Bakery fats are used in a variety of bakery applications for specific functions to produce different products (Figure 1). The properties can be tailor-made to suit the application for which it is intended. A fat for crumble pastry should have a certain consistency to facilitate mixing of ingredients together. It should be able to coat the starch granules to make the dough tender and crumbly. The amount of fat and the method of mixing must be adapted to each kind of pastry. A crumble pastry consists of a crust or base and a fruit filling which is topped with a mixture of fat, sugar, flour and baking powder forming the crumble (Figure 2). The bakery fat is used to make both the base and the crumble. Bakery fat for crumble pastry can be made with palm products. The fat may contain both beta and beta prime crystals. Palm stearin can be incorporated to give beta crystals which contribute to the crumbly texture of the product. Beta prime crystals help in stabilizing some air cells formed during mixing of the base ingredients, and thus contribute to the product structure. A bit of aeration is necessary so that the base is not too compact in order to give a desirable tender and crumbly texture.

Main Research: Dr Nor Aini Idris