I spend some time at a higher elevation, 4600 ft, not quite a mile, and am trying to figure out the best way to learn the required elevation adjustments. Searching online, there are so many possibilities, has anyone made this switch and come up with a smart efficient way to determine which adjustments are required at certain elevations?
Lots of recipes don’t really require any adjustment. The most detailed book on adjustments by altitude is Pie in the Sky.
Usually I just decrease yeast for yeast breads, and toss about 1/2 teaspoon of the yeast in the packet. Decrease sugar a bit (15% or so) for baked goods, or add a few tablespoons of flour to a cake recipe. If the recipe specifies 8" or 9" cake pans, I always go with the 9".
Underbeat egg whites a little – stiff egg whites seem to collapse more easily at altitude. I use soft peaks vs. stiff peaks, and things seem to work out ok.
Most things work fine.
CSU Extension is a great source for info on high altitude cooking and baking at different increments of elevation. See:http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/p41.html
Just follow the directions- most don’t need adjustments- but the cooking time seems to be longer. If anything they usually increase the flour by a small amount and decrease the water also by a small amount.