Fats give baked goods the texture and flavor that we crave.  Melt-in your mouth pie crusts, tender, crispy, chewy cookies etc…  At the same time fats have high caloric impacts and fats that are typically used in baked goods are generally either hydrogenated and contain trans fat or have high levels of saturated fat, which can be harmful to our health.

Saturated fats are found in animal products such as butter, lard or cream as well in tropical fats such as palm and coconut oil, and have been shown to be detrimental toward human health (atherosclerosis, CVD etc…)

Polyunsaturated are neutral toward human health and are found in vegetable oils such as canola

Monounsaturated fats are beneficial toward human health when they replace saturated fats and can be found in olive and canola oil.

Whenever possible it’s best to replace saturated fats with poly or monounsaturated fats, but in baking this can be quite difficult.

Some fat is essential for baking, fat replacements such as applesauce and fruit purees can definitely replace some of the fat, but are most suitable for cakes, and muffins because they tend to produce cakey textures, which are not suitable for crisp cookies.

Trying to replace butter or shortening with oil to decrease saturated fat levels can be quite challenging.  Batter baked goods are much easier to substitute with oil.  Often when trying to decrease saturated levels blending a shortening with oil can be successful too.  Some baked products are very difficult to substitute with oil—crisp cookies for example.  When making cookie dough with oil you miss the essential creaming stage which provides a nice soft cookie dough, easy to handle and when baked gives you a melt in your mouth crisp texture.  When substituting with oil you can get  a hard dough, with oil leaking out, and a very different texture.

Coasun’s shortening alternative provides a great way to utilize healthy oils in a structure shortening alternative.  CoasunSA has the consistency of a shortening and makes a soft, subtle easy to handle dough without any oil leakage, and crisp product texture, with the health benefits of baking with oil, minus the processing inconveniences of baking with oil.

A great baking combination is utilizing Coasun’s structuring technology with Nutrisun’s high stearic high oleic sunflower oil.   Check out their website @ http://www.advantaseeds.com/prod-nutrisun.php

“Nutrisun High stearic-high oleic sunflower oil is the first oil with unique physicochemical and functional properties, which offers a healthy alternative for food elaboration. Basically we achieved a novel natural oil in the sunflower seed: HSHO (High Stearic – High Oleic) which has 18% Stearic (S) and 70% of Oleic (O) with high levels of Sat-O-Sat (12-15%) triglycerides.” taken from http://www.advantaseeds.com/prod-nutrisun.php

Nutrisun is semi-solid at room temperature and can be incorporated as the oil phase in Coasun’s shortening alternative.  Baked goods made combining these two technologies will decrease saturated fat levels in baked goods, while maintaining the processing capability of a shortening for those high saturated fat baked goods.  After some preliminary testing CoasunSA utilizing Nutrisun produces delicious crispy, melt-in your mouth cookies—A Great Combination!

It’s that time of year again…..the leaves are bright with yellow, orange and red, there’s a chill in the air and pumpkins are in season!!  Thanksgiving is around the corner (in Canada literally 2 days away) and this Pumpkin Walnut Loaf is a great addition to a turkey feast or a perfect hostess gift.  The cake is moist, light, crunchy with walnuts and deeeeelicious!!  I got a great new pumpkin loaf pan- perfect for this recipe!

Modified from www.joythebaker.com

31/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups light brown sugar

1/3 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree, or just under two cups

1 cup Coasun’s shortening alternative

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place a rack in the center of the oven.  Grease and flour two loaf pans (mine are 8×4×2) and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.

In a medium bowl, carefully whisk together pumpkin puree, Coasun’s shortening alternative and maple syrup.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a spatula to fold all of the ingredients together.  Fold in most of the chopped walnuts, reserving some to sprinkle on top of the batter once in the pan.

Divide the dough between the two greased pans and sprinkle with a few walnut pieces.  Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from the oven.  Let rest in the pans for 20 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack.

Enjoy & Happy Baking!

Nothing screams the beginning of summer like fresh, tart rhubarb!  With the plentiful green leaves and long stalks taking over half of my grandparents garden, I decided to let some of the other garden goodies get some sun, cut down the rhubarb and put it to good use.  Starting with a rhubarb coffee cake, quick, easy and delicious….also a little healthier with Coasun’s shortening alternative!

Here are the ingredient’s necessary to assemble this rhubarb packed coffee cake.  The buttermilk can be substituted for sour cream or yogurt.  I like the texture of the cake with buttermilk, and the decreased fat content when you don’t use sourcream (this cake recipe actually originated from a sour cream coffee cake recipe….modified obviously).

Coasun’s shortening alternative is softer than butter or margarine and easily incorporated into cakes.  A modified mix method is quick and easy, cuts down the time to make this cake, freeing up more of your time to make rhubarb goodies.  The modified mix method cuts CoasunSA into the pre-blended dry ingredients, then add the liquid ingredients, mix for 1 minute sprinkle the whole thing with cinnamon sugar and VOILA

Let the cake cool, flip it over and if you’ve sprayed some baking spray into your bundt pan before filling with batter, hopefully the cake comes out looking like this

Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe

1 cup Coasun’s shortening alternative

1 cup granulated sugar (you can do 1/2 brown, 1/2 white if you want)

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 c. whole wheat soft flour & 1 cup all- purpose)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2.5 cups diced rhubarb

Method

If you have a KitchenAid mixer (if you don’t, follow similar directions mixing by hand)

1. Pre-blend all dry ingredients for 1 minute on speed 1.

2. Add CoasunSA, blend for 30 second on speed 1.

3. Add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla, start mixing on low speed than increase to speed 4 for 1 minute.

4. Dump in rhubarb and blend on low until dispersed.

5. Distribute batter in a greased bunt pan and sprinkle cinnamon sugar (1/4 cup brown sugar + 2 tsp. cinnamon) on top.

5. Bake at 350 degrees C for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

6. Let cake cool, flip bunt pan over, slice and enjoy!

Happy Baking from Baker Britt

The article below appeared in the Yemen Times and was written by Salma Ismail. The original article can be found at: http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=1266&p=health&a=2.

The author provides an excellent well organized summary for the layman on saturated fats, and unsaturated.

Khalid stands at the Suq Al-Milh in the Old City of Sana’a taking in the smells of fried samboosa, falafel, French fries, zalabiya, khameera and khubz al-taawa. The famous snacks are outsold by 09:00 every day. They all taste so good, but is the oil they are all drenched in healthy? Like many Yemenis, he is unaware of the different types of fat and the different effects they have on his body. He gets his package and leaves with an ignorant smile on his face.

Although fat is an essential part of the diet, lots of people eat more than they need or is good for them. Lack of awareness and a high illiteracy in the country are to blame.

We do need fats in our diets as they help with nutrient absorption and nerve transmission, but eat too much and they can contribute to weight gain, heart disease and even certain types of cancer.

Fats are not created equal. Some fats are good for our health while others increase our risk of heart disease. The key is to replace bad fats with good fats in your daily diet.

There are two main types of fat found in food – saturated and unsaturated. Eating a diet that is high in saturated fat, over time can raise the level of cholesterol in your blood.

Worldwide, coronary heart disease killed more than 7.6 million people in 2005. The only cardiac centre in the country is at the Al-Thawra Hospital General Teaching Hospital in Sana’a. Overcrowded and understaffed, it receives no less than 150 patients a day, thus overwhelming resources, according to Dr. Aziz Saleh Al-Zindani, Head of the Cardiac Center.

However, without a Yemeni Heart Association, the country lacks specific information related to the prevalence of cardio-vascular disease.

With the 2009 Yemeni budget plan allocating only 5.7 percent of general expenditure to health services, according a recent analysis by the Civil Society Organizations Network for Development, understanding fats and choosing food wisely is essential to avoid having to see a doctor altogether.

Is cholesterol bad?

Surprisingly, cholesterol itself isn’t bad. In fact, cholesterol is just one of the many substances created and used by our bodies to keep us healthy. Some of the cholesterol we need is produced naturally, and can depend on your family’s health history, while some of it comes from the food we eat.

There are two main types of cholesterol to be concerned about: high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL).

High levels of LDL in the blood are considered to be bad. These lipoproteins leave cholesterol deposits on arterial walls. The cholesterol hardens into a waxy substance called plaque. Over time, the plaques narrow the opening of the affected vessel leaving blood less space to flow freely.

Those cholesterol plaques could break free from the walls of the arteries and with other substances, lodge in a smaller vessel causing a stroke, heart attack, or pulmonary embolism, which is a blot clot in the lung.

High levels of HDL in the blood are considered to be good. These lipoproteins remove cholesterol from arterial walls before they can form life-threatening plaques. The cholesterol is returned to the liver. The arteries are kept free from anything that might hinder blood flow to the organs of the body.

Within the category of cholesterol-containing foods, there are those that are cholesterol-high foods, while some may contain lesser amounts of cholesterol. Egg yolks as opposed to egg whites contain a very high amount of cholesterol. But of late, research has lead doctors to believe that egg yolks increase the HDL cholesterol, which is good for your heart, and not the LDL cholesterol that is bad for you.

Eating a diet that contains plenty of soluble fiber could also help to reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood. Good sources of soluble fiber include oats, beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, fruit and vegetables.

Saturated Fat

Saturated fats raise total blood cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol. In general, the main sources of saturated fat are from animal products: red meat and whole-milk dairy products, including cheese, sour cream, ice cream and butter. But there are also plant-based sources of saturated fat, principally coconut oil and coconut milk, palm kernel oil, cocoa butter, and palm oil.

Even though they are vegetable oils and have no cholesterol, they are high in saturated fats. And while you probably don’t go to the supermarket and buy these, these plant-based saturated fats crop up in a number of commercially prepared products. Cocoa butter is in chocolate. Coconut oil and palm oils are in anything from non-dairy whipped toppings and coffee creamers, to cookies and cakes.

Unsaturated fat: the good fat

Unsaturated fat helps fight the very diseases that consuming excess fat is said to cause. These unsaturated fats are divided into monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, and both types are thought to have beneficial effects on cholesterol levels.

Mono-unsaturated fats help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol while also boosting HDL (good) cholesterol. Polyunsaturated fats are also thought to help lower total and bad cholesterol. But mono-unsaturated fats tend to be favored over poly-unsaturated fats because some research suggests that polyunsaturated fats are less stable, and can reduce levels of good cholesterol as well as bad.

But let’s not ignore poly-unsaturated fats. These are often a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, found mostly in cold-water fish, nuts, oils and seeds, and also in dark leafy greens, flaxseed oils and some vegetable oils.

One kind of omega-3 fatty acid is an “essential fatty acid,” which cannot be manufactured by our bodies, so eating these foods is the only way to get them. Omega-3 fatty acids are thought to lower blood pressure, combat LDL cholesterol, fight inflammation and protect the brain and nervous system.

While unsaturated fats – both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated- are beneficial when consumed in moderation, saturated fat and trans-fat are not. Saturated fat and trans-fat raise the level of LDL or “bad” cholesterol. Therefore, it is advisable to choose foods low in both saturated and trans-fats as part of a healthy diet.

Trans-fat: the man-made fat

When it comes to fat, trans-fat -also called trans-fatty acids- is considered by some doctors to be the worst of all fats because of its blow on your cholesterol levels. Unlike other fats, trans-fat both raises your “bad” LDL cholesterol and lowers your “good” HDL cholesterol. Trans-fats may be mono-unsaturated or poly-unsaturated, but never saturated.

Manufacturers like using trans-fats in their foods because they’re easy to use, inexpensive to produce and last a long time. Trans-fats give foods a desirable taste and texture. Many restaurants and fast-food outlets use trans-fats to deep-fry foods because oils with trans-fats can be used many times in commercial fryers.

Trans-fats were invented as scientists began to hydrogenate fat, a process in which liquid vegetable oils are converted into solid fats. This enables them to withstand better the food production process and boast a longer shelf life for the products that contain them, so they stay in the supermarket for months or even years.

As a result of hydrogenation, trans-fatty acids are formed. The latter are found in many processed foods such as many margarines, biscuits, cakes and pies.

They are also found in commercially-fried food such as French fries or chicken from some fast food chains, packaged snacks such as microwaved popcorn, as well as in vegetable shortening and hard-stick margarine.

Unlike other dietary fats, trans-fats are not essential, and they do not promote good health, according to the US Food and Nutrition Board, at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

The consumption of trans-fats increases one’s risk of coronary heart disease by raising levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol and lowering levels of “good” HDL cholesterol, according to the US Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Health.

Authorities worldwide recommend that consumption of trans-fat be reduced to trace amounts. Trans-fats from partially hydrogenated oils are more harmful than naturally occurring oils.

Researchers at Harvard’s School of Public Health estimated that trans-fats contribute to 30,000 deaths a year in the US.

Cutting down on “bad fat”

While shopping at your local supermarket, it’s easy to check the label for saturated fat. Although these are sometimes disguised under the terms “saturates” or “sat fat,” food labels which tell you how much saturated fat is in the food. More than 5g sat fat per 100g is a high level, while 1.5g sat fat per 100g is low. If the amount of sat fat per 100g is in between these figures, then it is a medium level.

You can also spot trans-fats by reading ingredient lists and looking for the ingredients referred to as “partially-hydrogenated oils.” In particular, look for “partially hydrogenated” vegetable oil, another term for trans-fat. The word “shortening” also is a clue: Shortening contains some trans-fat.

In saturated fats, trans-fats and cholesterol – such as canola oil, corn oil, olive oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, soybean oil and sunflower oil – but use them sparingly, because they contain 120 calories per tablespoon. Stay away from coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil. Even though they are vegetable oils and have no cholesterol, they are high in saturated fats.

So the next time you decide to indulge in falafels or samboosa, try to ask the type of oil it was fried in. Steer away from them, if they don’t know what type.

Checking your food labels is also a must. However, living healthy isn’t only about making healthy food choices, you need to practice moderation, eat a wide variety of foods and get enough physical activity.

The article above appeared in the Yemen Times and was written by Salma Ismail. The original article can be found at: http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=1266&p=health&a=2.

Decadent Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

This decadent dark chocolate oatmeal cookie has been created and showcased in the Baker’s Journal 2007 recipe book to allow for indulgence in a delicious treat while keeping health in mind.  This lab scale recipe utilizes food ingredients of Canadian origin to be trans fat free, low in saturated fat and a source of antioxidants, iron, fiber, Omega 3- DHA, and vitamin C.  Since CoasunSA contains zero trans fats and is very low in saturates all of the allowed (Canadian) nutritional claims that are tied to saturated and trans fat content of the food can be made.  The addition of Vinifera Cabernet Powder gives the cookies a slight fruity aftertaste complimenting the addition of apple sauce while supplying a good source of antioxidants, iron and fiber.  Ocean Nutrition’s Meg-3^TM encapsulated fish oil supplies the cookies with a rich source of Omega-3 DHA for heart and brain health.  The dark chocolate provides the cookie with a fudgy flavor as well as a source of antioxidants, while the flaxseed meal and oats provide texture and fiber.   CoasunSA requires half the amount of time as regular shortening during the creaming process and easily incorporates the dry ingredients and chocolate chips.  It produces a cookie with a darker more chocolately appearance.  The cookie can be described as moist, chewy and fudgy, compared to the cookie made with palm shortening which is dry, crumbly and lighter in colour.

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees C

2.       Cream together CoasunSA, unsweetened apple sauce, white sugar, and brown sugar until incorporated.

3.       Melt dark chocolate, let cool.

4.       Mix cooled melted dark chocolate, eggs and vanilla to creamed mixture.

5.       Combine nutri flour blend, oats, flaxseed meal, Vinifera cabernet powder, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in  a separate bowl.

6.       Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and mix together.

7.       Add white chocolate chips.

8.       Scoop desired size onto baking sheet 26g for a 23g (portion controlled) cookie

9.       Bake for 12 minutes

10.   ENJOY!

Low saturated fat, trans fat free brownie

Kicked-Up Canadian Brownies

This is a large or small scale brownie recipe that was featured in the Baker’s Journal 2008 recipe book.  These ‘Kicked up Canadian Brownies’  utilize CoasunSA to make delicious trans fat free low saturated fat fudgy brownies, something that is not possible with industry standard palm based shortenings- see the nutritional comparison below. The ‘kick’ in this brownie is from B.C.’s fair trade, organic Kicking Horse^TM coffee- the darker the roast the better, and for a little extra crunch and flavour, some Canadian grown roasted hazelnuts. For a real Canadian eating experience, enjoy these brownies with a warm cup of Kicking Horse^TM coffee and some fresh Saskatoon blueberries

Method:

1. Brew strong coffee and let cool.
2. Add all ingredients except for hazelnuts to mixing bowl (Single stage mix).  Start on low speed and slowly increase to speed 3 for 1 minute.
3. Add hazelnuts and mix on low speed until incorporated.
4. Pretreat 8″ square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Deposit 500 grams in pan.
5. Bake at 350F for 24 minutes

Nutritional Facts Comparison of CoasunSA and Palm Shortening brownie

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