April 23, 2009 - 5:54pm
Granular lecithin
This might seem fairly obvious to everyone else, but I was kind of surprised by it, so I'll share it for all the people that are as challenged as I am.
I was trying to find an alternate source for granular lecithin because I didn't want to pay shipping costs from King Arthur Flour . . .
Anyway, people use it as a nutritional supplement so you can buy it from vitamin and health food stores. I got some at Whole Foods today. It was cheaper than KA and it comes in a canister which is nicer is my pantry than the bag was.
I'm so pleased.
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which aisle?
siuflower
I found it at Whole Foods in the aisle with the powdered nutritional supplements, things like whey protein etc. The brand I got was NOW foods. I think Amazon carries it too.
You can use an egg or two also.
Is it overkill to use lethicin AND an egg? The recipe I have for basid dough call for 2 T of lethicin and lists an egg as optional. I have just used both. (but have not known why) I use freshly ground flour if that makes a difference in the answer.
KJP
What is Granular lecithin used for? I am sorry if its a dumb question:(
It is used to increase the shelf life of baked goods. If you eat your bread quickly, you probably don't need it. I tend to bake a lot and freeze my bread, so I think it helps the flavor a bit. As norabrown pointed out, you can put an egg yolk in your dough because they contain lecithin. In my house eggs aren't reliably available, so I like the can of lecithin in the pantry.
Lecithin is an emulsifier (helps oils and water to mix) and you can make a decent home-made non-stick cooking spray from liquid lecithin.
It's also supposed to be good for your brain and nerves.
Hoyden, thanks a lot for explaining it, I really appreciate it. Wow, I am already learning so many stuff:)