What’s the role of sugar in baked goods? Well many people will answer sweetness to this question, but while it’s true, it’s not the whole truth. Sugar plays multiple roles in baked goods and adding sweetness is just one. Along with sweetness, sugar:
Adds flavor and color:
Through the Maillard Reaction and Caramelization, sugar adds flavor to baked goods. Amino acids are considered the building blocks of Proteins and during the Maillard Reaction amino acids and reducing sugars react together, when heated, to create a series of reactions that result in a browning effect and the addition of new flavors and aromas to food. Some examples of foods that have undergone the Maillard reaction are coffee beans, chocolate, seared steak and toast – just to name a few! While the Maillard Reaction occurs between amino acids and reducing sugars, Caramelization only requires sugar to be heated to a high temperature to give a sweet, nutty browned substance we call caramel.
Contributes to moisture and texture:
Sugar molecules bind to water molecules locking in moisture and keeping baked goods soft and moist. Starches and proteins react with water to create structure in baked goods, adding sugar allows some of that water to be taken away from the starch and protein molecules resulting in a less rigid structure. This can go both ways, too much sugar and the baked goods will lack structure, but too little sugar can result in tough baked goods.
Creates light and airy baked goods:
The Creaming Method is when sugar and shortening are beaten together to incorporate air. Uneven sugar crystals become dispersed in the shortening, trapping air, which results in a lighter (more aerated) baked good. Sugar also acts as a stabilizer when whipping egg whites to create a light and airy product.
Food for Fermentation:
Fermentation occurs during bread making when sugars are used as an energy source for yeasts to breakdown and produce carbon dioxide and alcohol. During the baking process, both water and alcohol evaporate but the carbon dioxide is trapped in the gluten structure of the bread, allowing it to rise. Without sugar, bread would not rise.
Preservation:
Some microorganisms need available water to grow, sugar can bind water molecules so that they are unavailable to the microorganisms and prevent these microorganisms from surviving. However, there are some microorganisms that require sugar to grow and thrive in environments with a lot of sugar, therefore, using sugar will not result in the complete preservation of foods. Always remember to refrigerate baked goods until ready to serve, then remove from the refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature.
Not only does sugar have more than one role, but different types of sugars affect baked goods differently. Stay tuned for our next science post exploring how different sugars react during the baking process and how these reactions affect the final product!
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