It's the holidays and I have set aside a day to bake up some goodies for the holidays. I have a few stand-bys that I make and I also try to incorporate some new treats every year. Some of my treats are healthy, but some aren't. This is the only time of the year when I have white flour and white sugar on hand. Perhaps I should make all healthy and wholesome goodies, but it is the holidays after all! Besides, I do have a few tricks I use to increase the health factor of some favourites.
This year I made these Apple Gingerbread Squares! I took two recipes from an old 'Christmas Baking' magazine and made a few changes to make the recipe my own. I encourage you to try the same. Click here for the recipe!
The basics ingredients for baking are flour, sugar and fat. Eggs, milk, spices and others will be added to change the consistency and flavour.
Flour - White flour is one of the worst things you can eat. It contains no nutrition; but it does make pastries and breads light and flaky. Both whole wheat and whole spelt flour is more nutritious than their lighter counterparts as all of the grain is intact. When I am substituting flour, I often use spelt flour. I use light spelt flour and whole spelt. Light spelt flour is refined like white flour, however it does dissolve in the body better as it is water-soluble, so you are more likely to get the little nutrition that is left in the flour. If you want to replace white flour you can use 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 whole spelt or 1/2 light spelt and 1/2 whole spelt. Increase the baking powder content by half if you are using spelt to ensure there is a bit more rise, as spelt does not rise as well as wheat.
Sugar - Sugar has no substitute! Actually we all love our sweets and there are alternatives to using sugar. Maple syrup, Stevia and agave nectar are all sweeteners found in nature and are good substitutes. Some amazing cooks have done terrific things with these sweeteners. If I am not willing to experiment, I will often decrease the amount of sugar by 1/3, or I will use Sucanat. Sucanat is dehydrated cane sugar and you can find it in your natural health store. All other sugars are the same; brown sugar, cane sugar, golden sugar. All sugar, no nutritional difference.
Fat - Oh the dreaded fat. Absolutely necessary for making pastries light and flaky and cookies mouth watering. I do not use shortening or margarine ever. Both are trans fat in a box, no matter what the label says. I recommend using butter or coconut oil. Butter is a natural source of dairy fat and, while it is fat, your body knows what to do with that natural source of fat. Coconut Oil has also gotten a bad name in the past. Research is showing that this all-natural fat, used in warm climates around the world, is actually a fat-burner and makes great pastry!
I wish you the best this holiday season. Eat good food (in moderation!) and enjoy the holidays with your family and friends. May 2010 bring you further happiness and health!
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