What does shortening do in yeast bread

Due to significant differences in flavor and water content, inexperienced bakers should use bread recipes designed for the use of shortening. Substituting shortening for butter when baking yeast breads at home is complicated the most by the differences in water content between the products.

A dough containing a high percentage of moisture will rise more quickly than a dry dough. Highly experienced bakers can switch between using shortening and butter while baking to adjust the rising time of yeast breads according to their scheduling needs.

Shortening lacks any strong flavor that can be detected in the final product. Avoid substituting shortening in recipes which prescribe the usage of salted butter, as this can result in a flat-tasting final product. Newsletter Shop Help Center. Home Cooking. Log In Sign Up. Baking Bread. This is my first post of this kind so sorry for the rambling that is to follow. Want to stay up to date with this post? Log In or Sign Up to comment.

Entertaining The Ultimate Guide to Thanksgiving by Kristin Donnelly The best way to cook a stress-free dinner is to think ahead, which is why we've created this comprehensive Trending Discussions. There are so many variables and what-ifs, while the months of trialling, testing, tweaking and perfecting are performed with a diligence of scientific precision, rather than sweeping creativity.

So, how exactly do you use shortening in baking? When it comes to creating beautifully golden, tasty foods, the science is supported by one simple ingredient — baking shortening.

So, what is baking shortening? How does it stack up against butter or liquid oils? Can it really make or break a dish and what should you be using? Shortening is a fat product that can be made percent from vegetable fats and oils. It is commonly used to replace butter within baking procedures and is dairy free. The lack of water content within shortening reduces the risk of products going soggy, ensuring they remain crunchy and sturdy for longer periods.

Unlike oil, shortening remains solid at room temperature allowing it to be stored and stacked within pantries and throughout the kitchen; whilst butter is solid, it cannot withstand long periods of pastry processing, such as rolling and folding. From creating chocolate and confectionery items to baking sweet or savoury goods and even frying foods, shortening can be used in a number of different ways throughout a commercial kitchen.

More often than not, it is added to recipes that require batters and doughs, as well as dessert fillings, creams and sauces as it can be melted, softened and creamed. The high fat content in shortening contributes to the moistness of goods providing them with a softer, fluffier texture.

While ensuring the consistency of goods is up to standard, shortening also contributes to the golden colouring of baked dough, as well as the thick creaminess of fillings and ganache recipes. So, while chefs and bakers continue to opt for shortening products for their mouth-watering dishes, deciding what type to use and when still requires careful consideration. Best use : bread loaves, rolls, pie bottoms, muffins, buns, donuts.

It shortens the gluten strands in wheat, which provides three textural attributes in baked goods:. When used in a product, or a the medium to be cooked in, these three textural characteristics are heightened. Shortening is created from liquid oil by hydrogenation. Hydrogenation is the process of adding extra hydrogen atoms to the vegetable fats, consequently turning them into solids from a liquid state. In short, turning previously unhydrogenated oil into a partially-hydrogenated oil PHO with trans fatty acids.

Not all shortening is made with trans fatty acids. Trans fat free varieties can be produced by enzyme catalyzed interesterification 1 or fully hydrogenation oil blending with other oils.

This is accomplished by preventing the cohesion of wheat gluten strands during mixing, this action physically shortens the strands of gluten resulting in a less elastic and sticky protein. Shortening is great for frying. Since it has a low percentage of unsaturated fatty acids, it shows higher resistance to oxidation and rancidity than alternative typical vegetable oils that may be used for frying.

Shortening is used for creaming due to its ability to incorporate large volumes of air bubbles. This creates a fine, delicate structure in the end product.