Hi Everyone,
Getting into the healthy mood? While we promote sugar packed baked goods, we know how it goes. We’re all looking for ways to eat baked goods guilt free. Have a few muffins and not regret it? I’m in!
Don’t forget though! If you’re not in a healthy mood – here’s your chance to have some fun. Enter to win 10% on your next order? So simple. All it involves is a little baking’ love.
Today we’ll discuss applesauce. We mentioned it briefly in the past, but it’s time to dedicate some more text for this incredible ingredient.
Applesauce is by far a favorite when it comes to substituting fat. Obviously when you’re eating it alone it will taste like apples, but in baking it’s relatively flavor-neutral, it’s versatile, lending moisture and a hint of sweetness to oatmeal muffins, gingerbread, whole-wheat waffles and many other wholesome snacks and breakfast treats. Basically? It’s Awesome. Capital A.
First off, applesauce is best suitable as a substitute for liquid fat (i.e. oil), and not solid fat, such as butter or margarine. Don’t substitute the whole amount called for, since you still want some fat for the flavor and consistency. You can substitute about 1/2 – 3/4 of the amount called for.
The science behind it?
Fat tenderizes baked goods, preventing water from bonding with the protein in flour and inhibiting gluten formation. Low-fat baked goods can be rubbery from too much gluten, so when using applesauce in place of fat, you want handle your ingredients with care to avoid this result.
How?
- Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until your batter is just moistened. Do NOT over-mix, since vigorous stirring will encourage gluten to form.
- Over-baking cakes, muffins or quick breads made with applesauce even for just a few minutes will also make them dry. Make sure you test as soon as your timer beeps and  pull them out of the oven just as soon as a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Now, not every recipe is suitable for low-fat adaptation. Even though we’d like to think that everything can be guilt free. Fat has a purpose in life friends!  It gives baked goods their chewiness and crispiness. If you substitute applesauce for fat in a chocolate chip cookie recipe it will give you pale, flat, damp imitations of the real thing. Not cool :/
Enjoy your applesauce AND your baked goods!
~Love from Our Kitchen to Yours,
A Taste of Home in Israel