Baking spread is a substitute for butter that is used in baking. It is typically composed of bovine fat and other ingredients with low water content. Baking spread is essentially a dairy-free alternative made from vegetable oils and fats, while butter is made from cream or milk. Compared to butter and margarine, baking spread has a lower fat content, which can affect the structure, moistness, tenderness, and browning of baked goods. By reducing the amount of fat, baked goods tend to turn out drier, tougher, and lighter-colored. Extra water in a recipe can also mean soggy cookies, stale cakes, and unpredictable baking.
Baking spread is also known as margarine, which is a similar product with an 80% fat content. However, baking spread is not the same as spreadable butter, which is a combination of butter and oil. Spreadable butter has all the flavor of butter but is easy to spread right out of the refrigerator.
