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Baking healthier goodies is easier when you’ve got a few tricks up your sleeve. Of course, simple swaps of healthier ingredients to replace their not-so-healthy counterparts are important, but there are even more ways to life-hack baking your next loaf of bread. Consider these tips-
Tip: Bake in your crock pot when you’re busy: Many baked goods require a watchful eye, but your life may be too busy to hang around the oven. Thankfully, your crock pot can do the watching for you. It’s amazing what you can bake in a crock pot. Bread, cakes, fruit crumbles, and even oatmeal are easy to prepare and ready and waiting when you come home.
Tip: Try using avocado instead of butter: Out of butter and need a healthy replacement? Avocado is an excellent choice, especially for quick breads and muffins. Avocados are packed with heart-healthy fats, vitamins E and K and lots of fiber and they will help your baked goods stay moist.
Tip: Use parchment paper to line your dish: Rather than using oil or butter in your bakeware to prevent food from sticking, line your baking dishes with parchment paper. The paper won’t burn and baked goods can be lifted from the pan with ease. Parchment paper also makes clean up a breeze.
Tip: Pre-heat your pans: Baking isn’t just for cookies, cakes, and pies. Many dinners can be baked entirely on one sheet pan. For a crispier texture, pre-heat the baking sheet in the oven to prevent veggies from being soggy.
Tip: Choose quality over quantity: Part of the reason baked goods get a bad rap is their decadent nature. Rich, creamy foods, or yeasty dense breads taste delicious and it can be hard to stop eating them. Baking with the highest quality ingredients yields phenomenal results. Focus on creating the best quality baked goods and pay close attention to portion control. Then you can have your cake and eat it too!
Tip: Use your freezer wisely: Many baked goods can be frozen for use later. It’s easy to bake big batches of healthy foods and store them in the freezer. This is a great way to use seasonal fruits and veggies. Make zucchini bread in the summer, freeze, and enjoy a sweet treat in fall and winter. You can also process fruits and veggies and bag them in the freezer for use in your baked goods all year long.
Tip: Skip the icing: You can greatly reduce the calories and unhealthy ingredients by ditching icing or frosting on cakes. Try baking a “naked cake” with little to no frosting or lightly dust cakes with powdered sugar or fruit.
Tip: Add nutrition wherever you can: It’s easy to sneak nutritional value into your baked goods. Mashed bananas, sweet potatoes, or other veggies are great for making baked goods moist. Adding olives to breads can give them flavor boost and heart-healthy oils.
Baking just got easier and healthier! Use these tips the next time you have the urge to bake.
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