Maybe the generic stuff isn't cream of tartar at all? I found a test on a site called Global Post. A "duh!" moment, because that's a normal use for cream of tartar. That is, it's an acid that's either used to stabilize eggwhites or activate the bubbling of baking soda. It's well worded (and it works), so I've quoted below: Test the potency of the cream of tartar, if you're uncertain, by stirring a half-teaspoon into a half-cup of warm water. Add a generous pinch of baking soda. If it foams vigorously, the soda and tartar will still work together effectively in your baking. If you're using the water test and don't get a reaction from your soda, repeat the test with lemon juice in the water. If the soda still doesn't foam, it's your soda that's the problem. Soda is much more susceptible to moisture in the atmosphere and loses its potency over time. Date your boxes of soda and replace them after a year if necessary.

lpinkmountain - Cake flour is milled from soft wheat and is also bleached, which is one thing I avoid in flour (although King Arthur has a new unbleached cake flour available). Whole wheat pastry flour is also milled from soft wheat, but not so low in the protein as cake flour is. Using ALL cake flour (7.5-8.5% protein) would be a little too low in gluten for soda bread. I've seen soda bread recipes that use a portion of cake flour and all-purpose flour to lower the gluten level. Other flour choices would be Southern All-Purpose flours such as White Lily (which has always been the flour-of-choice for making biscuits for generations), Martha White, Gladiola, and Red Band. Yogurt is a good substitute for buttermilk because it is acid enough to react the soda in soda bread recipes, an acid ingredient is a MUST. Just give the yogurt a stir to liquefy it (which breaks up the curds), and you can add a little milk or water if you want to thin it a bit. In fact, yogurt (4.3-4.4 pH) is more acid than buttermilk 4.5-5.1 pH) - the lower the number the more acidic the food. Sour milk would also work, naturally soured or soured with lemon juice or vinegar. Powdered buttermilk is rather insipid, compared to commercial buttermilk. It just doesn't have that tangy flavor that is part of soda bread - BUT - if you want to use powdered buttermilk, you can use it to culture and make your own homemade buttermilk, and it will be nice and tangy like commercial buttermilk. How to: In a quart jar, place 1/2 c. buttermilk (commercial buttermilk or reconstituted buttermilk made from powdered buttermilk - according to package directions). Fill the remainder of the jar with regular milk. Stir well. Let stand in a warm place (at least 80°F - I place mine in the oven with the light on, as far from the light as possible). Leave the mixture until it clabbers - 12-18-hours. Stir when done and refrigerate. You can take a 1/2-cup of homemade buttermilk to culture your next (1-quart) batch of homemade buttermilk if you use it within two weeks. BTW - When making biscuits, once the liquid ingredients are added to the dry ingredients, keep mixing (by hand) to a bare minimum so you don't develop the gluten strands in the dough. I pat biscuit dough into a nice square with floured hands (no rolling pin) and then cut them into squares with a pizza cutter. When you cut biscuits into rounds, you have all that leftover dough which is balled up, patted out and cut again. Those biscuits are called "second cuts" and are generally more tough than first cuts because the gluten has been over-worked. So to save time and avoid second cuts, try cutting your biscuits into squares. -Grainlady

When I first started cooking, I didn't know that baking soda and baking powder were two different things. I thought they were interchangeable terms. The one I always had on hand was baking powder, so that's what I used whenever I made a particular recipe for chocolate chip cookies that actually called for baking soda. Everyone loved my chocolate chip cookies. I didn't learn the error of my ways until years later. You may be fine. It probably depends a lot on the particular recipe. I'm also curious to know how they turn out.

Roselin, this was an easy recipe. I made it for my MIL a few months back and she raved about it. So I thought it would be good for Christmas too. The recipe came from Allrecipes.com. Here's the recipe: Cinnamon Biscotti: Ingredients * 2 cups all-purpose flour * 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon * 1 teaspoon baking powder * 1/4 teaspoon salt * 2/3 cup white sugar * 6 tablespoons butter * 1 egg * 1 egg yolk * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract * 1 egg, beaten * 3 tablespoons white sugar * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Directions Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the 2/3 cup sugar and butter. Beat in 1 egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into two pieces. Roll each piece into a log about 9 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place logs on the prepared baking sheet and flatten slightly. Brush with the beaten egg. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden and firm to the touch. Cool for 15 minutes. On a cutting board, slice each log crosswise at a diagonal into 1/2 inch slices, using a serrated knife. Place back on the baking sheet, cut side down, and sprinkle with a mixture of the remaining cinnamon and sugar. Return to the oven for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until toasted. Cool on wire racks, and store in an airtight container.