How do you break down gluten in dough?
Proteases (protein-snipping enzymes) begin cutting strands of gluten into smaller pieces that are able to make additional connections. Protease is found in very small amounts in wheat flour; an excess of it would cut gluten strands too much and have the opposite effect on the gluten network.
What is shortening called?
Shortening is any fat that is a solid at room temperature and used to make crumbly pastry and other food products. The reason it is called shortening is that it makes the resulting food crumbly, or to behave as if it had short fibers. Solid fat prevents cross-linkage between gluten molecules.
What is bakery shortening?
Shortening, by definition, is any fat that is solid at room temperature and used in baking. Shortening helps give baked goods a delicate, crumbly texture.
What is shortening agent?
Shortening, fats and oils of animal or vegetable origin used in most doughs and batters to impart crisp and crumbly texture to baked products and to increase the plasticity, or workability, of doughs. Important commercial shortenings include butter, lard, vegetable oils, processed shortenings, and margarine.
What are some examples of shortening?
A shortening is defined as a fat, solid at room temperature, which can be used to give foods a crumbly and crisp texture such as pastry. Examples of fat used as “shorteners” include butter, margarine, vegetable oils and lard. How does it happen?
Which is the factors look in shortening?
The functionality of a shortening is determined by three factors: i) ratio of the solid phase to the liquid phase in the shortening, ii) plasticity and iii) oxidative stability of the shortening. The solid fat index (SFI) is an analytical tool used to determine solid fat content in fats and oils.
Is shortening the same as butter?
The answer is yes, butter or shortening can be used interchangeably in baked goods and can be used as a one-to-one swap. Butter contains 80% butterfat and about 20% water (naturally occurring). Shortening is 100% hydrogenated vegetable oil and contains no water.
Can I mix butter and shortening?
Combining two different fats such as margarine and shortening will give a recipe some of each fat’s best qualities. For example, by using both butter and shortening in a cookie recipe, you will get the wonderful flavor of butter, while the shortening will keep the cookies from spreading too flat.
How do I turn butter into shortening?
In general, you can use a 1:1 ratio for when substituting butter in place of shortening. Making this substitution may slightly alter the texture of your baked goods.
Is butter or shortening better for pie crust?
The pros: Shortening has a higher melting point than lard or butter, so it’s easy to incorporate into pie dough and roll out. It’s also helpful when making any kind of decorative pie crust, because doughs made with shortening hold their shape the best during baking.
What does adding an egg to pie crust do?
Egg: This makes the dough more pliable and easy to roll out. Eggs also make the crust more compact. Acid and Alcohol: Both acid and alcohol tenderize pie dough, make it easier to roll out, and prevent it from shrinking in your pan.
What happens if you put too much butter in pie crust?
When put into the oven, the small chunks of butter inside the dough will create little steam pockets, and where the solid butter once was becomes an air pocket, thus creating a tender flaky crust. If the butter chunks are too big, you’ll have melted butter leaking from your pie crust as it bakes.
What causes butter to leak out of pastry?
Torn layers inside will cause leaking during proofing and baking. Fused layers won’t rise properly. Watch the dough with each pass of the rolling pin. If it shrinks back, immediately stop.