The term "sugar" is applied to the common refined sugars that are derived from sugar cane. The chemical name of these sugars is sucrose (C12H22O11). However, other sugars of different chemical structure are also used in the bakery.

Sugars belong to a group of substances called Carbohydrates, a group that also includes starches. There are two basic groups of sugars:

• Simple sugars (or monosaccharides, meaning "simple sugars")

• Compound sugars (or disaccharides, meaning "double sugars"). (Starches or polysaccharides are more complex chemical structures than sugars.)

Sucrose is a disaccharide just like maltose (malt sugar) and lactose (the sugar found in milk). Two examples of simple sugars are glucose and fructose.

All these sugars have different degrees of sweetness. For example, lactose is less sweet than ordinary sugar (sucrose), while fructose (fruit sugar) is much sweeter than sucrose.

In the previous paragraph we read that there are different types of sugars, some sweeter than others and from different origins.

Now let's see what functions sugars have in baking:

• They add sweetness and flavor.

• Soften and make the texture finer by partially weakening the gluten structure.

• They give color to the bark.

• They improve the characteristics of conservation when retaining the humidity.

• They behave as agents that "accrete" when combined with fats.

• They behave like sparkling wines when combined with eggs.

• They provide food for the yeast.

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Inverted sugar.

The invert sugar is manufactured when a sucrose solution is heated with an acid, a part of the sucrose is broken down into two simple sugars, dextrose and levulose. The mixture of equal parts of dextrose and levulose is called invert sugar. It is approximately 30% sweeter than common sucrose. It is also present naturally in honey.

Invert sugar has two properties that make it valuable for baking.

• First, it absorbs moisture especially well, so it keeps the cakes fresh and moist.

• Second, it does not crystallize, which facilitates the smoothness of jams, bitumen and syrups. For this reason, an acid such as cream of tartar is often added to sugar syrups. The acid invests a part of the sugar when boiling, thus preventing the confection or the bitumen from becoming granulated.

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Refined sugars.

The refined sugars are classified by the size of the grains, however, there is no single system to label them, which is why the names of the different granulations vary, depending on the manufacturer.

• Normal granulated sugar also called simply granulated sugar or table sugar, is the best known of all sugars and is the most commonly used.

• Fine and ultra-fine sugars have grains smaller than normal granulated sugar. They are much appreciated in the preparation of cakes and cookies because they form a more uniform paste and withstand greater amounts of fat.

• Large grain sugar is thicker and is used to cover cookies, cakes and other products.

In general, the finer sugars are better to mix in masses because they dissolve more easily. The heavier-grained sugars usually remain undissolved, even after prolonged mixing, appear after baking as dark spots on the barks, irregular textures and honeyed parts.

The finer sugars are also better for beating with fats because they form a structure of thinner and more uniform air cells, and a better volume of the product is obtained. On the other hand, large grain sugar can be used to prepare syrups, where the mixing properties are not an important factor. Even very large grain sugars dissolve easily when boiled in water. In fact, large grain crystalline sugar is purer than fine sugar, and produces a lighter syrup.

Sugar Glass.

These sugars are ground to a very fine powder and mixed with a small amount of starch (3%) in order to prevent caking. They are classified by the rough or fine grain.

• 10X is the finest sugar. It is used for finer texture bitumens.

• 6X is the common pastry sugar. It is used for frostings, toppings and cream fillings.

• The thicker types (XXXX and XX) are used for sprinkling and for any other purpose for which 6X and 10X are too pulverized.

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Brown sugar.

Brown sugar is mainly made up of sucrose (between 85 and 92%), although it also contains different amounts of caramel, molasses and other impurities that give it a characteristic color and flavor. Darker types contain more of these impurities.

Brown sugar is basically ordinary cane sugar that has not been completely refined. However, it is also prepared by adding measured amounts of these impurities to the refined white sugar, as it contains a small amount of acid, it is possible to use the brown sugar with baking soda to provide some leavening agent.

Fuente

Sugar cane extraction process.

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Syrups.

• Molasses

Molasses is a juice of concentrated sugar cane. Molasses is a byproduct of refined sugar, it is the product that remains after extracting most of the sugar from cane juice. It has a bitter taste.

Molasses contains large amounts of sucrose and other sugars, including invert sugar. It also contains acids, moisture and other constituents that give it its peculiar flavor and color. Darker types have stronger flavor, and contain less sugar than lighter types. Molasses retains moisture in bakery products, so they prolong their freshness. Crunchy cookies made with molasses soften quickly because inverted sugars absorb moisture from the air.

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• Corn syrup

Corn syrup or glucose is a liquid sweetener consisting of water, a vegetable gum called dextrin and several sugars, mainly dextrose. Corn honey is prepared by degrading corn starch into simpler compounds by using enzymes. Corn syrup helps to conserve moisture, is used in bitumen and candy.

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• Honey bee

Bee honey is a natural syrup formed mainly of the simple glucose and fructose sugars, in addition to other compounds that give it its characteristic flavor. Honeys vary greatly in taste and color, depending on their origin. The main reason to use honey is its flavor, especially if it is considered expensive. Bee honey contains invert sugar so it helps preserve the moisture of bakery products. Like molasses, it contains acid, which allows it to be used with sodium bicarbonate as a leavening agent.

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• Malt syrup

Malt syrup, also called malt extract, is used mostly in breads that have old flour. It serves as food for the yeast, and gives a better flavor to the bread and color to the crust. The malt is extracted from the malted barley that is then dried and milled. There are two types of malt syrup:

• Diastatic malt: contains an enzyme called diastase, which converts starches into sugars on which yeasts can act. For this reason, the diastatic malt that is added to the dough for bread, is a powerful food for yeast. It is used when the fermentation times are short, but it should not be used if the fermentation time is prolonged because the enzyme unfolds too much starch. This would result in a bread with sticky crumb. Diastatic malt is manufactured with a high, medium or low diastase content.

• The non-diastatic malt is processed at very high temperatures, which destroys the enzymes and gives the extract a darker color and a stronger flavor. It is used because it contains fermentable sugar that improves the flavor, the color of the crust, and helps preserve the qualities of the loaves.

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I hope that this and previous publications will be very useful when they go to make their bread or their cakes.

Yeast. "Saccharomyces cerevisiae"

What is wheat flour?

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