This Wednesday is National Pastry Day, and experts at the United Soybean Board offer creative solutions and useful ideas for offering bakery customers delicious pastries that satisfy consumer demand. It is worth noting that soy is the only widely available complete plant protein comparable in quality to animal protein, according to the experts.

Richard Galloway, US Soy oils expert, explains that high oleic shortenings are workable over a much broader temperature range, one of its many benefits to bakers. By comparison, palm-based shortenings can vary from brittle to gooey, depending on the variable weather conditions where your bakery is located in the country.

“Consumers know when they bite into a croissant and it’s gooey, they know something is wrong,” he explains.

Another benefit of high oleic shortenings?

“The flavor is completely bland, so whatever you put in any recipe is what you are going to get out of the finished product,” Galloway says.

In a growing number of studies, US consumers express very positive preferences about soy.

“From a nutrition standpoint, soy is the perfect plant source,” he explains. “The trend of sustainability goes beyond farming practices. Now we have a shorter supply chain, and it’s a US grown product. The United Soybean Board does extensive consumer surveys, and 62% prefer made in the United States. The preference for soy is very strong.”