Frugal Café Blog Zone

Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on December 23, 2008

By Vicki McClure Davidson * Frugal Café Blog Zone

The Yuletide clock is ticking louder, but rather than rushing out to buy a few more gifts, going the DIY route in the kitchen is often cheaper and saner. Inexpensive, homemade Christmas gifts often include making baked goods.

For those of you who are considering making and baking last-minute loaves of bread (oh, yum!) to give to loved ones, here are some great tips from the OliveOilFromSpain.com website on how to use virgin olive oil or regular olive oil as a healthy and frugal alternative to butter in recipes.

• * For moist and even-textured baked goods, substitute a mild-flavored olive oil in place of butter or margarine. Olive oil adds a light, delicious taste to cakes, breads, and muffins.
• * Using olive oil in breads reduces the amount of gluten formed in the dough. Plus, it slows down the deterioration process. Breads made with olive oil tend to be moister than those baked without it.
• * For pastries, milder oils are preferred because of their subtler taste.
• * Some extra virgin oils may be used for certain breads and other pastries that won’t suffer from their robust olive taste and aroma; however, they are not recommended for cakes.

Categories: Food, Drink, Frugal Kitchen Tricks, Frugal Shopping Info, Health, Holidays and Family
Tags: American health care, baked goods, bread, butter, cakes, Christmas, frugal, healthy, homemade, muffins, olive oil, recipes, save money, saving money, substitute, thrifty, virgin olive oil, Xmas