Monday, October 5, 2009

For reference for myself and for anyone else who can't have milk or doesn't have milk at home and is baking!

Substitutions for Milk in Baking

Milk is one of the easiest ingredients to substitute in baking. Non-dairy milks and water are suitable replacements with only subtle effects on taste and texture. Some ingredients may affect the coloration of the finished product. Soy will often cause a darker color or browning effect. Another consideration is that not all liquid replacements are as thick as milk; therefore, the amount used may need to be reduced from the amount called for in the recipe.


Soy Milk: 1 cup soy milk = 1 cup cow’s milk


Rice Milk: 1 cup rice milk = 1 cup cow’s milk

Depending on the brand, rice milk can be thinner than cow’s milk and you may need to reduce the amount used in the recipe. For baking, you can add 2 or 3 extra tablespoons of cooking oil to help offset a watery consistency.


Nut Milk: 1 cup nut milk = 1 cup cow’s milk

Nut milks, such as almond, are best served in dessert recipes.


Juice: Fruit juice can be used as a replacement, but can impart sweetness. Juice is also acidic and is best served in recipes that include baking soda. The amount used will depend on the thickness of the juice.


Water: Approximately 3/4 cup water = 1 cup cow’s milk

Water is commonly substituted for milk in recipes. Add water last to the recipe, stirring in small amounts until the proper consistency is achieved.


Note: Milk substitutes may still have dairy ingredients in the product. Many brands claim to be dairy-free, but in truth they only eliminate lactose. Dairy protein (casein) is commonly included in both soy and rice milks. Also, many brands of rice milk are not gluten-free, such as Imagine Foods Rice Dream, because of their manufacturing process. Always confirm the status of rice or soy milks if you are on a gluten-free diet and/or dairy-free diet.


Other dairy substitutes, such as non-dairy cheese, will often use dairy or soy protein in their ingredients. Always check the ingredients and/or with the manufacturer to make sure that the product is completely dairy-free. There are currently no known cheese substitutes that do not contain either dairy or soy protein ingredients.

Pasted from <http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/bakingtips.ingredientsubstitutions/IngredientSubstitutions.cfm>

4 Comments:

  1. Qait said...
    Oh. Good information--I never really separated lactose and dairy in my mind.
    One time I made macaroni and cheese without milk... I was a deseperate college student. :\ And I also made it without butter (I just forgot I didn't have any).
    Oops! It was really disgusting. Thought I'd throw up. But I was SO hungry that I ate the entire potful!
    (by the way, it was shortly after that that I told Mom I needed a better food allowance because I could only afford junky stuff at our ridiculous grocery store--I just couldn't leave you thinking I wasn't taken care of).
    *and yeah, I know that was really "spoiled" of me to have a food allowance. Especially if you knew what it was. :D
    Abby said...
    I think we should all be spoiled at some time in our lives! And preferably multiples times. :) Yeah, I can imagine mac & cheese with only butter or milk would be kind of gross. Although if you're going to leave one out, I bet leaving out the butter is better than leaving out the milk?
    Christy said...
    Wow, Abby! I sure needed all this info when Sylvie was a baby! Luckily she's through all the milk issues now. Thanks goodness! (Now if I could just get her to go to sleep at night instead of staying up destroying her room!)
    Abby said...
    If you figure out something that works Christy, you'll have to let me know. :) My girls like to be sneaky after they're supposed to be in bed. I get a kick out of it lately because Autumn got a camera for her birthday and they haven't figured out they ought to delete the "evidence". :D

Post a Comment