Shortening?!
thanks so much!
Answers: I was making Sopapillas and it called for shortening, which we don't have... I was wondering if you could substitute anything for shortening??
thanks so much!
Butter, margarine or lard will do. I would not use a liquid shortening in this recipe, especially one like olive oil that will contribute flavor to the bread and contrast harshly w/ the cinnamon sugar the sopapillas will be dusted with.
If this is your 1st foray into fry breads here are some hints I've learned thru experience. To get good "puff" out of your sopapillas, keep your oil at the right temperature!
1. Use adequate oil. You want at least an inch depth of oil to fry in. Contrary to what some believe, more oil in the pot means less oil in your food, because the temperature stays more constant, and the food finishes cooking before it begins sucking up oil.
2. You need an candy/fry thermometer. Don't trust strange voodoo methods like timing the cooking of bread cubes. Don't trust an electric skillet's temperature controller (mine is off by about 75 degrees!) Spend a few $ and buy a thermometer. Do not guess at the temperature when it's so cheap and easy to measure it.
3. Don't overload the oil. Putting food into hot oil is like dropping an ice cube into a warm beverage -- the food is going to cool the oil around it. Putting a lot of food in will dramatically drop your oil temperature. This is especially bad if you're also violating point #1 and not using enough oil.
4. Use an oil w/ a high smoke-point. Peanut oil is a good choice as it is a mono-saturated fat like olive oil. Other good oils are: sunflower, safflower, corn, vegetable & canola. Olive, nut meat, avocado and grape seed oils are not good choices as they have lo smoke-points and/or contribute flavor to the fried foods.
butter. same amount that the shortening would be.
good luck on your Sopapillas.
not that i know of.
use butter or extra virgin olive oil.
so·pai·pil·la
NOUN:
A crisp, puffy, deep-fried pastry often served with honey or syrup.
???
Crisco - lard - butter
Are you using it to fry them in or to put in the dough.
In the dough you may use butter. If you are frying them, use any kind of vegetable oil that has a high smoking temp, i.e. canola, safflower, vegetable, grape seed.
You could also use lard in either case but be careful that you are not buying the lard that has been hydrogenated (trans fats). Buy only pure rendered lard (usually from a butcher).