I'm Doing Some Baking - Culinary Advice Needed

8/06/08

[MplsSteve]

I apologize for posting this question in News/Activism - but this is the most widely read category in Free Republic and I want some opinions.

I have a recipe for oatmeal brown bread. It's really good. It's a very hearty tasting wheat bread that uses oatmeal as well.

In the recipe, it calls for using lard.

Is it possible for me to use Crisco as a substitute - or might that affect the taste of the bread?

Thanks for your advice!

[SoothingDave]

for meringues you must swipe a freshly laid egg;

Your grandmother taught you to steal eggs?

[PennsylvaniaMom]

I swear by my butter flavored Crisco...and sadly, no chickens nearby...so gotta use those supermarket eggies. I do remember something about boiling sugar though...

It sounds like your grandmother was one great baker. My late mom, who grew up during the Depression, used to make 'teacakes' out of stale bread and jelly. She pinched the edges of the jelly bread pockets together and deep fried them (in lard) and sprinkle w/powdered sugar. Awesome. During her growing up years, sugar was rare, so getting powdered sugar sprinkled on mine (in the '70s) was quite the luxury. I wonder what my kids will remember as 'luxuries' when they are adults?

[SoothingDave]

You can always go to Delallo’s and get their eggs.

[RandallFlagg]

Bookmarking

[PennsylvaniaMom]

I thought you were from the (affecting yunzer accent) SawthHillz...how do you know of Delallo’s? I actually shop at their store in Jeanette...

[SoothingDave]

No, I’m right outside Jeannette. When their eggs are 99 cents or less we like to stock up.

[JustaDumbBlonde]

"This is a good thing to remember when making pie crust of Crisco, too- bacon grease imparts a nicer flavor."

A couple of years ago a friend of mine who lives in a fairly remote part of Colorado told me that bear fat made the best pie crust in the world. I was skeptical until she provided me with some bear fat. It made the lightest, flakiest, best tasting pie crust I've ever made. Truly incredible.

My husband and I hunt, which is how I met my friend in Colorado, but we don't hunt and kill anything that we don't intend to eat. Bear, while edible and very tasty to some, is not on our list of favorite meats so I have to rely on friends to procure the stuff.

[JustaDumbBlonde]

"My guess is it's an old recipe at a time when lard was more readily available."

Lard is available in every grocery store I've ever seen ... but, of course, this IS the South, and perhaps it is a regional thing. WalMart in our area has lard on the shelf right above the Crisco selection and also stocks it in the ethnic food section (Mexican) and it is labeled as "Manteca". Apparently some aspect of Mexican cooking requires lard.

[PennsylvaniaMom]

Oh my!!! Small world :) Spooky...I was just there yesterday...

[SoothingDave]

Nice bakery there, too. Just don’t go there for lunchmeat on a Sunday afternoon unless you really like waiting.

[PennsylvaniaMom]

They are pretty service oriented at D’s for special orders (like the deli counter)...but for looooonnnnnggg drawn out wait (for cold cuts in Westmoreland County) go to the deli at the Hempfield Wal-Mart...

[Eric in the Ozarks]

If you spend any time in Mexico you’ll find everything is cooked in lard.

[coop71]

Awww...you brought back a fond (if not bizarre) memory of my mom who died when I was pretty young (not from lard, though!). She always bought lard and popped popcorn in it. And as a small kid, I always thought that tub of lard looked really tasty...so I tried it. I was wrong. But man, that popcorn was SO good! Never tried popping it in bacon grease. Sounds like a Saturday night experiment for me.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I was raised an Army Brat in Yokohama in the 50s and early 60s. The Japanese kids in our neighborhood had never seen or tasted popcorn but they almost all immediately knew when my dad was poping up a big batch.
Our maid, Masako, would answer the door and bring them all in and set out the big stainless bowls for the corn. We made a game of how much popcorn we could stuff in at one time.

[Snow Eagle]

Try apple sauce. It works as a substitute for butter, margarine and veggie oil so it might work for lard/crisco. I find crisco to be a gagger.

[DPMD]

Forget that shee shee food. Throw it out and have some chili.

[Old Professer]

We had a henhouse.

[poobear]

I am one to take a nine inch cast iron skillet, heat, put bacon fat in at about 350 degrees with some shortning then pour batter into so you can experience sizzling then bake at around 400 to 425F until golden around edges and top. Usually 25 to 35 minutes.

Ummmmm.....

[dforest]

Don’t ask me, I am still hoping someone will tell me how to make a good pie crust.

Mine suck.

[Grammy]

You have gotten a lot of replies to this thread, and if you manage to get to mine please take note.....

CRISCO HAS CHANGED THEIR FORMULA!!!!!

I am a professional baker. I do wedding cakes mostly but also other goodies. Since crisco dropped the transfats it is virtually unusable to me. I spent a long time on the phone with them trying to find solutions, and none work. Pie crusts suck, frosting using it is an oily gloppy mess, and I am afraid to try anything delicate.

I am not sure what role the lard plays in what you are making. It would also depend on what state you are incorporating in into the dough. Is it solid and kneaded in or melted and mixed in with other liquid ingredients. Is it creamed with sugar? In that case it is intended to incorporate air for levening. Is it intended just for the mouth feel it gives the product or for flavor? I would suggest you try lard, which I have switched to for the portion of my pie crust that is not butter. Also, you could check for house brands that may still have the transfats. My second choice would be butter, but that has a much softer texture than lard, and contains water, which lard does not, so you may need to adjust the liquid and fat numbers.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to freepmail me. Good luck!!