Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/11/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Daniel wrote: DR> It's the word "shortening" that gets me. What is shortening? Margarine is DR> a vegetable fat, is it a shortening? From baking911.com: Shorteners include butter, margarine or vegetable shortening. They coat the flour proteins or water-proof them, contributing to tender baking by reducing their contact with the moisture in the recipe and preventing gluten from forming. They also shorten the length of the gluten strands when the flour is stirred with that moisture (that's why they're called "shorteners"), preventing a tough baked good or tenderize. Fat coats the flour particles so the elastic formation slows down; it makes the gluten strands slippery so the gas bubbles can move easily; and it gives the final recipe a finer grain. Generally, when people refer to "moist" in a baked product, they are referring to the fat content. In traditional baking, where solid fats are creamed with crystalline sugar, tiny air cells are incorporated into the batter, so the baked good will have a fine, aerated texture. When a shortener is removed or reduced, it increases the chances that the end product will lack flavor and be tough and full of tunnels. Different types of fat do different jobs in baking. A well-known baking fat, butter makes a very important flavor contribution, whereas margarine does not have as fine a texture and taste. When choosing a shortener, I always go for the butter, even in reduced-fat baking where the small amounts help to retain a great taste and aroma. If you have dietary restrictions that make it necessary for you to reduce saturated fats in your diet, you can substitute a butter-margarine blend. The recipe won't taste the same if you use margarine. Fat can be found in other baking ingredients, such as the egg yolk which serves as both a tenderizer and emulsifier due to its fat and lecithin content. Oils do not act as a shortener because it is a liquid and won't cream with crystalline sugar in the same way that solid fat does. Oils tend to coat each particle of flour, which causes a lack of contact of moisture and helps prevent gluten development. It reduces dryness and enhances flavor. I use it sparingly in reduced-fat baking because it has the same number of calories and fat grams as butter, even though it has less saturated fat. - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html