Essentials of Baking: Fats, Greasing the Wheel
I can see it perfectly in my mind, Ina Garten tips an entire pound of butter into her mixer. You stare in horror, how could anything good come of this? Believe it or not, Ina is absolutely right. Baked goods need a lot of fat, and often times, that means butter. Which brings us to today’s topic, fat. Specifically, butter, shortening, and oil. Sometimes, you may come across a recipe with a lot of fat. Oil based cake, gingersnaps, and some other cookie recipes may end up looking like a greasy, soupy mess in the bowl. But believe me, the fat makes all the difference.
There are lots of fats that are used in the kitchen, but for baking there are only a few that are used most often. These are butter, neutral oil, vegetable shortening, and sometimes lard, margarine, or ghee. These are divided into two categories, liquid fats and solid fats. I’ll go over both kinds in this article, as well as including some tips on which ones are best for different purposes, and common ratios to help you make your own recipes!
Before we start, what do fats even do for a baked good? The answer, a lot. The principle role of fats is flavor. They give baked goods their rich quality, and delicious flavor. Treats with a lot of fat have the best mouthfeel, a chocolate cake with no fat would have a chalky, dense texture. Fat also adds moisture, preventing baked goods from drying out in the oven. Remember the gluten development from the other posts? It comes into play with fat too. When you add fat to a dough or batter, it coats the proteins that form gluten. Preventing gluten formation, helps reduce the chance of over mixing. Less gluten formation gives cakes there tender, airy crumb, and cookies their light texture. Believe it or not, that’s not all fat does. Fat is also a leavener, especially butter. When you cream sugar and butter, air is incorporated into the mix, which is the reason that the mixture doubles in size. Also , butter contains water, which evaporates and adds lift. Think of puff pastry, the butter between the layers releases steam, which creates the flaky, crispy layers that we know and love! As you can see, fat does a lot for baked goods, but which kinds are best for different recipes?
First, we’ll be talking about solid fats. The ones that we use most commonly for baking are shortening and butter. In general, I would not suggest substituting a liquid fat for a solid one, as this will change the taste of the final product. Also, when solid fats are cooled after baking, they solidify and help maintain the structure of the baked good. When buying solid fats, opt for stick or lump butter, as many spreads with less then 80% fat will change the reactions of your treats while they’re baking.
Butter, not just for toast!
Butter is delicious on toast, scones, bagels, and pretty much everything bready! But they can also be a saving grace in baking. Butter is about 81% fat, and also contains water and milk solids. The water is what gives pastry its layers, and the milk solids contribute to flavor. Also, steps like creaming butter and sugar add air and volume to cake batter, improving the texture and rise of the cake. Butter is the most commonly used fat in baking, and unsalted is usually the best option, as you’ll be adding your own salt in the recipe. Butter is a perfect middle ground as it adds flavor, makes for tender cakes, cookies with moderate spread, and flaky pie crusts. It is also readily available, which is good, because you’ll be needing a lot of it! Most recipes include a lot of butter, but it is important for the overall outcome.
Shortening, an old standby
Shortening is the second most common solid fat, and is used in many “old fashioned” recipes. While you may consider it out dated, shortening actually does great things for baked goods. Vegetable shortening is 100% fat, which means that it yields an even more tender crumb then butter. It also reduces shrinking in the oven. This is because the high fat content means there is less water to evaporate, compared to butter with 81% fat. Also, shortening has a higher melting point then butter, 118 F. This means that treats like cookies will spread less during baking, because they have more time to set before the shortening melts and spreads out. If you’re looking for thick, tender cookies, shortening is the way to go. However, shortening can lead to a greasy product, so consider that when deciding whether to use it. Shortening is best used in pie crusts, as they won’t shrink, cakes that are meant to be very tender, and thick, tender cookies.
There you go, the 2 most common solid fats. Most recipes employ solid fats, but treats like gingersnaps, gingerbread, and carrot cake use oil instead. In fact, there’s an entire group of cakes that are considered “oil based” (stay tuned for recipes). These are delicious, and oil plays a pivotal role in their flavor and texture. Next, we’re going to talk about what oil does in recipes, and when to use it instead of butter.
Oil, jack-of-all-trades
You’re probably familiar with olive oil, as it’s commonly used in cooking. However, for baking, you should steer clear of olive oil. It has a strong flavor, and can be overpowering in a cake that uses it for fat. Instead, opt for neutral oils, like canola, grapeseed, and vegetable. Occasionally, some recipes may call for olive oil specifically, so always be sure before adding the fat. Because oil doesn’t contain any water, it doesn’t help with leavening, and therefor can’t substitute for solid fats. But, solids fats can be melted to replace liquid ones, just be aware that it may change the flavor and texture of the finished product.
Despite oil being less common, it does provide a great texture to baked goods, which is why there is a whole section of oil-based cakes and other treats. Oil gives baked goods a rich, moist quality, and yields an even more tender crumb than butter, due to the 100% fat content. This makes it a great choice for some cakes, which will be light and fluffy. In some baked goods, like carrot cake, certain ingredients are heavy, and release a lot of moisture in the oven. Because of this, oil is the best option, as it won’t release any extra steam, and help prevent a dense cake. Oil is often used in carrot cake, coconut cake, gingerbread, gingersnaps, chiffon, and many cakes flavored with citrus.
So now let’s talk about developing your own recipes. Sometimes, it can be difficult to decide which fat to use. If you’re making pie crust or cookies you don’t want to spread, shortening is your best option, but don’t use it for pastry, as no layers will develop. If you’re making a cake with dense, moisture ridden ingredients, or want a tender, airy crumb in the finished product, opt for oil. For everything else, butter will work perfectly. To make pie crust, use 3:2:1, three parts flour, to two parts fat, to one part water. For sponge cake it’s simple, 1:1:1:1, or one part flour, to one part egg, to one part sugar, to one part fat. And finally, cookies are 3:2:1 like pie crust, three parts flour, to two parts fat, to one part sugar.
That’s all there is to it! Fats are pretty simple when you break them down, but they do a lot for baked goods. They provide richness, moisture, and a light, airy texture to cakes and other baked goods. In other recipes, they prevent pie crusts from shrinking, and cookies from spreading. Butter even releases the moisture that gives pastry its delicious layers. Now that you’ve read this article, you’ll know what fat does in recipes, what different fats are used for, and ho to incorporate them into your own recipes. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll be able to check off another box, and grow more confident in the kitchen!
If you have any questions about this, or any other post, please comment below. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. If you’re looking for more information about fats, or have questions about using them in your recipes, you can also comment below. Also, I love to see your baking creations! Next time you whip something up, snap a picture and tag me, or email it to me! I am also happy to give you feedback and tips on recipes you’re developing, just send them my way and I’ll be happy to help. Until next time, happy baking!
