Silly question...but can you add acacia to baked goodies?
#106448 - 09/17/04 08:41 AM
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Kandee
Reged: 05/22/03
Posts: 3206
Loc: USA, Southern California
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Has anyone ever tried this and if so, did it change the density or texture? 
Kandee
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Not silly at all! I want to know this too. I'd just got as far as thinking that maybe you'd need more liquid???
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I'm not sure you'd have to adjust the recipe in other ways at all, but I don't know for sure. I'd try adding a few tablespoons to a bread recipe and see what happens. I actually have zucchinis in the fridge to make zucchini bread, so I'll try to remember and experiment with this over the weekend and post results.
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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...you're a star! I've been too lazy to try this and it would be so cool.
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Thanks Heather. I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one thinking about this.
I'm going to try it with some of the GF things I normally make...yeast breads, quick breads, FF brownies. I'll post if I see any difference. My thinking is to try to get one teaspoon in per serving but that may be to much, over all, for the product to handle without it making a significant change. We'll see. Kandee
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The reason I'm asking is that I thought, just maybe, if it wasn't subject to change with heat, that it could be made into a candy, like peanut brittle is, but without the peanuts using a flavor extract instead. (Talk about a sweet treat, SFS on the go!)
Then again, I'll bet that you could make a FF macaroon type cookie adding the acacia when you add the sugar.
Would be worth a try if we knew what heat does to it. 
Since Altoids incorporate acacia I wonder how much heat it is subjected to in their processing.
"Inquiring minds want to know? LOL"
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since Acacia is used in tons of commercial foods/beverages, how it behaves in different temperatures should be really well documented. I don't know off hand, but I'll find out and post!
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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I'm featuring it in the IBS Newsletter that comes out tomorrow, and then I'll probably excerpt it and post it in the diet section so it's easily available.
In a nutshell, yep, you can bake and cook with Acacia! I've been playing around and have added it to just about everything I've made lately. You can't really add too much in terms of ruining the recipe unless you're baking, where it can change the texture (makes it gummy) if you add a lot. I haven't found the limit yet - have been sticking to about 1 tablespoon per loaf of cake/bread.
Also haven't tried it in hard candy like your peanut brittle, but the stuff will not break down in heat so I don't know why it wouldn't work in the brittle. Since it does attract and absorb moisture I'm wondering if it might make your candy less likely to stay hard and crunchy - don't know how to tell without just making it!
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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and might open a whole new world of possibilities for using Acacia.....Does this mean we may see a "Cooking with Acacia" cookbook coming out soon? 
Maybe in candy making, instead of fighting the "gummy" factor it could be used in your favor. Anyone with a gummy bear recipe?
To me, upon first thought, 1 tablespoon per loaf doesn't sound like much, but it's a start. I would hope it could be incorporated into a baked product where it would equal one dose per serving, but maybe that's asking to much. Then again not everyone that takes Acacia uses the same amount as a dose, especially when just starting out. I'm sure you'll find the max limit since you're still experimenting.
The beauty of this is that Acacia is tasteless and odorless, so it can be used in any number of things, not just baked goods or candy. I wonder if it has any thickening capabilities like tapioca or arrowroot.
Thanks for experimenting with it Heather. I'll go back and add "Acacia, as desired" to the list of ingredients of some of my favorite recipes.
Kandee
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OOH! I am going to play this afternoon.. I'll try it in some gravy or mashed potatoes.. since I have the afternoon off to wait on the furnace repair guy!
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Dietetics Student (anticipating RD exam in Aug 2010)
IBS - A
Dairy Allergic
Fructose and MSG intollerant
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Thanks Kandee! I'm going to try baking some cakes with several tablespoons, and see what happens. It seems to make cakes moister, and they stay moist and fresh for several days. I don't know at what point moist would become gummy...I'll try to find that line and then post the info.
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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I put some in my muffins and they seem ok, but I only did 1 tablespoon, will try more next batch.. I figure if I increase in small amounts it will work better then all at once!
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Dietetics Student (anticipating RD exam in Aug 2010)
IBS - A
Dairy Allergic
Fructose and MSG intollerant
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Quote:
It seems to make cakes moister, and they stay moist and fresh for several days.
If that is true for yeast breads as well, it would be a definite plus in adding to GF yeast breads (even the GF mixes), which dry out extremely fast if not frozen soon after baking. I'm going to add some to mine and see what happens. I'll let you know.
Since the Acacia is a stabilizer I'm wondering if mixing it with applesauce when using applesauce in a quick bread as a partial fat replacement would inhibit the release of moisture from the applesauce when the bread sits for a while. That's another thing that may be worth trying.
I don't know at what point moist would become gummy...I'll try to find that line and then post the info.
Thanks. Is this the line you were looking for?
Quote:
...this means that for a bread or cake recipe with 2 cups of flour you can add 1 level teaspoon to 1 level tablespoon of Acacia.
Like I said, maybe in a chewy candy the gummy factor, by using X amount of Acacia would work to ones advantage, and could be used in the place of gelatin, but I don't know.
Great Newsletter BTW, I'm anxious to try the Squash and Bean soup!!!
Kandee
- H
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just haven't had the time. I don't think there's really an upper limit to how much you can add to non-baked goods like soups and custards in terms of how the stuff tastes. For baked goods I'm going to try 2T per loaf recipe, and if that works I'll increase it again.
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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things that gummy wouldn't be bad in: fudgy brownies, moist breads, etc.. might handle more then a drier cake, etc would.. I was thinking my apple muffins might work with more of it too because they were so good when I added 2 bananas and they were extra moist and soft...
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Dietetics Student (anticipating RD exam in Aug 2010)
IBS - A
Dairy Allergic
Fructose and MSG intollerant
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Amie, This is exciting...you may have hit on something that will enhance many of the goodies we all make, not to mention add a good dose of SFS. Please let us know how much you end up adding and what the results were. I'm soo curious.
Kandee
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1 tablespoon to the recipe was not noticed by anyone eating any.. I'll try more next time I make them- may wait until after the open house on Sunday though, we'll see..
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Dietetics Student (anticipating RD exam in Aug 2010)
IBS - A
Dairy Allergic
Fructose and MSG intollerant
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I added 3 tablespoons to a 12 muffin recipe for applesauce spice muffins- came out moist and yummy... seem fine even sitting out right now on the counter.. will try freezing some and pack some up for work.. I am taking those and chocolate brownies made in the muffin tin to work tomorrow.. the brownies are to share, the others are for me... though I may share a piece or 2...
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Dietetics Student (anticipating RD exam in Aug 2010)
IBS - A
Dairy Allergic
Fructose and MSG intollerant
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Just got some acacia for the first time and have been experimenting myself.
I added it to one of my favorite desserts, Oatmeal Peach Betty, and didn't notice any difference in texture or taste. Just added about a tablespoon to the crumb topping.
Oatmeal Peach Betty
1 qt canned peaches + juice (mom canned her own peaches, I ended up using 2 15oz cans of DelMonte Harvest Spice Sliced Peaches..tasted pretty close to me)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp margarine
1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 c flour
1/4 c canola oil (could probably use less or sub in some applesauce)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2/3 c quick oats
1 tbsp acacia powder
Place peaches in a 2 qt cassarole dish greased with non-stick spray. Sprinkle lemon juice and cinnamon over peaches and dot with pieces of margarine. Mix brown sugar, oil, and vanilla. Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and acacia, add oats. Add flour mix and blend well, sprinkle over peaches.
Bake 45 minutes at 350F.
Also tried blending a tbsp of acacia into some of my gravy for a turkey dinner and it did thicken the gravy but didn't take away from the taste at all.
It is so nice having so many options now to get my daily fiber. Keep experimenting everybody!
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Amie, That's good news. Seems like the limit of added Acacia is pretty high, if your a/s muffins are any indication. Did you add it to the brownies as well?
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haven't tried it in brownies yet- was using a new recipe and wanted to get the base right first...
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Dietetics Student (anticipating RD exam in Aug 2010)
IBS - A
Dairy Allergic
Fructose and MSG intollerant
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