4 Rules for Swapping out Sugar in favor of Honey in Baked Goods
Do you love baking
but want to cut down on your sugar intake? Why not try replacing the sugar in
your baked goods with honey? There are several benefits to eating honey verses
eating sugar.
One of
these benefits is that honey consists primarily of Fructose and glucose. Glucose is
absorbed quickly by the body, giving the body an immediate boost of
energy. Meanwhile, the Fructose is
absorbed more slowly, providing energy over a longer period. Therefore, because
honey contains high levels of both glucose and fructose, it may provide both an
immediate and sustained energy.
Honey contains
some vitamins, whereas white sugar contains no vitamins at all.
Honey also contains
quality protein while sugar on the other hand, gets a miserable zero!
Lastly is that Honey
contains a much higher rate of minerals than sugar does including calcium,
potassium, manganese, and iron.
So, it would seem
that honey is the more nutritious option to granulated sugar but I also just
love the earthy sweetness honey imparts on baked goods. And the coolest part
about baking with honey is that each varietal lends a different flavor to the
end product. Orange blossom adds a citrusy, floral note; wild
raspberry is reminiscent of the berry itself; and buckwheat is
almost molasses-like.
But when it comes to
swapping in honey for sugar in a recipe, it's not simply an even trade. So here
are 4 simple rules to swapping sugar out for honey.
1. Use Less Honey
than you would Sugar.
Rule: For every 1 cup
of sugar, substitute 1/2 to 2/3 Cup of honey.
You will want to reduce
the amount of overall sweetener you use when switching out sugar for honey. The
reason for this is that honey can be twice as sweet at time depending on the
type of honey you are using.
You will need to use
your own judgement to determine the exact amount to use depending on the honey.
Some honey’s like Acacia is extra sweet while on the opposite end of the
spectrum you might have something like chestnut that is much less sweet.
2. Reduce the amount
of other liquids used.
Rule: For every 1 cup
of honey you use, subtract 1/4 of other liquids you would normal use in the
recipe.
Unlike with Sugar
Honey is in a liquid form and is made up of about 20 % Water. For this reason,
you will want to reduce the total amount of liquids you are using in the recipe
to make up for the extra liquid in honey.
Again, you might need
to use your best judgement when first trying out honey in place of sugar in a
recipe but generally you will want to reduce by 1/4 to possibly as much as 1/3
of the liquids in your recipe.
3. You will want to
add Baking Soda.
Rule: Add 1/4 teaspoon
baking soda for every cup of honey used.
For this particular rule,
you only want to add baking soda in a recipe that does not already call for
baking soda. Because Honey is naturally acidic you will need the baking soda to
help balance out the acidity so that the baked goods will still rise properly.
4. You will need to
lower the temperature of the oven.
Rule: Reduce the
temperature of the over by 25 Degrees F.
The higher sugar
content in honey means it caramelizes and therefore burns faster than
granulated sugar. To ensure that whatever you're baking doesn't brown too
quickly, lower the heat and keep a watchful eye. You will want to check on it
periodically to avoid burning or over-baking.
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