Sugar Substitutes For Baking

The baking industry thrives on the use of sugar in its innumerable palatable products. This is something we all know, but we are also familiar with the fact that sugar in its refined form is a killer. It can lead to diabetes or render you overweight, apart from causing myriad other complications. It is this familiarity or realization that caused bakers all over the world to rethink their use of sugar when baking which ultimately resulted in the usage of sugar substitutes. Sugar substitutes come in the form of natural and artificial sweeteners and are used extensively all over the world. However, these products can never really succeed in substituting sugar once and for all. This is only because sweeteners are not completely devoid of faults. Artificial sweeteners can result in undesirable changes in the taste, texture and appearance of finished products. Natural sweeteners churn out better results, but are not too high on popularity because they contain more calories and require a baker to modify the original recipe. In spite of these setbacks, however, sugar substitutes have still managed to rake in a million favorable votes all over the world. Read on to know more on the substitutes for sugar when baking. 

Sugar Alternatives For Baking

Honey
Honey can be considered a healthy substitute for sugar when baking. However, there are certain rules to abide by when replacing sugar with honey. Honey basically is a wet ingredient and has to be balanced out when baking. The ‘golden rule’ when baking with honey is to do away with 1/4 cup of the liquid base for every cup of honey used. This justified use of honey will help maintain or retain a recipe’s dry-to-wet ingredient ratio. Unfortunately however, honey cannot be used for every baking recipe under the sun. It basically is a bad choice for recipes that have less or no liquid requirements. Using honey for an almost dry recipe will only spoil the texture of the ‘finished product’. Also, honey does not really contain lesser calories than sugar. Honey contains around 1031 calories per cup, while a cup of sugar contains around 775 calories. Honey can even raise blood sugar levels, thus making it an inappropriate sugar substitute for diabetics. However, at times, honey is still preferred over sugar because it is less processed and contains no fat. 

Sucralose
Sucralose, arguably, is the most used product for substituting sugar when baking. Sucralose although sourced from sugar does not break down in the body like processed sugar does. Commercially, sucralose is known and made available as Splenda. According to the manufacturers of Splenda, it can be used just like you would use sugar, the advantage being it contains fewer calories. This is exactly why dieters and diabetics are such big fans of the product. One cup of Splenda contains around 96 calories, while a cup of refined commercial sugar contains around 770 calories, a far cry indeed! Also, Splenda, when used for baking recipes, will have a slight affect on the texture and appearance of the finished products. This however does prevent the extensive usage of the product in the baking industry. 

Agave Syrup
Agave syrup, like honey, is a natural substitute for sugar. The syrup is derived from the blue Agave plant and can be used to replace sugar in equal amounts. Since the substitute comes in a liquid, just like honey again, a 1/4 cup of liquid base will have to be reduced for every cup of Agave syrup used, when baking. This substitute however does not stand to bring good news to diabetics. Agave syrup comprises around 90% fructose making it a product to be steered clear of, if you are a diabetic. A cup of Agave syrup also contains more calories than a cup of a sugar does. However, the syrup is still preferred to sugar, because like honey, it is less processed.