rise?

• A. Oxygen
• B. Nitrogen
• C. Carbon dioxide
• D. Helium

Answer: (C)

The gas that makes dough rise is carbon dioxide. During leavening, either yeast ferments sugars or a chemical leavener like baking soda reacts (often with an acid) to produce CO2. These gas bubbles get trapped in the dough’s structure, and as heat causes the bubbles to expand, the dough rises. Oxygen isn’t the gas responsible for lift (yeast uses oxygen for metabolism, but the rise comes from CO2), nitrogen is inert in this context, and helium isn’t involved in baking. So carbon dioxide is the gas that creates the leavening rise.

The gas that makes dough rise is carbon dioxide. During leavening, either yeast ferments sugars or a chemical leavener like baking soda reacts (often with an acid) to produce CO2. These gas bubbles get trapped in the dough’s structure, and as heat causes the bubbles to expand, the dough rises. Oxygen isn’t the gas responsible for lift (yeast uses oxygen for metabolism, but the rise comes from CO2), nitrogen is inert in this context, and helium isn’t involved in baking. So carbon dioxide is the gas that creates the leavening rise.