Sugar and its's role in bakinggg

Sugar, ‘pixie dust’ in the hands of a baker.

How ’Sweet’, that I’ve been asked to write about sugar in baking!

Baking is just as much science as it is an art. Each ingredient in a recipe plays a part in the chemical reaction that happens when a product bakes in the oven.

We often assume, when we see sugar listed in a recipe, that it's there, just for the sweetness. While baking, sugar adds a great deal more by playing a vital role in browning, rising, density, texture and what not.

To begin with, where did this versatile ingredient come from?

India’s gift to the world - śarkarā 

A sweet gritty mass, produced from sugarcane plants in India around the 1st century AD, marked the birth of sugar. India’s śarkarā, became shakar to succarum to sucre to sugar as it journeyed through Persia to Europe and England.

From becoming popular worldwide as an expensive ‘fine spice’ in the past, to turning into an inexpensive bulk commodity, sugar has come a long way. Thanks to technological improvements and new world sources, today sugar comes in numerable ‘avatars’. Some of the popular variants used in baking are…

Granulated Sugar

Also known as refined white sugar or table sugar and derived from either sugarcane or sugar beets, this is the most commonly used sugar in baking, and for good reason. It’s neutral in flavour and has medium-sized, uniform crystals that are small enough to dissolve into batters and large enough to create air pockets when creamed with butter.

Brown Sugar

Perhaps the second-most common sugar in baking, brown sugar is basically granulated sugar with a small amount of molasses added. You’ll typically find two types of brown sugar: light brown and dark brown. The latter has slightly more molasses and as a result will provide more flavour and darker colour, but for the most part they can be used interchangeably in baked goods. The inclusion of molasses gives brown sugar its toasty colour, additional depth of flavour, slight acidity, and moisture. As a result, brown sugar is typically used in recipes to provide both more flavour and a softer texture.

Caster sugar

Also called super fine sugar, this granulated speciality sugar has been finely ground so the crystals are smaller. It’s good for creaming because it has defined crystals to cut through the butter and is an excellent choice for meringues, egg foams, and simple syrups.

Confectioners’ Sugar

Also called icing sugar, confectioners’ sugar is powdered sugar with a bit of corn-starch added to prevent clumping. Because of its fine consistency, confectioners’ sugar dissolves easily and is used for icings, frostings, and glazes. It works well in dense, buttery cookies like shortbread because it doesn’t incorporate air and yields a supremely tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Invert Sugars

Honey, molasses, and maple are liquid sweeteners also known as invert sugars and have different makeups of sucrose, glucose, and fructose. They contribute varying levels of sweetness, browning, and moisture retention to a baked product.

No matter what sugar we use, its ‘how much’ that really matters.

Use sugar like a magic spell,

for a little goes a long way…