"Baked goods are a wonderful way to
introduce soy to the average family," said Barbara Klein, editor of
the book and co-director of the center. "Not only does adding soy
improve the nutrient content of breads and desserts without changing
their flavor, it can actually enhance the final product. Soy helps
baked goods brown nicely and allows them to retain moisture so they
stay fresh longer."
She points out that, while substituting
soy flour for some of the wheat flour in a recipe is a simple way to
bake with soy, there are many other easy-to-use soy products that
can be used in baking, such as soy protein isolate, soy milk, tofu,
textured soy protein, soy nuts and soy analogs.
"The amount of soy flour that can be
added to a baked product depends on whether it is yeast-leavened,
such as in dinner rolls or whole-wheat bread, or is quick-leavened
with baking powder or baking soda, such as in cakes and cookies,"
Klein said. "Replacing about 15 percent of the wheat flour with soy
flour in a yeast bread recipe gives a nutty flavor, darker crust and
moister crumbs."
Klein further notes that soy protein
isolate can generally be substituted for wheat flour in cooking at
the same or slightly smaller proportions as soy flour.
"Tofu can also be used in baking,
either as an egg or oil replacement or as a substitute for dairy
products in creamy pie fillings or cheesecakes," she said. "Textured
vegetable protein, soy nuts and soy analogs can be also readily
incorporated in many familiar baked foods."
Klein adds that this new book fits well
with the goal of the Illinois Center for Soy Foods, which is to
encourage consumers in the United States to eat more healthy
products made from soy.
"With this book, we hope to inspire a
broad range of people to use and enjoy soy products in their baked
goods," Klein said. "We show step-by-step how average consumers can
bake with soy, while still enjoying the same tastes and textures in
the foods that they have grown up with."
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"Baking with Soy in the American
Kitchen" contains tasty recipes ranging from pancakes and breads to
cookies and pies. The recipes were developed by food technologist
Diejun Chen and extensively tested by the staff at the center.
"In this new cookbook, we can show
everyone just how easily this healthy ingredient can be added to the
kinds of foods that all of us are used to eating," Klein said.
"There are 43 recipes in this book, covering all the major types of
baked goods we all eat on a daily basis."
She points out that adding soy to baked
products also represents an easy way to gain the many health
benefits from soy protein. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
recently approved a health claim for soy foods that acknowledged the
connection between consuming soy and decreasing the chance of
developing cardiovascular disease.
"Extensive research has confirmed that
eating 25 grams of soy protein per day, as part of a diet low in
saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart
disease," Klein said. "This fact provides another example of how
using soy foods can add affordable, flavorful and healthful
components to the diet."
The cookbook was designed in an
easy-to-use format, with a spiral binding that allows it to lie flat
for efficient use in the kitchen. Nutritional information, including
calorie, fat, carbohydrate and protein counts, is provided for each
recipe. The book also contains helpful general information on
buying, storing and efficiently using soy products.
The cookbook
can be ordered at a price of $15 per copy by calling (217) 244-1706.
Additional information, sample recipes and an online order form for
the other titles in the series, "Tofu in the American Kitchen" and
"Textured Vegetable Protein in the American Kitchen," are available
on the Internet at
www.soyfoodsillinois.uiuc.edu.
[University
of Illinois news release]
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