fats and oils

12. Shortening effects of oil
• 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.

14. How does it happen?
• Oils and fats are used in a baked product to
reduce the development of gluten giving the
foods a crumbly texture. The fats and oils break
down the gluten into “shorter strands” hence the
term shorteners.
• Coating the flour in fat prevents the flour from
absorbing water hindering the formation of
gluten. If too much gluten developed, the food
would be stretchy and elastic.
• Shortening is used in most doughs and batters, to
give the baked product a crisp and crumbly
texture.