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| A carved wooden mold used for Springerle or molded biscuits, depicting detailed figures from courtly and martial life. These molds were often handed down through generations and used to mark festivals, weddings, and holidays. (Public domain) |
From Ashes to Antlers: Forgotten Leaveners Before Baking Powder
Before the age of Clabber Girl and little red cans of baking powder, bakers reached for far stranger tools to make their bread rise. In my earlier post on cooking with wood ashes and potash, we explored how alkaline salts from humble fireplace ash could be transformed into a serviceable leavening agent. Today, we’re venturing further into that smoky, pre-industrial world—where ashes weren’t the only thing getting burned.
Let’s talk about ammonium carbonate, also known as baker’s ammonia—or historically, hartshorn—a substance distilled from animal horn and bone that helped give rise (literally) to some of Europe’s lightest pastries long before baking soda came along.
What Is Hartshorn? A Leavening Agent Born of Bone and Heat
Before it was sold in tidy jars to German bakers, hartshorn was exactly what it sounds like: the calcined or distilled horn of a male deer (or other animal bones and hooves). By heating these organic materials in a sealed vessel, apothecaries could extract ammonium carbonate—a pungent, crystalline substance that reacts in heat to produce ammonia gas, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. When used properly, those gases create the same pocketed structure we look for in cookies and crackers today.
Historical cookbooks from the 17th and 18th centuries refer to hartshorn in recipes for fine cakes and wafers. Its main strength? Crispness. Unlike yeast or sourdough, which add chew, hartshorn creates dry, brittle textures perfect for molded cookies—like German Springerle—without leaving any aftertaste once baked. The term “hartshorn” itself refers to the original source: deer antler.
Used improperly, especially in moist batters, the ammonia smell lingers—and it’s not subtle. ChemistryViews offers an excellent breakdown of the gases involved and their effect on texture.
Can You Make Hartshorn at Home?
Yes—though it’s not for the faint of heart (or nose).
For a deeper dive, see Chemeurope’s article on ammonium carbonate, or Wikipedia’s hartshorn entry, which describes its origins in apothecary science.
How Does It Compare to Potash and Pearl Ash?
Let’s revisit potash—an early kitchen chemistry staple. Made by boiling down lye extracted from wood ashes, potash (potassium carbonate) served as one of the earliest chemical leaveners. When cooks filtered and refined potash into a whiter, cleaner powder, they created pearl ash, which became a popular ingredient in 18th-century American baking.
Unlike hartshorn, which works on its own by releasing gases during baking, potash and pearl ash require acidic companions—such as sour milk, vinegar, or molasses—to trigger the reaction and create lift. These salts were especially useful in early dense cakes and quick breads.
Hartshorn, by contrast, excels in dry goods. Crisp biscuits, rolled wafers, and molded cookies benefit from its ability to evaporate cleanly in the oven, leaving behind a remarkably tender crumb without any aftertaste—if used properly.
• Curious about potash and pearl ash? Learn how America’s first chemical leaveners were made—and why they disappeared.
• Want to know more about hartshorn? Discover how this bone-based leavener helped early cookies rise with a snap.
Historical Uses in Recipes
Hartshorn appears in European recipes as early as the 17th century, especially in German, Dutch, and Scandinavian baking traditions. One of the oldest known examples is the intricately molded Springerle—a crisp, embossed cookie flavored with anise and left to dry before baking.
These cookies date back to at least the 14th century, with museum collections preserving wooden cookie molds used alongside hartshorn salt. Modern Springerle recipes still call for baker’s ammonia today, a direct legacy of the original method.
Earlier English cookbooks like The Experienced English Housekeeper (Elizabeth Raffald, 1769) reference hartshorn powder in recipes for “light cakes” and “fine wafers.” The use of this leavener gradually faded as baking soda and powder became more widely available in the mid-19th century.
Hartshorn wasn’t limited to baking—its powerful vapors also made it a key component in early smelling salts. See Britannica’s entry on smelling salts for more on its medical use as “salt of hartshorn.”
How to Use Hartshorn Today
Modern baker’s ammonia is chemically identical to historical hartshorn, but refined for safety and sold in powder form. You can find it online or at specialty baking stores—often listed as ammonium carbonate or ammonium bicarbonate.
To use it:
- Use only in dry, crisp cookies—like biscotti, springerle, or gingersnaps.
- Never use in cakes or moist baked goods—the ammonia scent won’t bake off completely.
- Substitute 1:1 with baking powder in old cookie recipes that call for it, unless otherwise noted.
- Store tightly sealed—exposure to air will cause it to degrade over time.
Tip: When baking with hartshorn, good ventilation is a must! The smell during baking is temporary but sharp—don’t panic, it won’t linger in the finished cookie.
Comparing Early Leavening Agents
Long before baking powder became a pantry staple, bakers worked with a surprising array of tools to give their dough a lift. Here's a side-by-side look at how some of history's earliest leaveners performed:
| Leavener | Active Era | Made From | Best Used In | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potash / Pearl Ash | 1600s–early 1800s | Boiled wood ash (alkaline salts) | Dense cakes, quick breads | Needs acid to activate (e.g. sour milk, vinegar) |
| Ammonium Carbonate (Hartshorn) | 1600s–1800s | Distilled horn, bone, or hooves | Crisp cookies, wafers, molded biscuits | Releases ammonia during baking—use in dry goods only |
| Barm (Ale Foam) | Medieval–1700s | Fermenting ale scum | Breads, ale-based batters | Unreliable unless used fresh; replaced by commercial yeast |
| Wild Sourdough | Ancient–Present | Flour + water + wild yeast | Bread, pancakes, long ferments | Still widely used today for flavor and resilience |
Could medieval cooks have used lye or hartshorn as leaveners? Yes—but selectively and with skill. These weren’t household staples so much as specialty tools—managed by trained bakers or apothecaries. And while wood ash and animal horn might not sound delicious, their leavening chemistry is the ancestor of today’s baking soda and powder.
Curious to Experiment?
Historical baking is full of surprises—from ash water breads to horn-distilled cookie salts. If you’ve tried potash baking or used baker’s ammonia in a family recipe, I’d love to hear about it. Drop a comment below or tag @GiveItForth on social media.
Want to support more posts like this? Consider leaving a tip or grabbing a downloadable recipe card via Ko-fi. Every contribution helps me keep diving into dusty manuscripts and turning them into modern kitchen experiments.
The Oldest Hartshorn-Leavened Cookie: Springerle
One of the earliest known uses of hartshorn as a leavening agent is found in the intricately molded Springerle, a South German cookie dating back to at least the 14th century. Surviving carved molds appear in museum collections, and period sources describe hartshorn salt (ammonium carbonate) as the leavening behind their delicate rise.
These pale, crisp cookies puff gently during baking—thanks to the release of carbon dioxide and ammonia—while retaining every detail of their embossed surface. Recipes calling for baker’s ammonia can be traced as far back as 1861, with traditions still passed down in families today.
Springerle Recipe (Historical Style with Hartshorn)
Ingredients:
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ tsp baker’s ammonia (ammonium carbonate), dissolved in 1 tbsp warm milk
- 1 tbsp anise seed
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for dusting)
Instructions:
- Beat eggs until frothy (about 10 minutes), then gradually add sugar and continue beating until thick.
- Stir in the dissolved hartshorn and anise seed.
- Gradually add flour to form a tacky but moldable dough.
- Roll dough to ¼ inch thick on a floured surface. Press with springerle molds or emboss with carved cutters, then cut into shapes.
- Place on parchment-lined trays and let dry uncovered at room temperature for 12–24 hours.
- Bake at 300°F (150°C) for 10–15 minutes until puffed but pale. Bottoms should remain light with only a hint of golden color.
Modern Baking Note: Baker’s ammonia works beautifully in dry cookies like Springerle but should never be used in moist batters. If you’re unsure about ventilation, consider baking with a fan or opening a window—the ammonia smell during baking is strong but will not remain in the finished cookies.
The Oldest Hartshorn-Leavened Cookie: Springerle
One of the earliest known uses of hartshorn as a leavening agent is found in the intricately molded Springerle, a South German cookie dating back to at least the 14th century. Surviving carved molds appear in museum collections, and period sources describe hartshorn salt (ammonium carbonate) as the leavening behind their delicate rise.
These pale, crisp cookies puff gently during baking—thanks to the release of carbon dioxide and ammonia—while retaining every detail of their embossed surface. Recipes calling for baker’s ammonia can be traced as far back as 1861, with traditions still passed down in families today.
Note: Springerle develop best when aged. Store in an airtight tin for 1–2 weeks before serving.
Echoes in English Cookery
Though Springerle is German in origin, English cookery caught on quickly. A Closet for Ladies and Gentlewomen (1647) contains some of the earliest printed recipes that likely used hartshorn as a leavening agent. Two standout candidates for “Good Cookye” include:
- Prince Bisket Bread – a light, egg-based sponge flavored with anise and muscadine.
- Usual Bisket at Comfitmakers – a double-baked biscuit using ale yeast, sliced and re-sugared.
Explore the source here:
🔗 EEBO Full Text – A Closet for Ladies and Gentlewomen
Not all “biskets” were light. One elegant variation, Biskatello, was made from sugar, starch, musk, and gum tragacanth—baked gently on a wafer and gilded. It’s a reminder that early modern cookies weren’t just snacks—they were edible art.
A Note on James Matterer & Gode Cookery
Much of our modern understanding of historical Springerle comes thanks to James Matterer, founder of Gode Cookery. Though his original write-up is no longer available online, his meticulous work reviving traditional techniques—mold carving, drying methods, and hartshorn chemistry—remains legendary.
James emphasized:
- Beating eggs and sugar for 30+ minutes for aeration
- Roasted anise, cherry schnapps, and hartshorn as key ingredients
- Letting cookies dry 24 hours to develop the signature "feet"
- Baking gently on parchment to keep cookies pale and crisp
This post—and the Leavener Bundle to follow—are a tribute to his legacy.
Period-Inspired Hartshorn Crisp Cookie (Gode Cookery Style)
Inspired by the minimalist elegance of early biskets:
Ingredients:
- ½ tsp baker’s ammonia (hartshorn), dissolved in 1 tbsp warm water
- 2 eggs
- 3 oz fine sugar (~6 tbsp)
- 8 oz flour (~1⅔ cups)
- ½ tsp caraway or coriander seed (optional)
- A splash of rosewater or sack (optional)
Instructions:
- Beat eggs, then mix in sugar.
- Stir in hartshorn and flavorings.
- Add flour gradually to form stiff dough.
- Roll thin (⅛ inch or less), cut or mold.
- Let rest uncovered several hours or overnight.
- Bake at 300°F for 10–12 minutes until pale and dry.
Like many historical wafers or ship’s biscuits, these improve after a few days’ aging.
DIY: Making Hartshorn the Old-School Way
If you're tempted by true historical authenticity, manuals from the 17th and 18th centuries show a method for creating hartshorn via dry distillation of deer horn or other nitrogen-rich animal parts:
- Gather clean, dry deer antlers (harts' horn), bones, or hooves.
- Place them in a tightly sealed clay or cast-iron container with a small steam escape hole.
- Heat steadily to induce the release of “oil of hartshorn” (ammonia-laden vapors).
- Collect and cool the condensed vapors—it crystallizes into ammonium carbonate (“salt of hartshorn”).
- Dry and store in an airtight jar.
This labor-intensive process is documented in several sources, including Wikipedia's Hartshorn article and explained by food historians like those at Atlas Obscura:
“After the hunt, cooks would have to heat and pulverize the horns (and often animal bones as well) … Once ground, the hartshorn could be added to baked goods…”
Further Reading
- Wikipedia: Ammonium Carbonate – History, chemistry, uses
- Wikipedia: Hartshorn – Origin from deer antlers
- ChemistryViews – Hartshorn Salt Chemistry – Composition & interaction with potash
- Britannica – Smelling Salts – Dual culinary & medical background
- Chemeurope – Ammonium Carbonate – Production methods historically & industrially
The bundle includes:
- Printable Leavener Comparison Chart
- Rare period leaveners like ale barm & sack starters
- Bonus recipes: Springerle, Good Cookye, potash cake & more
- Downloadable recipe cards
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