The role of fat in baking can be briefly summarized as follows:

1. Aeration function. The ability of baking fat to mix in air during mixing is called the foaming property of the fat. It mainly uses solid fat and liquid oil to fix the small bubbles mixed in. The whipping ability affects the volume and quality of the product. The whipping ability of oil is very important for cream cakes, cream frostings and some Western pastries. The quality of whipping has a great influence on the formula, hardness and texture of the oil, the type and amount of emulsifier used, the room temperature and oil temperature during whipping, and the equipment used for whipping, etc.

2. Oily and crispy functions. The degree to which fat makes baked goods crispy is called oiliness. In the process of making baked products, after flour is mixed with wet materials, the flour particles will become sticky batter or dough due to moisture. The presence of fat will be suspended in the ingredients of batter and dough, forming a continuous fat film. It blocks the adhesion of flour particles and gives baked goods a crispy effect after baking. For example, if the oil ratio of cookie products is increased and the wet materials are reduced, crisper and fluffier cookie products can be obtained. Among fats, lard has the best oiliness. The melting point of fat is related to the oiliness. Generally speaking, it is softer and has a lower melting point. It is harder and has a higher melting point and higher oiliness. The finished product will be crisper.

3. Stable function. In the production of cream cake, when the oil is mixed with air, the oil stably preserves countless small bubbles. Then other dry and wet materials are added, and mechanical stirring increases the gluten of the batter, making the cake easier to bake. Before or during baking, the ability of the two to support air bubbles is used to prevent the batter from collapsing until the starch and gluten in the batter are heated, denatured and solidified to form a fixed structure. Therefore, the mixture of fat and air has the function of stabilizing the batter in the early stages of baking. The smaller the number of bubbles in the batter, the greater the expansion force, the finer and more uniform the texture, and the better the appearance of the baked goods.

4. Emulsifying function of oil and fat. Oil is added to the dough during mixing. During the mixing process, the oil forms a thin film at the interface between starch and gluten. After this film is closely combined with the gluten, it can soften the gluten, slow down the water loss and aging of the bread, and improve the texture of the bread. Soft and smooth mouthfeel.

5. The shortening function of fat. To make oil-coated products such as waffles, puff pastry, and Danish, roll out the dough and put a piece of grease on top. Then wrap it, roll it, and fold it into 64 to 91 layers of dough. In this dough, there is an oil layer in every two layers of dough. When this oil layer is baked, the water in the oil will form water vapor when heated. At this time, the solid oil also turns into liquid oil and is coated on the surface of the dough to form a thin film that can isolate the water vapor. The power of the water vapor is used to hold the dough up. By layering, you can get crispy and layered puff pastry products.

6. Retain the aroma and provide taste. Fat is often a carrier of flavor. The flavor substances formed during the baking process can be captured by the fat and retained in the baked food, giving the baked food a more fragrant flavor. In addition, during the frying process, the complex reaction between fat and baked goods can produce a rich flavor and crispy texture. The appearance, flavor and texture of fried food produced using different fats are also different.

7. Oil can increase nutrition and enhance flavor. Each gram of fat can provide nine calories. At the same time, edible fat can provide fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K and other carriers to provide the calories and nutrients needed for human growth.

8. Process performance of grease. Shortening - plasticity - fusion - freeness - emulsification - flavor and nutrition, there are many kinds of baking fats, and their operability is also different. There are a dazzling array of baked products, and the production methods are even more complicated.