What does lecithin do for baking?
Lecithin is a natural emulsifier that is used in baked goods, chocolate, confections, dairy products, icing products, and spreads. For example, lecithin is typically added to some bread formulations at 0.2 percent. In addition, it is used to create layered cakes, according to the weight of the flour at 0.5-1.5 percent.
When mixed well with accurate measurements, wetting the dry ingredients is much easier. Lecithin also increases the volume of the bread when you are using it for baking bread. Lecithin is usually found in natural plant products such as soybeans and raw products such as eggs.
When we mention that lecithin is an emulsifier, what this means is that it helps mix two ingredients that do not readily mix on their own. For example, when you try to mix oil and vinegar for your baking, the two might seem to mix well, but only briefly.
If lecithin is included in this mixture, mixing the two will be easier, and keep these elements from separating once the solution is still. This is because on a molecular level, lecithin has a part that likes vinegar and a part that likes oil, making the two interact easily and produce an excellent long-lasting mixture.
What makes it great when dealing with a commercial bakery?
Apart from using lecithin as an emulsifier, lecithin also functions well as a natural preservative. This means that with every bake that you add lecithin, you are producing a baked good with a longer shelf-life. This is the method that many of the prepackaged baked goods sold in grocery stores use to make their products.
Lecithin is a powerful ingredient in commercial bakeries because it helps them reduce the number of eggs used when baking, and therefore, it allows them to save money. In addition, eggs also act as a natural emulsifier, which means lecithin can easily replace eggs that are being used specifically for emulsification purposes.
What kind of lecithin do you use for baking?
When using lecithin, you can use it as a dough conditioner, a natural preservative, and for eggless baking. Lecithin occurs in different kinds, but lecithin granules are the least preferred type of lecithin.
So, if you are using lecithin as a dough conditioner, you can still use other ingredients but only add a little amount of lecithin to condition your dough. If you use it as a preservative, you should typically only add a small amount as well. If you are using it for eggless baking, you will need to add in additional fats and oils to produce the richness that would have been otherwise derived from eggs.
Whether you are using lecithin as a preservative, dough conditioner, or for eggless baking, you find yourself using a specific kind of lecithin.
Soy Lecithin
According to the FDA, soybeans are an allergen, but the soy content present in lecithin is far too minimal to cause allergic reactions.
Sunflower Lecithin
Sunflower lecithin is the type of lecithin that most bakers prefer to use because many believe that soybeans lecithin can cause allergic reactions. It is available in different forms, including granules, powder, and liquid.
Different forms of lecithin
Lecithin is also available in different forms, including powder, liquid, and granules. You can choose from any of these types of lecithin, depending on your style of baking. Below are a few things you need to know about the available forms of lecithin.
Lecithin granules
This is the least favorite form of lecithin for many bakers. The granules usually require hard work and a long time to dissolve. You will need to soak in water for an hour or more to dissolve and give you the texture you want.
Liquid lecithin
This form of lecithin has an almost yellow color. When you put it in a glass, it has the color of motor oil. It has a runny honey-like texture but is a little messier and sticker than honey.
Powder lecithin
This method has all of the soy oil removed to make it in powder form. It doesn’t have any color or smell, as in the case of liquid lecithin. If mixed well, this powdered form of lecithin is generally considered easier to use.
How much lecithin do you put in baked products?
Before you decide to add any type of lecithin to your dough, you need to know the exact amount of lecithin to add. Most people prefer using starch or flour for gluten-free baking. Depending on the type of flour you choose, you can put as much or as little flour you wish for your dough. However, you’ll need to be careful about how much or how little of the lecithin you can use in the baking process.
So, how much lecithin can one use? If you are using liquid lecithin, you need to be careful with the measurements. Consider using 1.5% of the liquid lecithin by the weight of the flour used. For instance, if you use four cups of flour for your dough, with each cup weighing 100 grams, the flour will weigh 400 grams. So, 1.5% of 200 grams of flour (1.5 of 400) becomes 6 grams of liquid lecithin.
If you are using powder or granular lecithin, you need 65% of the liquid conversion. It is easier to do the liquid conversion first, followed by the granules or powder lecithin.
Get bulk lecithin from National Lecithin
As we mentioned earlier, lecithin is an uncommon ingredient to most home bakers, and therefore, you will rarely see it in bulk in retail shops. Because lecithin is mainly used in commercial bakeries, you will find only commercial bakeries will buy lecithin in bulk.
For this reason, many people like you who are looking for lecithin may not find it easily and in bulk. Luckily for you, your search for bulk lecithin has stopped here. For 45 years, National Lecithin has been a reliable and trusted lecithin supplier to commercial and industrial enterprises.
Whether you need the lecithin in powder, granules, or liquid for your baking or confections, National Lecithin can supply you with the amount you may need. You can contact us at National Lecithin today to learn more about lecithin and how you can get it in bulk.