Fall is here, and the holidays will soon be upon us. Thanksgiving is several weeks away, but bakeries already have apple pies and pumpkin breads in their windows to draw customers inside the front doors.
While the sweet smells of a bakery may entice you and tempt you to purchase freshly baked goods, there are many more benefits to baking at home than there are to buying unhealthy, fattening desserts from the store.
Below are a few tips to help you along the way as you bake at home this season. They will help you to avoid the hidden calories and high sugar content that are typical of a store-bought pie, cake or bread. These tips can help you look for the right recipe when you’re searching online, and they can also help you substitute unhealthy ingredients for healthy ones if the recipe you’re following isn’t quite healthy enough.
- When possible, use whole -wheat flour –You may not be aware of it, but there is a significant difference in the nutritional content of whole-wheat flour and all-purpose flour. Whole-wheat flour is high in vitamins, minerals and fiber. In general, it’s a much healthier choice than white flour. However, it doesn’t always work to substitute whole-wheat flour for all-purpose flour. The reason for this is because their textures differ greatly and can alter the turnout of your baked goods. If you can’t find a recipe that specifically calls for whole-wheat flour, you should be able to substitute up to half of the flour content for whole-wheat flour without making a huge impact on the end result. For example, if the recipe requires two cups of all-purpose flour, use one cup of all-purpose and one cup of whole-wheat.
- Sweeten with honey instead of sugar – Whether you’re following a recipe for cookies, cake or pie, you may be able to sweeten your recipe with honey instead of regular sugar. Honey is natural and very sweet, which are two of its many great benefits. If you’re a Google-using baker like I am, you can add the word “honey” to your search and find a number of great recipes that call for honey instead of sugar that can make healthy baking easy and guilt free.
- Bake with healthy ingredient – When it comes to baking – whether you’re making a pie, cookies or muffins – there are a lot of different types of recipes that incorporate a variety of flavors. In an effort to be healthier, try following only recipes that call for ingredients that are good for your health. Pass on the chocolate chips and opt for other things like nuts, granola, oatmeal, blueberries, bananas and pumpkin. And as always, buy organic when possible.
Jennifer Griffin, Contributing Writer and Public Relations, GreeningDetroit.com
Jennifer is pursuing a degree in Journalism and English from Wayne State University, and she is also a Contributing Writer for The South End.
