How to choose ingredients

MILK: The plant-based milk used in all Vegan Pastry Club recipes is soy milk, in particular Alpro. In some recipes, you can replace it with other types of plant-based milk, for example oat milk, but not always: it really depends on the recipe. Soy milk has a different composition compared to other plant-based milks, and its composition is the closest to dairy milk. For this reason, in pastry it helps us much more in different preparations, for example in creams, mousses, sponge cakes, emulsions and other desserts, helping us achieve a better structure and texture. When it can be replaced, I mainly recommend oat milk as an alternative, keeping in mind that the final result may still be slightly different. I would avoid plant-based milks such as rice milk, because their composition is very different and they can change the texture, structure and final result of the recipe much more. CREAM: in all the recipes inside the Vegan Pastry Club, cooking cream is never used, only vegetable whipping cream. In Italy I mainly use Hoplà (the fuchsia package), Professional Cream (the blue package) and Flora Plant. These are all long-life soy-based whipping creams that can be whipped and are among the most stable options currently available in Italy. The most important thing when looking for a similar cream in your country is to check the fat percentage, especially saturated fats, since this greatly affects whipping stability and texture. The creams I use usually contain around: • 20% fat → Professional Cream • 27% fat → Hoplà • around 31% fat → Flora Plant Try to look for plant-based whipping creams with similar fat percentages and a similar nutritional profile, especially regarding saturated fats. Soy-based creams are generally the most stable for pastry recipes. Vegetable whipping cream is usually sold at room temperature because it is shelf-stable, but it must be refrigerated before whipping. Place it in the fridge the day before using it. VEGAN BUTTER - MARGARINE: in all the recipes inside the Vegan Pastry Club, spreadable margarine is never used, only block margarine (If not specified otherwise). This means margarines with a fat percentage of around 80%, which are firmer and more suitable for pastry recipes. Vegetable butter and margarine are, in fact, the same type of product, because both are simply an emulsion of water and vegetable fats. Alternatively, you can use the homemade margarine recipe available inside the Club. LECITHIN: in all the recipes in the Vegan Pastry Club soy lecithin is used, either powder or granular is fine, however being an allergen it can be replaced with sunflower lecithin. AGAR AGAR: For agar agar it is not recommended to use the sachets found in supermarkets but to buy a good quality agar, as sometimes different strengths are found. POTATO PROTEIN: potato protein is a plant-based protein extracted from potatoes and is mainly used in vegan pastry as an egg white replacement for whipping and creating stable foams, meringues and mousses. For potato protein it is recommended to use the Sosa brand as it is the most stable, whips better and also holds up better with the addition of fat. IOTA: Iota is a powdered gelling agent derived from red algae and is mainly used to create soft, elastic and creamy textures in desserts, creams and gel preparations. It can usually be found online under the name Carrageenan Iota. KAPPA: KKappa is a powdered gelling agent derived from red algae and is mainly used to create firmer and more stable textures in desserts and gel preparations. It can usually be found online under the name Carrageenan Kappa. PECTIN NH: ere are many different types of pectins, so it is important to purchase the one with the exact same wording for the success of the recipe. Each pectin activates differently and creates a different type of gel, therefore they all have different characteristics and are not interchangeable. Pectin NH is a professional type of pectin and is therefore usually not found in supermarkets. The recommended brands are Sosa and Louis François, but other similar professional pastry brands are also suitable. PECTIN X58: there are many different types of pectins, so it is important to purchase the one with the exact same wording for the success of the recipe. Each pectin activates differently and creates a different type of gel, therefore they all have different characteristics and are not interchangeable. Pectin X58 is a professional type of pectin and is therefore usually not found in supermarkets. The recommended brands are Sosa and Louis François, but other similar professional pastry brands are also suitable. INULIN: inulin is a white powder derived from chicory root and can easily be found online. In vegan pastry it helps create a creamier and fattier mouthfeel, therefore partly replacing one of the characteristics of egg yolk. FRUIT PUREES: the ready-made fruit purees used in the Vegan Pastry Club are from the Ravifruit brand, they contain 10% added sugar so if you want to use fresh fruit and blend it you will need to add the missing portion of sugar.