Finding the right butter alternative for a vegan Scottish shortbread

Butter is a key ingredient in many baked goods, but for those who are lactose intolerant, finding a good alternative can be a challenge. Vegan butters can sometimes have the wrong consistency, or produce bakes that are not quite right, leaving bakers frustrated or unwilling to try dairy-free alternatives.

In Physics of Fluids, by AIP Publishing, researchers from the University of Strathclyde examined the properties of several vegan or dairy-free butter alternatives inside one of the region’s most well-known snacks: Scottish shortbread.

“We have a PhD student in the group who is a vegan, and he turns all of our baking habits upside down,” said author Juliane Simmchen. “One day I bought some vegan butter alternatives, and I thought, ‘This doesn't look anything like it should’.”

Perplexed by the difference in consistency, Simmchen and her colleagues decided to test these alternatives using the equipment in their lab. They selected three types of vegan butter substitutes with different levels of fat and compared their consistencies and responses to heat. Following those experiments, they moved on to taste testing with actual biscuits.

The researchers gathered a few dozen volunteers to sample shortbread cookies baked with dairy butter and the vegan alternatives. Their goal was to find the vegan butter that produced a biscuit closest to the traditional shortbread, and here there was a clear winner.

“When comparing the vegan alternatives, the one with the highest fat content gave the most positive results from the testers,” Simmchen said. “It behaved very similar to butter, which also has a high fat content. The one with the lowest fat content made a very different dough. It didn’t bake that well, and was more doughy and less crumbly. Many people strongly disliked it.”

Butter typically has a fat content around 80%, and Simmchen recommends choosing a vegan butter with a similar consistency.

As for why people should bake vegan cookies in the first place, Simmchen believes that baked goods are better when they can be shared with everyone. If she has a choice, she now prefers vegan bakes.

“I really like the traditional Scottish shortbread, but I’m adapting my recipes with vegan options because they’re more inclusive,” Simmchen said. “If I can make something of a similar quality and have more people participate, then I go for the vegan option.”

Image credit: iStock.com/robynmac