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I have never written a post like this before and to be honest… I’m a little scared. I’m about to say a few things that most bloggers never would.
I’ve been blogging for over 10 years (!) and in that time I’ve been asked thousands of questions and have received a lot of comments about baking and recipes.
The most frustrating question I get is definitely about baking substitutions: swapping out ingredients, techniques, or equipment.
It’s even more frustrating when the comment isn’t posed as a question but instead goes a little something like this:
“I made this recipe and followed it to a T except [insert substitution here] and it didn’t turn out. Disappointed.”
Granted, this is more rare. Luckily the amount of positive comments I receive far outweighs these ones.
But I’ve refrained from speaking my true feelings on this subject for fear of offending someone. Or fear of bringing even a hint of negativity to my usually joyful corner of the internet.
But as my audience grows (which I’m eternally grateful for) this theme has become increasingly common.
So I want to say once and for all…
I HATE BAKING SUBSTITUTIONS.
They drive me crazy.
They simply won’t achieve the same taste and texture as the original ingredient, equipment, or technique called for in the recipe 90% of the time. They basically just waste YOUR time, money, and food!
DISCLAIMER: I realize some of you are working with serious food allergies and I understand that substitutions can’t be avoided in those cases. For those of you dealing with that, you probably know what will work, what won’t, and how the results will be different than the original. You don’t expect identical results without using identical ingredients unless you undergo rigorous testing with trial & error.
I feel the need to underscore something because it’s a question I get asked often: I don’t publish allergen-free recipes. I don’t publish diet recipes.
Why?
Because right now at this time in my career I don’t want to. I only publish recipes and content I’m actually passionate about and excited to share.
I don’t have much experience with these other topics. There are PLENTY of bloggers and publishers online who do and have far more expertise and their advice would be much better for you than my educated guesses.
But I also simply can’t accommodate every recipe for every allergen or diet.
One – because I simply don’t have the resources.
Two – because I know baking is a science. And swapping out even one ingredient can completely alter the chemistry of the recipe, often with less than stellar results. Just check out my infamous Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies.
This is something I address specifically and in depth in my Magic of Baking online class. Take a peek at a few baking substitutions side by side below:
(Learn more about Cake Flour here, and why the DIY sub doesn’t really work.)
(From my Ultimate Muffin Guide.)
Once you understand how baking ingredients work you’ll understand that something as simple as reducing the sugar in a recipe, for example, doesn’t just reduce the sweetness or calories.
Sugar can also contribute moisture, tenderness, lightness, and is involved in complex chemical reactions that give us flavors and textures that are essential to some sweets.
Occasionally you can reduce the sugar (typically by no more than 20%), but sometimes even a small reduction will completely compromise the integrity of the recipe.
Often someone comes along and reduces the sugar then complains the cake turned out dry and doesn’t understand the connection. Which of course is frustrating for both of us! This is just one example.
I’ll say it again: Baking is a science. The more you understand that the more you can customize recipes and tweak them with success.
But when you come to me asking about subtitutions, it’s disheartening.
I work tirelessly on developing my recipes. I have a whole process that involves a lot of time and effort to make sure I’m creating recipes that will be successful for my readers.
When you want to change something to a creation that I’ve worked so hard on, and when I know the result likely won’t be as good, it’s hard not to get disappointed.
Especially since it’s a challenge to keep up with the amount of comments and questions I get on ALL the platforms at all hours every day.
That’s why I’m enacting a NO SUBSTITUTION POLICY.
Moving forward, if I know a substitution will work because I have personal experience with it, I will include that information in the recipe post.
However, if I haven’t personally tested that substitution then I can’t in good conscience give an answer to your question because I can’t guarantee it will be accurate.
It would simply be my educated guess and would likely require you to trial and error your way through it which takes time and ingredients.
So when I say “no subs” I simply mean I won’t be making it a habit of attempting to answer questions on this topic.
You, of course, are free to bake my recipes any way you want and use Google as your tool to get possible answers to your specific questions!
It would be impossible for me to test every recipe to see if it would work without eggs, gluten, or dairy, or to try out a vegan, keto, or other dietary version.
Luckily I have a few seasoned readers in my community who like to share the results of their allergen-free or special dietary baking. Join my Facebook group if you’d like to see their tips and posts.
I also have a baking substitutions guide you can download here.
However, as I mentioned, I can’t guarantee any substitution will work as well as the original ingredient.
Little details are what makes the difference between average desserts and stellar desserts. That’s what the experts know. So when you don’t want to go back to the store to get an ingredient in the recipe and try to make something else work instead, just keep that in mind.
You can also search the comments of a recipe to see if anyone has reported success using a substitution.
TIP: use Control+F, or Command+F on a Mac to bring up the Find feature so you can pinpoint any mention of “gluten free” or whatever you’re looking for on the page.
If that’s a problem for you, I’m sorry. There are PLENTY of bloggers focused on creating content that might be a better fit for you.
My hope is that enacting this policy will allow us to continue to cultivate a positive and joyful community of people who love traditional baking.
LOVE YOU!
Tessa
First image by Constance Mariena. Portraits by Lauren Hansen.
I respect everyone but I now respect you MORE. You have the courage to ‘speak your mind,’ and are willing to live with the consequences. I am a old fashioned, make it from scratch kinda of person. I make many substitutions in cooking but very few in baking, because it is a science. A recipe is a guideline if you follow it you should have good results, if not you are gambling. We each have tastes and flavors we like more than others and from our own experiences with these we should be able to know what result we will get. Keep up the good work that you do and feel free to ‘speak your mind’ when ever you fell the need.
I also hate using substitutions in receipes that I use. The only time I do is if the ingredient that is called for I don’t have stocked and don’t have time to hit the grocery store to obtain it. That is RARE in my kitchen and I bake many custome-designed Cheesecakes for my clients, so my “pantry” is stocked really good and often. I’m with you, substitutions for the sake of saving calories, (or as you stated, due to food allergies etc.), is unnecessary and totally ruins the flavor and texture of the baked items, let alone less attractive eye-appeal.
I agree. Substitutes should not be used in baking unless you have food allergies, but there are recipes for people with food allergies. So you can’t say I followed the recipe to the “t” and you bomb on it. You bombed on it because you didn’t follow the directions. Besides we all know if you follow the recipes and use quality ingredients the only complaints you should hear are”why didn’t you make more”!! Happy baking people!!!!!
Amen! I *hate* reading reviews where someone says they made the recipe but changed X, Y, and Z and it didn’t work at all then they blame the recipe. No, the recipe is not the problem. You didn’t make the recipe.
And thank you for reminding everyone that baking is a science. That’s an important part of understanding why something does or doesn’t work.
Amen!!! Drives me bonkers when people criticize a recipe when they made substitutions and it doesn’t come out well. Good for you, and thank you for taking a stand. Love following you and making your amazing recipes. They have become family favorites. Love you even more for your honesty.
Thanks for this post. I am sure it wasn’t easy, given your very kind and fun personality. Baking is a science….that was a big lesson I learned in my years of trial and error. You are one of my favorite sources for AMAZING recipes! Looking forward to many more amazing bakes with your guidance.
Thank you so much!!
I can understand your hesitation in posting this but I’m so glad you did !t needed to be said. I don’t quite understand the statement “I followed the recipe to a T but it didn’t work”. There are so many small details in a recipe that can make or break a cake or cookie or pastry. It’s frustrating when people get angry that their cake wasn’t stellar. When I have a not-so-great result, I become determined to figure out where I went wrong. I really enjoy your recipes and support you wholeheartedly!
I’m so glad to have people like you around, Danielle!! Thanks so much for your comment 🙂
I could see why you would be hesitant to post this due to everyone being so sensitive in this day and age, but I totally agree with you. You cannot say you followed a recipe to a T, then change something. That’s NOT following it to a T!!!
When changing a recipe due to dietary reasons etc, people need to expect it’s not going to come out the same as you made it. The worst is when people are out of an ingredient and just substitute with something else they find in their kitchen. Just wait to go to the store to make it with the correct ingredients or expect it to come out wrong.
That last sentence!! So true.
I’m not a blogger, but I’m sure there are plenty of them reading this and thinking, “Amen, sister!” Good for you, Tessa.
Thank you, Cheryl!
This isn’t really a question about substitutions but “downsizing” a recipe. Learning to bake back in the 60’s I was made aware that if you were cutting a baked goods recipe in half (one that required baking powder or baking soda), that it was not correct to merely cut these ingredients in half. But I have read many bloggers since, who seem to claim that it is perfectly ok to do just that. What is your experience and take on this question ?
It can depend on the recipe! My friend Christina over at https://www.dessertfortwo.com/ is the queen of downsizing recipes, her blog would be a great resource for you.
I can only imagine how difficult this must have been to post, but I applaud you for doing so. I am gluten intolerant. I didn’t take any offense to what you wrote. I actually found it puzzling as to why you’d be ask for substitutes. I can only imagine the time and resources it must take to not only make a recipe but also post it! Half the fun for me is to take a recipe and see what I can use to make it gluten free. Thankfully, I use a gluten free baking flour to sub in for all-purpose flour and have found it to be just fine. My family actually prefers the gluten-free version to be honest. Like any recipe I use, I print it out, scan through the comments to read what others have done to make it “their” own, then make those notes, and finally add my changes. I encourage your readers to do the same. I look forward to many more delicious recipes from your kitchen!
I love that you posted this – it truly needed to be said! Your understanding of baking science and dedication to recipe testing is precisely what keeps me coming back again and again to your recipes. These types of negative reviews frustrate me as a reader, as well. I do occasionally change a recipe but would never dream of blaming the author for something that was clearly my own error! Good for you for speaking up!! 🙂
I appreciate you sharing your perspective, Phyllis!!
Love this!! As a chemist and passionate home cook these kinds of comments drive me INSANE when I read them (not the people asking, but the ones complaining or trashing a recipe that didn’t turn out because of substitutions).
You also do such a lovely job on educating people about the importance of certain ingredients. I hope this change gently nudges more people towards your guides instead of complaining about failed substitutions 🙂
Thank you SO much, Julia! I truly appreciate your comment + support on this 🙂
This is wonderful!! As a baker I have always did what a recipe said, but have been on the curious side if I did this or that to it. How would that come out. But later stepped back and said to myself, “If the recipe didnt called for that then it would say it in the recipe.” Lol!! People ask me to do things that is sometimes not possible. Me and my face says it all when I’m in that person face. “I’m sorry you asking me to do what again?” So you dont what no flour, eggs, sugar, or flavor! Hmmmm, so you want no cake, right!! Lol!!