What Is Yogurt Bread?

Yogurt bread is a type of bread that uses yogurt in place of some unhealthy ingredients. Most recipes can be altered in order to use yogurt, many of which take on a new flavor profile due to the new ingredient. There are a wide variety of yogurt bread flavors for any appetite, and a baker can experiment just as he or she would with a regular bread recipe. Other recipes can also be altered by replacing ingredients with yogurt as well in order to create a healthier option that can reduce fat and calories.

Favorite bread recipes do not need to be discarded, but can be enhanced with the addition of yogurt. Simply replacing the oil or milk with the same amount of plain, low-fat or no-fat yogurt will balance out the recipe. A portion of the oil can also be replaced with yogurt if the end result isn’t as flavorful as the original. Plain yogurt is a better option where health is concerned, since flavored yogurt often has high sugar content. Checking the nutritional information on the yogurt packaging is a good idea before baking.

Skeptics may be concerned what replacing ingredients will do to the quality of favorite recipes, but yogurt generally has a positive effect as it makes the bread more moist. Breads made with dried fruits are even more tender when yogurt is used over other ingredients. Reviewing online reviews of recipes on the resulting products can be helpful to determine if there is a change in quality, or other factors that may need to change in the recipe, such as a slightly longer cooking time.

The variety of yogurt bread flavors might be only limited by the imagination. Fruit-based yogurt bread such as banana, plum, orange, and raspberry will add natural sweetness, resulting in breads that actually like yogurt desserts. Whole-wheat kinds will appeal to a baker seeking the healthiest bread possible. Other options include carrot, pumpkin, and honey bread, but any variety of flavor could be added for a twist on the original recipe.

While the oil is generally the ingredient replaced in bread, yogurt can also replace other ingredients in common recipes. Replacing heavy cream with yogurt and corn starch will create yogurt sauces, while mayonnaise or sour cream can also be exchanged when baking with yogurt. For example, yogurt can be used to coat skinless boneless chicken before breading for a moister, healthier version. Similar to the bread replacement, yogurt snacks can be created by replacing oil or milk with yogurt in brownie, cake, or muffin recipes as well.