Sugar is a basic product that cannot be ignored in our kitchen. Sugar is often added to baking. Different variations are for sale in the shop. The most famous is granulated sugar, also called table sugar. Other well-known sugar products include caster sugar, powdered sugar, cane sugar, coconut blossom sugar, and palm sugar. Granulated sugar, caster sugar, powdered sugar and cane sugar belong to the category of refined sugars. Unlike granulated sugar, caster sugar and powdered sugar (sugar beet juice), cane sugar is extracted from sugar cane (sugar cane juice). The process of cane sugar is similar to that of sugar beets. Coconut blossom sugar and palm sugar are natural sugars.
In the factory, all minerals and vitamins are filtered from the juice of the sugar beets and what remains is pure sugar. With cane sugar, this is the juice from sugar cane. Refined sugars do not contain any useful nutrients. It does provide your body with energy. The amount of energy in cane sugar is the same as the energy in beet sugar. Sugar belongs to the group of fast carbohydrates. Your body absorbs these quickly but does nothing with it for the rest.
Natural sugars are a good substitute for refined sugars. Contrary to the process of refined sugars, the vitamins and minerals are not filtered out of the product with natural sugars.
Function of sugar in baking
Confectioners and our home bakery mainly use normal refined sugar. The best results are also known. The use of sugar in baking ensures a regular cooking process, improves the taste (sweetener), and prevents the pastry from drying out quickly. During the baking process, the sugar caramelizes and thus provides flavor and color. Sugar ensures that baked goods get a crispy layer.
Sugar also inhibits gluten development in baked goods and accelerates the growth of yeast dough. Brioche dough is an example of yeast dough. The dough will rise by adding yeast. The sugar in the brioche dough helps to maintain the light structure during the dough rising. Sugar also helps in beating egg whites into foam. Think of the basic recipe for merengues.
Granulated sugar
Granulated sugar is the most commonly used product in our daily products. An advantage of fine granulated sugar is that it quickly dissolves in dough or batter. Coarse granulated sugar is mainly used for decoration. The disadvantage of coarse granulated sugar when baking pies or cake is that it dissolves less well.
Caster sugar
Caster sugar is a mixture of finely ground white sugar and a solution of invert sugar (a mixture of fructose and glucose). With brown sugar, caramel, molasses or syrup is added. Caster sugar contains more moisture than granulated sugar. Due to the higher moisture content, brown sugar clumps faster. Caster sugar is best stored in a cool, dry place in a closed jar. In the supermarket there are different variants of caster sugar for sale: normal white caster sugar, yellow caster sugar, brown caster sugar and dark brown caster sugar. The darker the color of the caster sugar, the higher the moisture content.
The use of brown sugar in baking ensures that a product remains fresh and preservable for longer. That is why many manufacturers use brown sugar. This sugar retains moisture well and prevents the pastry from drying out. For this reason, brown sugar is often used in pastries that should not be too dry, such as brownies or flan bottoms. If you bake cookies with brown sugar, these are usually softer. On the other hand, granulated sugar gives a crispy biscuit. Caster sugar also dissolves faster in dough or batter compared to granulated sugar. Brown caster sugar provides a deeper taste and a deeper color. That is why brown caster sugar is very suitable for the preparation of speculaas, stroopwafels or a carrot cake (English: carrot cake).
Powdered sugar
Icing sugar is a combination of finely ground granulated sugar and a small amount of starch. The advantage of powdered sugar is its smooth texture and it is easily soluble. Powdered sugar is often perceived as sweeter than regular sugar. If you let powdered sugar dissolve on your tongue, it will dissolve faster than regular sugar. This creates a more intense sweet taste, but it really isn’t. Icing sugar is often used in the preparation of icing or buttercream. It is also possible to bake cookies with icing sugar. The cookies get a more brittle structure and the cookies color less quickly.
Cane sugar
Cane sugar is centrifuged shorter than granulated sugar, so that it still contains vitamins, minerals, trace elements and fiber. It is therefore also darker in color. Although it is often thought that cane sugar is healthier, that is a myth.
Baking with natural sugars
Nowadays there are also recipes with palm sugar. It is claimed that this sugar would have little effect on blood sugar. Palm sugar is less sweet than granulated sugar and has a lower glycemic index. The glycemic index is a measure used to estimate how quickly the blood sugar level rises after a person has eaten carbohydrates. A high index indicates that carbohydrates are broken down quickly and are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream as glucose. The lower glycemic index of palm sugar compared to granulated sugar indicates that the carbohydrates in palm sugar are broken down more slowly and are absorbed into the bloodstream more slowly. This ensures less fluctuation in the blood sugar level.
You can also use maple syrup or coconut blossom sugar. The ratio of the sugar substitutes in baked goods may differ from the ratio in baked goods made with refined sugars. You can use the same amount of palm sugar or coconut blossom sugar as a substitute for granulated sugar. The ratio is 1 to 1. For maple syrup, this is a quarter less than the stated weight of granulated sugar in a recipe.