Olive Oil for Baking: Why Some Doughs Need a Little Milk (and a Little EVOO)

Stop guessing and start adjusting: why your olive-oil dough won't pipe (and how a splash of milk fixes it)

If you've ever tried to pipe a buttery biscuit or sandwich biscuit with olive oil and ended up with limp, spreading fingers or a burst piping bag, you're in good company. Home cooks, artisan bakers and pastry chefs all wrestle with the same problem: liquid fats behave very differently to solid fats. That mismatch creates texture failures, shape problems and unexpected flavour changes. The simple secret used in classic recipes like Viennese fingers — add a little milk to improve pipeability — opens a practical doorway to reliably using extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) in a wide range of baked goods.

The real pain point: why olive oil breaks recipes designed for butter

Most traditional cookie and biscuit recipes were written for butter. Butter is roughly 80% fat and 16–18% water; it melts and sets, giving structure when cold and tenderness when baked. Olive oil is 100% fat and remains liquid at room temperature. That single difference changes how doughs mix, how they hold their shape, how they brown and how they feel in the mouth.

When you swap olive oil into a butter-based piping dough without compensating, three things typically happen:

• Loss of structure: liquid oil offers no solid matrix to hold ridged shapes once piped.
• Increased spread: oil wets flour differently and can make items run across the tray.
• Sensory change: olive oil adds fruity, grassy notes — great in some applications, distracting in others.

How the Viennese fingers tip scales up: the milk trick explained

Benjamina Ebuehi's well-known cookery tip for Viennese fingers — add a little milk to help the dough pipe — is elegant because it addresses the core mechanical need: a small amount of liquid increases lubrication and improves flow (pipeability) without turning the dough into batter. Milk also contributes proteins and lactose, which aid browning and add tenderness.

"I find that the addition of a little milk helps make it more pipeable, as does using a large, open-star nozzle to avoid cramped hands and burst piping bags." — Benjamina Ebuehi, The Guardian

Applied more broadly, the milk trick becomes a flexible tool in a baker's toolbox. Use it when you need oil to move smoothly through a nozzle or to join a dough whose original formula depends on butter's water content. But it's not magic — you must balance liquids, fat and flour.

Practical rules: converting butter-based doughs to olive oil (the math you can use)

Here are clear, evidence-backed conversion rules you can apply to most butter recipes. Keep these as a cheat-sheet on your phone or kitchen wall.

1. Butter-to-EVOO weight conversion

Butter is ~80% fat and ~16% water. To match the fat content when replacing butter with olive oil:

• Oil weight = butter weight × 0.8
• Liquid addition = butter weight × 0.16 — this replaces the water component of butter and restores handling.

Example: A Viennese fingers recipe uses 130g very soft butter. Replace it with 104g EVOO (130 × 0.8) and add ~21g milk (130 × 0.16) to restore pipeability and texture.

2. When to add milk (or an alternative)

Add small increments of liquid — start at the calculated amount and add up to another 5–10g if the dough resists piping. You can use:

• Whole milk (adds richness and better browning)
• Skim milk (less fat but still improves flow)
• Plant milks — oat and soy work best for baking; almond can be too thin

3. Temperature and chilling adjustments

Because EVOO never solidifies at room temperature, you must control temperature by chilling the mixed dough until firm enough to pipe and hold shape, usually 15–30 minutes. Use cooler hands and a cold piping bag if you need extended piping time.

Techniques and troubleshooting: getting shape, crumb and flavour right

Technique: mixing and piping

• Creaming vs rubbing: For Viennese-style piped biscuits, cream sugar and the softened (or liquid) fat together until light, then fold in flour. When using EVOO, you lose the aeration butter gives; a short whisk of egg white can help provide lift for some recipes.
• Nozzle choice: large, open-star nozzles reduce shear and prevent clogging. They also make the ribbed, melt-in-the-mouth surface you expect from Viennese fingers.
• Piping bag technique: use a wide-diameter bag, avoid overfilling, rotate the tray rather than the bag for consistent pressure.

Troubleshooting common faults

• Dough too loose and spreads: Chill longer; add 5–10g more flour or 1–2 tbsp of fine cornstarch to firm the dough; reduce oven temperature by 10–20°C to prevent over-spread during early bake.
• Dough cracks or is crumbly: You may have under-compensated for butter's water. Add 5–10g milk or an extra egg yolk for binding.
• Bags burst: Use thicker pastry bags or double up disposable ones; reduce internal pressure by switching to a larger tip.
• Overly oily mouthfeel: Reduce oil by 5–10% and increase flour fraction slightly; choose a mild EVOO.

Recipe adaptation: Viennese fingers with EVOO (practical example)

Below is a pragmatic adaptation based on the original butter recipe, using the butter-to-oil conversion. This is intended as a technique demo rather than a prescriptive commercial recipe.

Ingredients (makes ~10)

• 104g mild-flavoured extra virgin olive oil
• 50g icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 170g plain flour
• ~21g whole milk (start with 15g and adjust if needed)
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• Chocolate for dipping

Method highlights

1. Cream the icing sugar and olive oil until smooth and slightly aerated. EVOO won't trap as much air as butter, so stop when homogeneous.
2. Add vanilla and most of the milk (reserve 5–10g). Fold in the flour and salt until a soft, pipeable dough forms. Add reserved milk only if the dough resists piping.
3. Chill for 15–30 minutes; fit a large open-star nozzle and pipe 6–8cm fingers onto lined trays.
4. Bake at a moderate temperature — reduce the recipe's butter temperature by 10–15°C to account for EVOO's spreading behaviour — until pale golden at the edges.
5. Cool completely, then dip the ends in tempered dark chocolate.

Notes: the mouthfeel will be slightly different — expect a silkier, less waxy bite. Use a mild EVOO to avoid vegetal notes overwhelming the vanilla and chocolate.

Advanced strategies: balancing liquid fats and hydration across different baked goods

As more bakers in 2025–2026 explored plant-forward and olive-oil-forward baking, three advanced strategies proved reliable:

• Hybrid fat systems: Combine EVOO with a small percentage (10–20%) of a solid fat — chilled butter, vegetable-based baking sticks or cocoa butter — to recreate some structural and aeration benefits of butter while keeping the olive oil flavour. This is especially useful in laminated doughs and piped cookies.
• Stabilised emulsions: For recipes that need long holding times in line or display, create an emulsion by whisking EVOO with egg yolk or a neutral lecithin-rich paste before adding to dry ingredients. This increases cohesion and reduces free oil separation.
• Targeted hydration management: Treat the recipe like a bread formula — calculate baker percentages when scaling. Adjust flour up to 2–4% or add starches to control spread while keeping the hydration you need for chewiness or crispness.

When to keep butter

There are valid reasons to stick with butter in certain pastries: laminated puff pastries, some layered cakes and buttercream-rich cookies rely on butter's plasticity and melting behaviour. Use EVOO where its sensorial profile and technical behaviour are advantageous: dense cakes, quick breads, certain cookies and savoury bakes.

Olive oil selection for baking: pick the right EVOO for the job

Not all EVOOs are equal for baking. In 2025–26, consumer demand pushed producers to offer clearer sensory labels — look for these attributes:

• Mild/neutral — minimum peppery, grassy notes; best for delicate sweets.
• Delicate fruity — works for citrus, almond and nut-forward recipes.
• Robust, peppery — reserve for savoury biscuits, focaccias and herb bakes.

Choose fresher oils (production within 12 months) and store them in dark glass. In 2025 several UK artisan brands started adding sensory wheels and QR-coded provenance to bottles — helpful if you want to match flavour intensity. For why provenance matters and how provenance notes help bakers, see this piece on how discoveries rewrite value and provenance signalling: provenance and value.

Plant-based and allergy-friendly swaps: making the milk trick vegan

Milk improves pipeability because of water, proteins and sugars. For vegan baking:

• Use oat or soy milk (barista-style options tend to be richer and more stable).
• Consider adding 1 tsp glycerine or 1 tsp of aquafaba to mimic binding properties.
• Try a small amount of silken tofu blended into the liquid for structure in denser biscuits.

Ingredient trends are shifting too — with interest in functional and plant-forward ingredients, you might explore functional mushrooms and other plant-based additives where they make sense in savoury or enriched bakes.

Common recipe conversions and quick charts

Here are handy quick-conversion rules you can memorise or pin up:

• 100g butter = 80g EVOO + 16g liquid
• 200g butter = 160g EVOO + 32g liquid
• Reduce oven temperature by 10–15°C when switching to oil-based versions to limit spread.

Pairing and finishing: use EVOO to accentuate texture and flavour

Olive oil brings phenolic notes and fruity aromatics that pair well with:

• Lemon zest, orange and citrus glazes
• Ground almonds and hazelnuts
• Dark chocolate (the bitterness balances the oil's fruitiness)
• Savoury herbs like rosemary and thyme in biscuits and crackers

For finishing, a micro-drizzle of an extra drop of mild EVOO over warm shortbreads after baking can amplify aromatic complexity — try it sparingly, especially on sweeter profiles.

Storage, freshness and sustainability (what matters in 2026)

By early 2026 shoppers are increasingly prioritising traceability and freshness. For best results in baking:

• Buy oils with a clear harvest date; prefer within 12 months.
• Store in a cool, dark cupboard away from heat and light; refrigerating can hasten cloudiness but does not harm quality.
• Use opened EVOO within 3–6 months for peak aromatics in delicate baked goods.

Also consider sustainability labels and small-batch producers; many now display tasting notes and suggested culinary uses tailored specifically for bakers. For broader sustainability signals and how they appear in different categories, see a discussion of net-zero home conversion trends and consumer expectations (useful context for traceability-driven shoppers).

Quick checklist: before you replace butter with olive oil

• Decide whether EVOO's flavour complements the bake.
• Use the 0.8 conversion rule and replace butter-water with milk (or alternative).
• Chill dough and choose an appropriate nozzle for piping.
• Adjust oven temperature and be ready to tweak flour or starch if spreading occurs.
• Test a small batch before scaling for events or retail.

Final takeaways (actionable in under 5 minutes)

• Convert butter to olive oil by weight ×0.8 and add ~16% of the original butter weight as liquid.
• Use milk (or plant milk) to improve pipeability; start with the calculated amount and add small increments.
• Chill, use a large open-star nozzle and reduce oven temp by 10–15°C to avoid excess spread.
• Choose a mild EVOO for sweet bakes; keep robust oils for savoury applications.

Looking ahead: trends and predictions for bakery use of olive oil (2026)

Through late 2025 and into 2026, bakers moved from curiosity to craft: small-batch producers and high-street bakeries are formally adding olive oil lines and clear usage notes. Expect these developments to become mainstream this year:

• More sensory-labelled EVOOs aimed specifically at bakers and patissiers.
• Pre-formulated vegan milks designed to mimic butter's baking behaviour will be commonly available in UK supermarkets.
• Hybrid fat blends sold specifically for baking that combine EVOO with stabilising solid fats to simplify conversions.

Ready to try it? A simple at-home experiment

Take a small batch of a butter cookie dough and split it three ways: (A) original butter, (B) butter→EVOO using the 0.8 rule + milk, (C) EVOO with reduced oil and 10% chilled butter. Bake them side by side. Note differences in spread, crumb and flavour. This quick A/B/C will teach you more than a page of theory. If you want to record your tests or make short recipe clips, check camera and creator kit suggestions in our Mobile Creator Kits 2026 guide — it's tailored for lightweight, live-first workflows.

Call to action

Want oils tested and recommended for baking? Visit our curated EVOO collection for bakers, where each bottle has sensory notes, a suggested use-case and conversion tips. Sign up for our 2026 Baking with Olive Oil guide and get a printable conversion chart plus three adapted recipes for Viennese fingers, olive oil shortbread and an oil-rich lemon loaf. If you're thinking about selling or sampling at a market or pop-up, see how to design food and merch pop-ups with local chefs. Try the milk trick and report back — we love reader experiments; if you publish short clips aimed at regional audiences, our piece on producing short social clips for Asian audiences has format tips that translate well for recipe content.