January 25, 2014 - 9:23am
Correct use of Soy Lecithin?
Hi Everyone. Can someone tell me how to use granular soy lecithin in an existing recipe? I have the granular soy lecithin from King Arthur Flour and on the front it says "Use 1-2 Tablespoons per 3 cups of flour", however, on the back it says, "Substitute 1-2 tablespoons per 3 cups of flour for an equal amount of fat in your recipe." Does anyone know which is it? Is it in addition or replace?
Thanks,
Sam
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Soy lecithin is a powerful emulsifier, and should be used in tiny amounts. The generally acknowledged optimum amount (in baker's percentage) is 0.25% of flour weight. I use a slightly lower amount, at 0.19%. Assuming that one teaspoon of lecithin granules weighs 2.5 grams, then you should be using 3/8 to 1/2 teaspoon per pound of flour. If it is assumed that 4 cups of flour weighs one pound, then the correct amount should be 3/8 teaspoon per 3 cups of flour. When measuring, the lecithin granules should be slightly "rounded" in the spoon to get the proper amount.
Bob
Hi Bob. Should I replace the fat with the lecithin or keep the same amount of fat that the recipe calls for?
Thanks,
Sam
You can keep the fat (preferably shortening) the same, or cut it back slightly. At a level of 0.25%, lecithin has the same benefits as 3% of shortening. Lecithin is not a fat replacer, but it makes shortening work better.
Why do you want to use lecithin? What do you want to achieve with it?
Just from the theory:
Very short version of what an emulsifying agent is: It makes fat and water mix better and therefore you need less fat and mixing for the same (or similar) results (e.g. the bead not becoming stale that fast, ...).
The answer to your question could be the following: Do you think your formula would more fat but you don't want to actually put it in or does your formula have too much fat and you want to decrease it without loosing some of its characteristics?
Practical experience I have very little. I just know that my Kaiser rolls need either lecithin or butter. I prefer butter :)
lg
Adrian
Thanks Guys. I am trying to stop my bread from becoming stale. It goes stale here in one day. So if I bake it today, it is worthless tomorrow.
Sam
try some more traditional techniques to make bread stale more slowly? For example, having a slow overnight bulk fermentation (or over the whole day, bake in the evening) or mixing a preferment? Even without using sourdough, a preferment can add a solid day to a bread's life, especially a stiff one, like a biga. I think that both methods are easy and do not take more time than mixing up a straight dough, in fact, they can be done even faster.
The only bread I made that was stale the next day was French bread (flour, water, yeast, and salt). I found that adding lecithin at a level of 0.19% delayed staling for several days. Since you have the lecithin already in your pantry, you might as well use it to your advantage. To prevent the lecithin granules from sticking together (and to keep freshness), refrigerate the lecithin granules in an air-tight container.