On the use of various "sugars" in baking

Various types of sugar are needed in baking, in addition to the common white sugar, there are also less common sugars such as soft sugar, glucose, invert sugar, and water sugar. For example, in the lemon Madeleine I posted before, invert sugar was used, and soft sugar was used in this red bean filling .

Therefore, questions like "If there is no XX sugar, can XX be used as a substitute?" are very common. In fact, this question is very complicated. Sometimes it is possible, and sometimes it is not. It is difficult to generalize. So today, Ella will talk about the different characteristics of these sugars~ With this knowledge, you can judge whether it is necessary to buy new types of "sugar"~

1. What is sugar?

In a broad sense, sugar refers to carbohydrates , including monosaccharides and oligosaccharides such as white sugar mentioned above, as well as macromolecular "polysaccharides" such as starch, cellulose, and pectin. (The "dietary fiber" that fairies love is also a polysaccharide~)

Monosaccharide: lonely single dog~

Disaccharides: Monosaccharides become disaccharides when they are separated from each other. This is a dog-abuse combination of two molecules holding hands.

Polysaccharides: A group of monosaccharides... Have fun playing!

2. Sugar in Baking

In addition to white sugar, there are also common sugars such as soft sugar, brown sugar, black sugar, glucose (white and transparent), maltose (white and transparent), maltose (golden), invert sugar (white), invert syrup (golden, used for mooncakes), honey and maple syrup. In some Japanese baking books, we can also see "weird" sugars such as white sugar and Wasanbon sugar. So many sugars seem messy, but they can actually be divided into three categories according to their flavor, properties and usage (Ella's original classification, it is normal if other places have different classifications)~

• White sugar, soft white sugar, fine white sugar, Wasanbon sugar, brown sugar, black sugar

1. The main components of these five sugars are the same, all of which are sucrose (disaccharide) , but their flavors and sweetness are different.

2. Granulated sugar, soft white sugar, and fine white sugar: They are refined sugars . Granulated sugar can be regarded as "pure sucrose". Both soft white sugar and fine white sugar contain a certain amount of "invert sugar syrup" . Invert sugar is sweeter, so the same weight of soft white sugar and fine white sugar taste sweeter than granulated sugar, and more or less have some properties of invert sugar, but the particles of fine white sugar are finer than those of granulated white sugar.

White sugar

Softened sugar

Add sugar

3. Wasanbon sugar, brown sugar, and black sugar: They are unrefined sugars . In addition to sucrose, they also contain a certain amount of molasses and minerals . These two substances provide the above three types of sugars with unique flavors. Because of the different contents of molasses and minerals, the color depth varies. The darker the color, the stronger the flavor . It is not just simply sweet.

Wasanbon sugar

brown sugar

Brown sugar

• Glucose (white and transparent), maltose (white and transparent), maltose (golden yellow), invert sugar (white), invert sugar syrup (golden yellow, for mooncakes)

1. They are all liquid sugars with good moisture retention, which can make the finished product more moist

2. Glucose (white transparent syrup), maltose (white transparent syrup): Both are colorless and tasteless syrups. The main component of glucose syrup is glucose (monosaccharide), and the main component of maltose is maltose (disaccharide) . Although one is single and the other is double, maltose is a "naughty" sugar. It has some properties of "monosaccharide" and is very similar to glucose syrup in application. If the amount used is small , they can be interchangeable~but the color of the finished product is not as deep as that of glucose syrup.

glucose

Candy Cane

3. Invert sugar (white), invert sugar syrup (golden yellow, for mooncakes): The main ingredient is invert sugar, which is a mixture of fructose and glucose generated by the hydrolysis of sucrose. Invert sugar is sweeter than sucrose , and is easier to color in baked products than sucrose. It has stronger water retention and is not easy to lose water and age. Another application is to add it to frozen products to make the taste change less after thawing . Although the main ingredients of mooncake syrup and white invert sugar syrup are similar, the preparation method is slightly different. They have a certain caramel aroma and cannot be interchanged.

Invert Sugar

Invert Syrup

• Natural sugars such as honey and maple syrup

1. They all have a certain amount of minerals, etc., which give them a special flavor

2. The main components of honey are invert sugar (a mixture of fructose and glucose) and minerals, so in addition to bringing a special flavor, it also has a certain function of invert sugar.

Honey

3. The main component of maple syrup is sucrose, which also contains certain organic acids and various minerals that can supplement some nutrients for the human body. However, in baking, the special flavor brought by minerals is mainly used.

Maple Syrup

Summarize

Can so many types of sugar be interchangeable?

It depends on your purpose and expectations. All ingredients can be replaced. However, the taste, texture and even appearance will be different to varying degrees. It depends on whether your purpose is to just eat it or to pursue perfection. The choice will be different.

If we must change, we need to have a rough estimate of the difference in the finished product. For example, if we replace white sugar with granulated sugar, the sweetness will be slightly higher and more moist. If we replace it with brown sugar, not only will the sweetness be different, but it will also have the special flavor of brown sugar.

The conclusion is that we need to understand the characteristics of various sugars, estimate the difference after substitution, and then judge whether the difference is acceptable. If it is acceptable, then we can replace it. If it is not acceptable, then we should buy a new kind of sugar~~ After all, professionalism is "bought" bit by bit~

Chongqing Bairest Coffee and Pastry Training Academy