I regularly tinker withbaking recipes, welcoming the challenge to make them healthier yet still outrageously delicious. I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve: using fruit purées or yogurt to add moistness and subtract fat, substituting half of the all-purpose flour with全麦面粉, using纯枫糖浆or honey instead of white sugar, and-a big one-substituting oil for butter. I’ve typically relied on canola oil for its neutral flavor, but after tasting an intoxicatingly good olive oil cake at a restaurant one day, I thought, Why not try olive oil in my home baking? It is, after all, practically a health elixir, and it seemed like olive oil’s fruity flavor would work well in many of my from-the-oven favorites. Turns out, it does.

There are many upsides to baking with olive oil. Like canola oil, olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat, which if used instead of a saturated fat like butter, has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and ease inflammation. As a bonus, extra-virgin olive oil has high levels of protective antioxidants called polyphenols, as well as vitamin E. Those antioxidants and vitamin E are lost when oil is processed, so keep in mind that extra-virgin oil, which is minimally processed, has the most protective power. Virgin olive oil retains some, but oil labeled simply “olive oil” has little to none.

Some baked goods, like比斯科蒂传统上，地中海式的水果蛋糕和橄榄面包是用橄榄油制成的。但是您也可以将其用作许多在许多人中的融化黄油或植物油的替代品muffin recipes和quick bread recipes。用橄榄油交换可以使您获得双重善良：首先，它通过提供健康的脂肪和抗氧化剂来使烘焙食品更好，其次，它增加了令人难以置信的风味。

		Good to Know 通过遵循以下简单准则来充分利用橄榄油： • Store olive oil in a cool, dark place, like a wine cellar or cool pantry. Do not keep it near the stove or in the refrigerator. • If it comes in a clear plastic bottle, decant olive oil into an opaque container or a dark glass bottle. Before using olive oil in recipes, taste and smell it for any signs of rancidity. • For best results, use olive oil within a year of purchase..
橄榄油南瓜面包

Here’s how to make the switch: Just substitute olive oil for vegetable oil in equal measure, or use 3 tablespoons olive oil for each 1/4 cup of melted butter. (It’s not as simple to swap olive oil into recipes that call for creaming butter, since creaming aerates the batter and adds light texture to the fi nished product.) Be sure to use a mild olive oil with buttery or fruity notes rather than an intense, peppery one, so the oil’s flavor isn’t overwhelming. You can choose extra-virgin for maximum antioxidant power, but use a less expensive bulk brand rather than an ultraprecious artisanal bottle that should be saved for drizzling.

橄榄油在带有果味，坚果或咸味的松饼和面包中最有效，例如我的美味南瓜面包。橄榄油使其具有丰富的湿润和深度，可与蜂蜜的本质和南瓜种子浇头完美地增强温暖的香料和融合。这是美国的最爱Mediterranean flair-a perfect package of taste and health.