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European Union shopWe are increasingly using olive oil for baking. With healthy lifestyle habits becoming more ingrained, we seek substitutes for saturated fats, such as lard or butter, and trans fats, such as margarine.
And what better substitute than olive oil? Extra virgin olive oil is of vegetable origin, so its percentage of saturated fat is minimal.
Sunflower oil or olive oil for baking?
Sunflower oil, also of plant origin, has always been used for cake and muffin recipes. Despite having numerous health benefits, olive oil is not used due to the erroneous idea that its flavour is more pungent and might overshadow the sweet taste.
Which olive oil is best for baking?
The best olive oil for baking does not mask the sweet flavour; that is, olive variety with a sweet and mild taste. Therefore, mild olive oil with 0.4º acidity, such as the Arbequina variety, is perfect for baking and used in all kinds of desserts.
0.4º olive oil is mild because it contains less extra virgin olive oil. It is an oil that has undergone a refining process in which it is mixed with extra virgin olive oils in lower proportions, giving it a lower acidity level, with a maximum of 0.4º.
Using Arbequina for baking
The Arbequina single variety extra virgin olive oil offers a peculiar freshly cut grass flavour. In addition to baking, Arbequina EVOO is perfect for toast, fish, and sauces. It is suitable for those who prefer mild flavours and the little ones in the house who are just starting with olive oil.
Characteristics
The Arbequina variety is the most important in Catalonia (its name comes from the town of Arbeca in Lleida), widely spread in Aragon and recently in Andalusia. Arbequina olive trees have the highest yield among all varieties. While the olives have a low pulp/pit ratio, their oil yield is 20.5%—one of the highest among the main olive varieties. They are very resistant to cold and produce excellent-quality oil.
Harvesting the olives
Olives ripen between early November and mid-December, so depending on when they reach their optimal ripeness each year, they are ready for harvesting between December and February.
Buy Arbequina olive oil
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Tips for substituting butter with olive oil in baking
Butter is usually 85% fat and 15% water. In comparison, extra virgin olive oil is almost 100% fat, so it is recommended that you follow these tips if you want to substitute butter with olive oil in your baking recipes.
– In the beginning, make a partial substitution of the butter until you get the hang of it.
– Due to the difference in fat and water composition, it’s better to reduce the amount of oil by 15 or 20% compared to the recipes stated amount.
– Bake for longer and at a lower temperature when using olive oil in recipes.
– Use Arbequina, mild (0.4º), or Empeltre olive variety for substitution.
Baking recipes where olive oil is not recommended
Just as there are recipes that are ideally suited to be made with olive oil, such as cakes, cookies, muffins, almond and hazelnut sweets, tarts, brownies, or for frying donuts or fritters, there are others where it is not advisable to use olive oil, such as: Croissants and puff pastry.