Baking with Sweeteners

Lin Carson, PhD 1 What Are Sweeteners?

They are a highly functional ingredient, adding more than just a sweet bite.

They can be natural, artificial, nutritive, caloric, or zero-calorie, depending on desired taste or nutritional value. 2 Function in Baking

Sweeteners help with:

✓ Flavor

✓ Crust color (browning)

✓ Shelf life

✓ Tenderization 3 Two Categories:

NUTRITIVE SWEETENERS NUTRITIVE SWEETENERS

● Provide energy in the ● Zero or low-calorie sweeteners. Only some can form of carbohydrates. be used in baking. Liquid Some are found naturally and dry sweeteners can be in food, such as fruits, and substituted for one another others are added to food only with adjustments to the before consumption. rest of the formula. 4 Popular Sweeteners

Many sweetners are used in the baking industry. Here are some of the most popular or interesting:*

❏ Agave ❏ Invert

❏ ❏ Powdered Sugar

❏ Cane Sugar ❏ Sorbitol

❏ High Corn *Not an exhaustive list. Find more at BAKERpedia.com 5 Agave

A natural sweetener that can be substituted for or sugar. A popular choice for clean label or vegan products.

Is a low glycemic index food and is 1.5x sweeter than sugar, so less is needed as a substitute.

The darker the syrup, the more flavor and color is imparted on the final product. 6 Brown Sugar

Granulated cane sugar with an added 3.5 - 6.5% of .

It’s finer, softer, and moister than granulated sugar. When substituting for granulated , a small amount of baking soda is needed to help neutralize the acidity.

Works well in cookies, , or gingerbread. 7 Cane Sugar

Highly refined, miniscule, white-granule sugar derived from the sugar cane plant.

Used as a tenderizing agent and moistener in liquid form, and a drying agent in granular form.

Reacts with heat and moisture in baked goods in the oven, and caramelizes to produce a golden brown crust and enhanced flavor. 8 High Fructose

Made from a corn syrup, with a series of three enzymes added to convert the into fructose.

HFCS is cheaper, leads to better browning and texture in baked goods and is more stable than granulated sugar. It also won’t crystalize like granulated sugar.

HFCS 42, 42% fructose and 53% glucose, is commonly used to sweeten food products. 9 Invert Sugar

It is created by splitting into two equal parts, glucose and fructose.

Invert sugar is sweeter than sugar, cost effective, extends shelf life, minimizes crystallization and helps preserve baked goods.

It’s especially beneficial in low-fat or fat-free products that can become drier quicker. 10 Powdered Sugar

Also known as confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar, it’s powdered granulated sugar and cornstarch.

Used for dusting, frosting/icing applications, , and in baked goods for a very tender, delicate texture.

Substitute 1 ¾ cup of powdered sugar for every 1 cup of granulated sugar. 11 Sorbitol

A that is manufactured from the glucose produced from cornstarch.

Roughly 60% as sweet as sucrose and has approximately 2.6 calories per gram.

Its moisture-stabilizing action makes it a good choice for products that tend to become dry or harden. Find all your baking answers on BAKERpedia.com