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Adding olive oil to baked items strikes a balance between health and indulgence while enhancing the overall taste.
Using olive oil in your baked goods is an innovative way to enhance the nutritional value. (Representative Image)
Olive oil has become popular in recent years given the increasing consumer awareness of its health benefits. While modern users are switching to it in cooking, few know that olive oil can be an excellent substitute for butter in baking. Using olive oil in your baked goods is an innovative way to enhance the nutritional value of your favourite treats while preserving their rich, satisfying flavours.
Talking about the health benefits, Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats (MUFA) and antioxidants, making it a wiser choice than butter. Apart from this, it also improves the texture of baked goods. It helps cakes stay moist, cookies more crunchy, and breads more tender.
When used in baking, olive oil adds a subtle depth of flavour to cakes, muffins, and cookies, enriching them without overwhelming the other ingredients. There are three varieties of olive oil available in the market: extra virgin olive oil, olive oil designed for Indian cooking, and classic olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is ideal for Mediterranean-style desserts due to its robust flavour and aroma, while classic olive oil offers a milder taste, and olive oil for Indian cooking has a more neutral flavour. The choice of oil depends on the desired flavour profile of the dish.
For baking, you can choose a lighter variety of olive oil, such as light or extra light, to maintain a mild flavour that allows the other ingredients in the recipe to shine.
Furthermore, using olive oil could extend the freshness of baked treats, preventing them from getting spoilt too quickly as olive oil is rich in antioxidants. Using about three-quarters of the amount of butter specified in the recipe can help retain moisture in the baked goods while lowering the saturated fat content. Thus, adding olive oil to baked items strikes a balance between health and indulgence while enhancing the overall taste.
Whether you’re just starting to experiment in the kitchen or are an expert cook, olive oil is an incredibly versatile ingredient that brings a healthy twist to traditional recipes. Its ability to enrich flavours of food along with its health benefits, makes it a valuable addition to any recipe.
Reference: https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/recipe/baking-with-olive-oil-move-over-butter-for-cakes-and-cookies-try-these-tips-and-tricks-for-delicious-results-101733495203735.html
