How to Reduce Sugar in Baked Goods

Start withholding only a little bit of sugar at a time., Start with small amounts for fillings., Prepare to experiment.

3 Steps 3 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Start withholding only a little bit of sugar at a time.

    Expect a lower amount of sugar to affect not only the taste, but the texture of baked goods as well.

    While you may be eager to cut back on sweetness, be conservative with how much sugar you leave out at first.

    Each time you bake a particular item, cut the recipe’s sugar by only a tenth.

    Then cut an additional tenth from the original amount the next time and compare the results.Continue cutting the sugar by tenths and testing each batch for both taste and texture.

    Once you make a batch where either one feels off, you’ll know you left out too much sugar.

    To find the perfect amount to use sooner, you could also make several test batches all at once, each with a different percentage of the recommended sugar content.
  2. Step 2: Start with small amounts for fillings.

    If you’re making a baked good with a filling (like a cake, pie, or doughnut), do the reverse of what you did in the previous step.

    Instead of cutting back by small increments, start by adding only a fraction of the recommended sugar at a time to your filling.

    Mix it in with the other ingredients, and then taste-test.

    Continue adding small increments (again, say a tenth of the recommended amount) until it’s just the right amount of sweet.This works best when the filling contains other ingredients that are naturally sweet, like fruits.

    However, bear in mind that fruits with tart skins and/or bitter seeds will taste more sour after they’re baked.

    With these, try adding an extra tenth of sugar to your filling in order to compensate. , Keep in mind that the amount of sugar included in most recipes is there not only for the sake of taste, but other reasons as well.

    Whenever you start tinkering with the amount of sugar to be used, be prepared for it to take a few tries before you get a result that you like.

    So if you’re looking to perfect a recipe with less sugar in one weekend, be sure to buy enough ingredients to make multiple batches.The amount of sugar used affects a baked good’s taste, texture, and shelf life.The effect of the amount of sugar withheld will also vary depending on the other ingredients in a particular recipe.

    This means that only using ⅓ of the recommended sugar in one cookie recipe may not work as well doing the same with another cookie recipe.
  3. Step 3: Prepare to experiment.

Detailed Guide

Expect a lower amount of sugar to affect not only the taste, but the texture of baked goods as well.

While you may be eager to cut back on sweetness, be conservative with how much sugar you leave out at first.

Each time you bake a particular item, cut the recipe’s sugar by only a tenth.

Then cut an additional tenth from the original amount the next time and compare the results.Continue cutting the sugar by tenths and testing each batch for both taste and texture.

Once you make a batch where either one feels off, you’ll know you left out too much sugar.

To find the perfect amount to use sooner, you could also make several test batches all at once, each with a different percentage of the recommended sugar content.

If you’re making a baked good with a filling (like a cake, pie, or doughnut), do the reverse of what you did in the previous step.

Instead of cutting back by small increments, start by adding only a fraction of the recommended sugar at a time to your filling.

Mix it in with the other ingredients, and then taste-test.

Continue adding small increments (again, say a tenth of the recommended amount) until it’s just the right amount of sweet.This works best when the filling contains other ingredients that are naturally sweet, like fruits.

However, bear in mind that fruits with tart skins and/or bitter seeds will taste more sour after they’re baked.

With these, try adding an extra tenth of sugar to your filling in order to compensate. , Keep in mind that the amount of sugar included in most recipes is there not only for the sake of taste, but other reasons as well.

Whenever you start tinkering with the amount of sugar to be used, be prepared for it to take a few tries before you get a result that you like.

So if you’re looking to perfect a recipe with less sugar in one weekend, be sure to buy enough ingredients to make multiple batches.The amount of sugar used affects a baked good’s taste, texture, and shelf life.The effect of the amount of sugar withheld will also vary depending on the other ingredients in a particular recipe.

This means that only using ⅓ of the recommended sugar in one cookie recipe may not work as well doing the same with another cookie recipe.

About the Author

B

Brittany Reynolds

Creates helpful guides on cooking to inspire and educate readers.

73 articles
View all articles

Rate This Guide

--
Loading...
5
0
4
0
3
0
2
0
1
0

How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: