Substitute For Shortening In Biscuits

Vegetable shortening is widely available at supermarkets throughout the United States. Many people, however, are unaware of the contents of the shortening package. To recap the impacts of shortening in baked goods, it is excellent for producing the light, flaky texture that we love in pie crusts and biscuits.

However, how can vegetable shortening contribute to this texture? And, if you don’t have any vegetable shortening on hand, are there any substitutes that are better for your health as well as your baking needs?

We’ve addressed all of your queries in this post, so you’ll be ready the next time you need to replace vegetable shortening in a recipe. Learn how to correctly replace these ingredients in biscuit recipes for the greatest results.

ShorteningNutrition Facts

What is Shortening?

Vegetable shortening is a solid fat made from vegetable oils such as soybean and cottonseed that have been chemically hydrogenated and solidified. Vegetable shortening is utilized in a wide range of recipes, from homemade flour tortillas to white cakes. While shortening does not add much flavor to baked goods, it does provide richness and smoothness.

Vegetable shortening is often used to make short doughs or doughs with a high fat-to-flour ratio, such as pie crusts. This is because the fat in vegetable shortening covers the flour, preventing water from initiating gluten synthesis. As a result, vegetable shortening is often used to shorten gluten strands and inhibit their development in dough.

Vegetable shortening biscuits are a common breakfast alternative in many families. When vegetable shortening is used in biscuit recipes, the result is flaky, soft, and plump biscuits that are entirely satisfying when eaten.

Uses of Shortening in Biscuit Recipes

Vegetable shortening is employed because it is nearly completely composed of solid fat, which contributes to the flakiness of pie crusts, the stability of icings, and the prevention of baked foods from spreading excessively during baking.

Vegetable shortening is often used in biscuit recipes because of the short or crumbly texture it produces throughout the heating and baking processes.

The following are some biscuit recipes that usually include shortening:

• Classic Southern buttermilk biscuits
• Baking powder biscuits
• Crisco biscuits
• Flaky buttermilk biscuits
• Coconut oil biscuits
• Chewy chocolate chip cookies
• Peanut butter cocoa cookies
• Chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies
• M & M cookies
• Chocolate-dipped espresso shortbread
• Easy triple chocolate cookies
• Easy self-rising biscuits
• No milk biscuits
• All-purpose biscuits
• Dairy-free biscuits

Substitutes for Shortening in Biscuits

Vegetable shortening is popular because of the impact it adds to baked goods. The inclusion of vegetable shortening, in particular, guarantees that biscuits are flaky, flavorful, and crumbly.

There is no need to be concerned if there is a shortage of vegetable shortening for use in biscuit recipes. There are many choices that may easily replace shortening while still producing pleasant results.

These substitute options are described below:

Coconut Oil

In biscuit recipes, virgin coconut oil may be used in lieu of shortening. Because coconut oil, like vegetable shortening, is solid at room temperature, it may be used in a variety of biscuit recipes.

When coconut oil is used for vegetable shortening in biscuit recipes, the final result is flaky biscuits with a slightly sweet, nutty taste. The delicate coconut taste complements curries and tropical fruit jams and jellies well.

Cream

If you want to try something new, use heavy whipping cream to make a soft and flaky biscuit. Cream biscuits are made using all-purpose flour and cornstarch, as well as baking powder, sugar, and salt. Heavy cream provides the biscuit’s fat and moisture.

Instead of chopping in butter and shortening, just whisk in heavy cream until the dough comes together. In biscuit recipes, you cannot immediately swap cream for shortening since the results may be undesirable.

Canola Oil

Canola oil is a better option to shortening since shortening, butter, and coconut oil are all bad fats for the heart. You may create a healthier biscuit by swapping canola oil for the traditional fat in biscuit recipes.

Canola oil may be used for shortening in biscuit recipes, but it must be mixed in with the milk or buttermilk rather than incorporated into the flour mixture. The biscuits will be mushy rather than flaky, as shortening biscuits are.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can you use oil instead of shortening in biscuits?

In recipes that call for it, vegetable oil may be substituted for melted shortening. If you use vegetable oil instead of shortening in recipes like pie crust, biscuits, or scones, the dough will not puff up correctly because pockets of fat will not develop.

Can I use butter instead of shortening in biscuits?

Yes, butter and shortening may be used interchangeably and as a one-to-one substitute in baked items. However, since butter and shortening are two very different ingredients, the results of your baked goods may differ depending on which fat you use.

Why are my homemade biscuits hard?

Overcooking or high-temperature baking results in brick-like biscuits that seem fine on the exterior. If you use too many dry ingredients, the dough may become rigid. The remedy is to line your tray with parchment paper, which may help soften it. Reduce the heat as well as the cooking time.

Conclusion

Vegetable shortening may seem to be an absolute need in biscuit recipes, but there are a variety of substitutions that may be used to get the same results. This article will teach you about these alternatives and the characteristics that make them suitable for replacing shortening in biscuit recipes.

It is also critical to understand how to correctly replace these possibilities in the best technique and quantity to get the greatest texture and flavor in your biscuits. So, the next time you bake biscuits and don’t have any shortening on hand, consider one of our recommended substitutions.