Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Beans for Butter


Dry beans can be used as a fat substitute in most baking. I have successfully used black beans, pinto beans, white beans and pink beans. My latest attempt was making black bean brownies. "You can't tell there are beans in here" was just what I wanted to hear. I simply replaced the oil and butter straight across, in equal amounts, with a smooth black bean puree. Here are some great guidelines. Try it out!
Use cooked beans (either from a can or beans that you've soaked and cooked) and puree them in a blender. Liquid may be added to adjust the consistency. Puree the cooked beans until they reach the consistency of mashed potatoes or shortening. Use 1 cup of pureed beans for 1 cup of butter oil or margarine.
Using these pureed beans will give your baked goods a more cake-like texture. Cookies will never become crisp. They will, however, be moist and delicious, even after freezing them.
Another method is to use dry bean flour. (Best to use light-colored beans for this!) Grind the beans in a wheat grinder to achieve a fine flour. When you need "cooked beans" in a recipe, add 1 cup of bean flour to 2 cups of boiling water, whisking to incorporate. Simmer 5 minutes, covered. This is make a very smooth bean mixture, ready to use in baking.
Bean flour can also be used in baked goods as part of the wheat flour. This is great protein complementing in breads. Replace up to 25% of the wheat flour with bean flour within a recipe. Dry bean flour has a shelf life of 6 months without refrigeration.
Dry Bean Arithmetic
1 pound package= 2 cups dry beans= 5-6 cups cooked beans, drained
1 cup of dry beans=2 1/2-3 cups cooked beans, drained
1 can(15 1/2 ounces) beans= 1 generous cup of cooked beans
1 pound dry beans= 5 cups dry bean flour

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