The greatest property fat adds to bread is its ability to stay fresh longer. There's a purpose to those stickers on French Bread that say "Made fresh daily." Fat isn't added to French Bread and it will begin to stale within a few hours of baking; thus, bakers must make it fresh daily. Fat also augments the elasticity. It tenderizes , increases bread volume, adds flavor, and helps the baking loaf brown evenly.

You may omit the fat altogether in bread, if you wish. Just eat the chewier loaf quickly. As with all ingredients, different fats add different properties.

Butter: High in saturated fat and cholesterol, butter may not be the best fat to use from a nutritional standpoint. However it does make exceptionally tender and flavorful bread. Softened, not melted butter, conditions the dough and increases its rise and potential volume. When substituting butter for oil in a recipe, use 1/3 less.

Lard: Again high in saturated fat, lard adds the properties that butter does to bread.

Lecithin: A nutritional oil, lecithin binds bread. Add 1-1/2 teaspoon per loaf of bread to act as a binder. For a tender crumb, however, combine it with a different type of oil. Add the lecithin into the oil to total the amount needed. Lecithin found in eggs (about 1-1/2 teaspoon/yolk) makes a good addition for binding properties. When adding eggs to bread, use 1 egg/loaf and decrease the recipe liquid by 1/4 cup per egg. (1)

Shortening: Like butter, shortening tenderizes, moistens, and flavors bread. The hydrogenation process, however, creates elements that have been linked to heart disease and various cancers. Use 1/4 less when substituting for oil in recipes.

Vegetable Oil: Nutritionally, vegetable oils like canola, soy, sunflower, olive or corn add "good fats" to your diet. Olive oil helps loaves rise high. You can limit the fat put into bread recipes by following this simple rule of thumb: add one-tablespoon vegetable oil to every four-cups flour. Adding 2-3 tablespoons per loaf will increase the bread volume no matter which oil you use. Keep in mind, though, that too much oil will lead to a crumbly, low volume mess. (1,2)








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