A Guide to Sugar Alternatives: Choosing the Best Sweetener for Your Health and Baking Needs

Baking recipes call for several cups of sugar, especially sweet treats, such as tarts, cakes and cookies that can add up calories and cause weight gain and diabetes. So, it's important that you cut out on your table sugar intake and try incorporating the best sugar alternatives in your baked treats. Also known as artificial sweeteners, sugar substitutes taste sweeter than sugar but have fewer calories. Here are some of the healthiest sugar alternatives you can try out for your next sugar-free baking session:

Honey

One of the most common kitchen ingredients, honey does not get quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and thus does not offer the usual sugar spikes experienced with conventional sugar. Nutritionally, honey contains healthy compounds, such as antioxidants, that make it a super-easy cane sugar substitute.

Reduce moisture content when baking with honey because the ingredient is liquid. Use ¾ cup of honey as a substitute for one cup of sugar. Your honey-baked treats may have varied flavours based on the type of honey you are using, and the bakes may even brown faster.

Monk Fruit or Luo han guo

A common ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine, the Monk Fruit is extensively used in herbal desserts and drinks, like the cheng tng. Monk fruit gets its sweetness from mogrosides- an antioxidant extracted to form sugar-free sweeteners. Hence, monk fruit sugar substitutes do not contain calories and also do not cause blood sugar spikes. When using monk fruit sweeteners to replace sugar in baked goods, use the 1:1 ratio.

Stevia

This sweetener extracted from the stevia rebaudiana plant has long been used in South American dishes and has recently become popular as a sugar alternative in beverages. This zero-calorie, heat-safe sugar alternative is available in liquid and powder form and must be used in the right amount when baking. Always refer to the instruction manual when baking dishes with stevia.

Erythritol or Xylitol

These are sweeteners without any trace of sugar and carbohydrates, which makes them the perfect baking ingredients for sugar-conscious individuals. However, these sweeteners may affect bakes that need sugar caramelisation as they do not caramelise perfectly to give baked items a nice brown toffee-like flavour.

Fresh Fruit

If you are into fruit-based baking, fruit concentrates or fresh fruit are the best sugar alternatives as they are naturally sweet. But make sure you choose concentrates labelled "no sugar added". Fresh fruits can add fibre to your baked items, making you feel fuller, quicker and longer. They also do not cause sudden sugar spikes due to their low to medium glycemic index. Nevertheless, when using fruit concentrates or juices in your baking batter, always reduce the amount of extra liquid that goes into it.

Conclusion

One of the most important things to note when using sugar substitutes is the role of sugar in baking. Most of the time, sugar is an important element that adds moisture and structure to your baked treats. And if you fail with your baking attempts, know that the baking classes at Tedco Goodrich Chefs Academy have your back.

Go through the site www.tedcoeducation.com to discover baking and culinary classes that can make you a talented chef in no time. Call us today at +91-8882 595 959, +91-9999 702 506 or info@tedcoeducation.com.