This Week is Sugar Week
Reader Rick had an interesting idea last week: what if I put up a separate section on sugar to mirror the Flour section I have under “Baking Basics” to the left there. It might make a handy reference for bakers out there, plus I’d get to geek out on the subject sugar refining. Everybody wins! Let’s do this thing. Thanks Rick!
Dear Joe,
You are just sooo Sweet! Maybe I’m asking too much, but can you include liquid sweeteners too like honey, agave syrup, corn syrup and golden syrup? Pretty Pleeeeeeeease!
Eva
With sugar on top! (okay I couldn’t resit that one) 😉
Doh!
You and your honey tongue. I had a feeling I’d get that request. I think I’d have to start a separate section on syrups. We’ll see what happens!
– Joe
I’m okay with that! Thanks for considering it!
Eva
And taking into account different countries too please. Some of us have cane sugar rather than beet.
And not just Europe. I still have very little idea how our flour compares with American and European.
Sugar you mean? I’ll do my very best!
– Joe
No, I mean flour. Your flour thing compares American with European. Doesn’t have the rest of us. We don’t get something called cake flour; just standard grade, high grade, cornflour (wheat starch), self-raising (which is standard grade plus raising agent), and wholemeal. There is strong, but it’s not available in domestic quantities. Very difficult to figure out which American and European flours they equate to.
Ah, I see what you mean. I’ll see what sort of information I can find!
– Joe
Hey Bronwyn! I’m going to focus mostly on cane, but talk about beet sugar a little as well. I can’t leave Napoleon out!
– Joe
Hi Joe,
can you please talk about Stevia a little as well? I always wondered if I can substitute sugar with Stevia here and there? If the astronauts use it, why not us?
I like this chatter about sugar. Great information!
Whenever a week happens that you don’t have anything better to do… how about talking butter too? I’ve always wondered why butter sticks are shaped differently depending on which side of hte Mississippi one lives.
I might have to steadily work my way through syrups, fats, things like that. Hm. Seems I may have started something it’ll take me a while to finish!
Thanks for a good idea!
– Joe
This is so cool; I check back after 2 weeks to find pages and pages of reference goodies to consume. I’ve finally broken my lurking silence to say ‘thank you’!
Is there any chance I could put in a request for discussing the different saccharides in baking at some point? (eg. glucose vs. sucrose vs. fructose in cooking temperatures, pH, texture, etc.) I know they make quite a bit of difference in fermentation, and can affect sugar-working and such, but what about baking in general?
Thanks again, and looking forward to continue reading such interesting material!
Wow…what a subject! That’s something I’ll need to go to school on. Thanks for the suggestion…I’ll do what I can!
Cheers and thanks,
– Joe