December 20, 2023 - 5:27am
What role does tahini play as an ingredient in baked goods?
I have a jar of tahini and I want to experiment using it in sweet treat baking-a few cookie, tea bread and cake recipes. I'm not sure how to describe its characteristics-Is it an oil? Does it act a little like a fruit puree and add moisture/density? Do I have to compensate and add extra leavening (baking powder)? Do I have to reduce the butter or oil that is usually in a recipe?
Specifically, I am going to start with a biscotti recipe (just posted in "General" forum) that has about 1/2 c oil per 3 1/4 c (460g) flour..
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Tahini, according to the nutrition label, is about 1/2 fat. It separates easily so I'm pretty sure you could treat it as 1/2 oil, 1/2 protein + carbs + fiber like seeds.
I would describe tahini as an extra oily peanut butter.
I think tahini is made from sesame seeds.
My description was more of a comparison to a familiar ingredient, not an actual composition. As such, I would guess its behavior is similar to peanut butter in baking, but I've only used it in making hummus and sauces, not baked goods.
Yes. I understood the analogy. I wasn't trying to correct you. Cheers.
Tahini is sesame paste, a seed paste. Like peanut butter or Nutella without the cocoa. Oily.
Halva is a Middle Eastern confection, which in some variations calls for tahini. Tahini is cooked with sugar and other ingredients to make a firm, toffee-like product.
I would equate it to butter in terms of percentages in a baking recipe.
So my instinct is correct. I will count it towards the oil/butter in the recipe.
Thanks,all, and Happy Holidays!