To be passionate about baking in Colorado Springs means understanding the effects of 6,000 feet of altitude on what you’re attempting to make – and Leah Johnson, owner of Le Petit Croissant, an online Patisserie, has become a master at that. It was a result of her struggle to make favorite baked goods after moving here from Boston, which sits roughly at 58 feet in altitude.

Now, to help other bakers, she started a Facebook group page called Baking 911: Tips, Fails, High Altitude Tricks, (/tinyurl.com/ya4663cx).

“I learned a lot about recipe adjustment the hard way,” she said. “I can assure you that just about any sea-level recipe can be conquered at altitude.”

Johnson latched on to social media as a way of reaching frustrated high-altitude cooks, and in a short time amassed 1,000 members.

“The members of this group are extremely generous with the tips and tricks they share,” she said. “I feel so fortunate that so many knowledgeable, experienced bakers are willing to help.”

It may not come as much of a surprise that the two most asked questions are, “Why do my cookies spread at high altitude?” and “Why does my cake sink in the middle?”

“The answer to both questions is the same,” she said. “In layman’s terms, high altitude means there’s less pressure on the batter or dough in the oven — as well, chemical leaveners, like baking powder and baking soda, which are activated more quickly. As a result, the bubbles that the leaveners produce are created more quickly, then rise to the surface before they’ve had time to get baked into a structure. Then they burst when they hit the surface because of the lower air pressure on the batter.”

The result?

“Lack of a gluten structure, which makes cakes fall and cookies spread,” she said.

The fix?

“Add a little more flour to increase the gluten. And add a little more liquid to prevent the extra flour from drying things out and cut the leavener by 25 to 50% in the Springs area,” she said. “Yeast doughs, however, don’t need the yeast adjusted until you hit maybe 8,000 feet and higher.”

In addition to managing her Facebook group, Johnson markets her homemade goodies at several outlets. She has a “storefront” on the SOCO Virtual Farmer’s Market page, tinyurl.com/2p9xafnj, where she sells handmade croissants, macarons, scones, jams, granola, quiches and seasonal items.

The virtual market (tinyurl.com/yc7k7ne5) is “where people can order their produce, baking and other goodies online in one location, then pick up on Saturday mornings at the Ranch Foods Direct store on Town Center Drive,” she said. “All vendors are small, local businesses. In the pickup weeks, the market closes at Thursday noon so vendors can have that Thursday afternoon and all day Friday to fulfill orders.”

All of her pastries are made from premium ingredients, using time-honored pastry methods.

“Many of my recipes have been in development for literally years, and most have been customer-approved by real-time feedback on samples at my farmer’s market booth,” she said.

Speaking of which, in the summer, you can find her at several local farmers markets.

You can reach out to Johnson with baking questions by emailing her at info@lepetitcroissant.com. Or order from her website at LePetitCroissant.com. Johnson is also offering French brunches and French dessert tables for weddings, showers and other special events.

Contact the writer: 636-0271.