Tips For Reducing Sugar In Baked Goods
Whether you've been diagnosed with a condition like diabetes or you're having to cut sugar and carbs for other reasons, it can seem a daunting thing to do. Although it may seem to be an overwhelming prospect, the good news is that it's easier to do than you might think. There are many ways to reduce sugar and carbs without sacrificing the things that you enjoy in life. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
Reduce The Amount Of Sugar In Recipes
Although it's common knowledge that baking is a fairly precise process that requires a balance of ingredients, you do have some flexibility with the amount of sugar in recipes. The key to knowing how to adjust the sugar is to determine the role that the sugar plays in the recipe. Sugar can serve to add either volume, moisture, or both in a recipe. And understanding which role it plays will help you determine how to reduce it.
In things like quick bread and pies, sugar provides moisture. In rising baked goods, it provides volume. When you're replacing sugar that provides moisture to a recipe, you'll need to add more liquid. You can do that with something like applesauce or even with milk. If it provides volume, you can get a bit of extra volume in the recipe by using a mixture of baking soda and baking powder or an extra egg.
Use Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners have come a long way in the last several years. While they didn't hold up to the heat of baking in the past, there are some heat-stable sweeteners that will work in baked recipes now. Simply use the sugar replacement ratio on the sweetener in question to replace the sugar. When you're first starting, you may want to only replace a portion of the sugar until you can see how the recipe responds. Gradually make further adjustments, adding an egg for volume or something similar if you're struggling with texture.
Change Your Flour Option
The other option for reducing carbohydrates is to change the flour you're using. Instead of a grain-based flour, you can opt for a white bean flour or coconut flour instead. Bean flours and coconut flours often require significantly more moisture added to a recipe in order to get the final product right. Start by increasing the liquid by twenty-five percent, then adjust it as needed after that.
Contact a company like Monin for more information and assistance.
