FATS/SHORTENINGS

Any fat acts as a shortening in baking because it shortens gluten strands and tenderizes the
product. However, we generally use the word shortening to mean any of a group of solid fats,
usually white and tasteless, that are especially formulated for baking. Shortenings generally
consist of nearly 100% fat. Shortenings may be made from vegetable oils, animal fats, or both.
During manufacturing, the fats are hydrogenated. This process turns liquid oils into solid fats.
Because shortenings are used for many purposes, manufacturers have formulated different
kinds of fats with different properties.
Regular Shortenings: These shortenings have a fairly tough, waxy texture, and small particles of
the fat tend to hold their shape in a dough or batter. Regular shortenings can be manufactured
to varying degrees of hardness. They have a good creaming ability. This means that a good
quantity of air can be mixed into them to give batter lightness and leavening power.
Emulsified Shortenings: These are soft shortenings that spread easily throughout a batter and
quickly coat the particles of sugar and flour. Because they contain added emulsifying agents,
they can hold a larger quantity of liquid and sugar than regular shortenings can. Thus, they give
a smoother and finer texture to cakes and make them moister.
BUTTER: Fresh butter consists of about 80% fat, about 15% water, and about 5% milk solids.
Many European butters have a higher fat content—about 82% or even more—and a lower
moisture content. , butter has two major advantages:
1. Flavor Shortenings are intentionally flavorless, but butter has a highly desirable flavor.
2. Melting qualities Butter melts in the mouth. Shortenings do not. After eating pastries or
icings made with shortening, one can be left with an unpleasant film of shortening coating the
mouth.
MARGARINE: Margarine is manufactured from various hydrogenated animal and vegetable
fats, plus flavoring ingredients, emulsifiers, coloring agents, and other ingredients. It contains
80 to 85% fat,10 to 15% moisture, and about 5% salt, milk solids, and other components. Thus,
it may be considered a sort of imitation butter consisting of shortening, water, and flavoring.
OILS: Oils are liquid fats. They are not often used as shortenings in baking because they spread through
a batter or dough too thoroughly and shorten too much. Some breads and a few cakes and quick breads
use oil as a shortening. Beyond this, the usefulness of oil in the bakeshop is limited primarily to greasing
pans, deep-frying doughnuts, and serving as a wash for some kinds of rolls.

FOUDATION OF BAKERY AND PASTRY – CHEF SANKET NAIK