Baking, Butter & Breaking Rules

Most baked goods consist of flour or meal, a fat and a liquid. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule. Some cookies are pure butter and flour. Some items use a leavening agent like baking soda.

An interesting fact that many devout recipe followers aren’t aware of is that there is a bit of leeway when it comes to liquid and fat. As long as the amounts (or ratios) remain the same, the kind of liquid or fat can be swapped out or mixed. When baking cake, for example, a recipe that calls for water or milk can be reinvented with chocolate milk, Coca Cola, juice or beer.

As for the oils – butter, shortening, coconut oil, olive oil – all valid, depending on what you’re going for. Salted and unsalted butter produce different results. Olive oil is better for savory breads. Coconut oil – when unrefined – leaves a hint of coconut flavor. Refined coconut oil is neutral. You can go half butter and half shortening; and some people even cut the eggs and oil with applesauce.

Chattanooga Butter a great combo – farm fresh milk from local grass fed cows and refined virgin coconut oil. While originally created as a spread FOR your baked goods, it can be used to bake! Think tart blueberry and yogurt muffins made with our Brandy Soaked Bordeaux Cherry Butter. Or an Italian loaf baked with our Roasted Garlic spread.

When baking with Chattanooga Butters, you’ll want to be mindful of our other fresh ingredients. There aren’t many, and everything we use is all-natural and organic. Our fruit butters will intrinsically include just a little bit of water, from the fruit itself – so you might go a tablespoon shy with your liquid. The sweet butters also contain sugar or honey, so you would go scant on your sugars.

We LOVE hearing about new recipes and uses for our butters…so please share if you come up with something tasty!