Learning how to use honey as a sugar replacement in baking entails more than understanding honey’s unrefined and natural properties. Honey is a superior counterpart to granulated sugar, as it provides a plethora of health benefits and does not require you to use as much to sweeten baked goods. Substituting sugar with honey requires careful modification of a recipe to avoid compromising the texture and flavor. Sink your sweet tooth into these tips on how to use honey as a sugar replacement in baking.
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Examine Honey Types
There are flavor variations of honey that can impact the sweetness of your recipe. Honey that appears lighter in color is less overpowering than darker honey, which is more likely to alter the taste. Explore the best recipes for baking with honey and experiment with suggested flavors such as wildflower or buckwheat to adjust the sweetness of your recipe.
Convert Measurements
Honey has a higher content of fructose than refined sugar, which means you need less of it to sweeten your recipe. An easy conversion to remember is to use ½ cup of honey for every 1 cup of sugar. Be mindful that converting measurements requires you to modify other ingredients in your recipe.
Lessen the Liquids
The benefit of honey retaining moisture is that it prevents you from having to add extra milk or water to your recipe. This also means you can reduce other liquids in your recipe. An easy conversion to remember is to reduce all other liquids by ¼ of a cup for every 1 cup of honey you add.
Supplement Baking Soda
Honey is denser and more acidic than granulated sugar, which means supplementing a pinch of baking soda to your mixture is necessary for your recipe to rise properly during the baking process. Supplement ¼ teaspoon of baking soda for every 1 cup of honey you add.
Adjust the Temperature
Honey easily caramelizes when baked and is faster to burn than refined sugar. Be mindful not to alter the recipe’s designated cooking time, just the temperature of the oven itself. When substituting honey, reduce the temperature of your oven by 25 degrees to prevent your recipe from over-browning.
Experimenting with honey as a sugar substitute is a trial-and-error process, but this unrefined alternative can guarantee you have a healthy alternative to indulge in your baking without compromising your sweet tooth.
