Butter, shortening, margarine and oil are types of fat we use in bread baking and pastry making. They are quite essential to baking because they shorten gluten strands developed during the fermentation process of a dough, contribute to the leavening process, provide flavor, add moisture and richness, and extend the shelf life of baked products. The texture and/or flavor of a baked product rely a great deal on the type of fat being used and the manner in which it is combined with other baking ingredients. Because shortening is 100% fat, it is usually used to add crispiness to cookies, and produce tender and very flaky products as in biscuits, tarts and pies crusts. Baked products made with margarine and butter however, have slightly different texture, and are not as flaky as those made with shortening; butter and margarine are composed of water and fat, and this composition is likely to alter the texture and flavor of the product. As for oil; while many people prefer the strong distinctive taste and flavor of olive oil in baking Italian bread like focaccia, ciabatta and pizza, it might not be the right choice for baking cakes, cookies or other pastries. Vegetable oil "other than olive oil", on the other hand, yields successful baking results when used for baking muffins, cake, ready cake mixes and some quick bread; and is likely to end up with tender, fine and crumbly-textured baked products.
Below is a brief about each type:
Butter: consists of 80% dairy fat, 15% water and 5% non-fat milk solids. Unlike shortening and margarine, butter doesn't contain hydrogenated fat, which is an important health concern for many people. Butter can pick up flavors easily, and become rancid if kept in the refrigerator for a long time. Therefore, it is recommended that you keep it in the freezer, and thaw as needed. If your recipe calls for butter to be at a room temperature, let it thaw out on your kitchen counter till it comes to a room temperature, then use it. However, if you are preparing pie crusts, biscuits, danish, and/or croissant, butter must be very cold, so keep it in the freezer till you are ready to work with. Because butter has a low melting point, it becomes soft and liquid-like at a room temperature, and as a result of that some pastry dough made with butter like mentioned above might be uneasy to work with, unless kept chilled. Furthermore, overworking these kinds of pastry dough causes butter to melt, and may very well ruin the dough. Available in grocery stores two types of butter:
- Unsalted Butter: fresh with sweet taste, and perfect for baking uses, especially in recipes calling for high butter content, and in which the flavor of butter is dominant.
- Salted Butter: with salt being a preservative, salted butter lasts longer in the refrigerator compared to unsalted butter. In case your recipe calls for large amount of butter, and you ran out of unsalted butter, you may use salted butter instead while adjusting the amount of salt in the recipe. Usually, 1 stick of unsalted butter can be replaced by 1 stick of salted butter while omitting 1/2 tsp of salt from the recipe you are preparing.
Margarine: made of low amount of water and hydrogenated vegetable oil to which color and flavor are added. Unlike butter, it lacks the desirable taste and flavor, and has a slightly higher melting point which make it easier to keep firm and work with in a dough. While perfect for making rolled in dough and other pastries, people prefer to avoid hydrogenated fat for health reasons.
Shortening: usually white, solid and flavorless hydrogenated fat, made of vegetable oils or animal fat. Shortening is manufactured for baking purposes, and is often used by commercial bakeries due to the long shelf life of hydrogenated products . It is 100% fat with no water, and has a high melting point which make it perfect for baking tender, flaky and/or crispy baked products.
Vegetable and Olive Oil: contrary to solid fats, oil lacks the ability to aerate. Rather, it blends readily throughout a pastry batter or dough, resulting in shorter gluten strands, and thus tender, crumbly-textured baked products. While vegetable oil may be suitable for baking cakes, muffins and some quick bread, olive oil may not. The strong distinctive flavor of olive oil is often preferred in bread and pizza.
