Sweetening agents, Starches and Dough Starters Flashcards
What does all sugar consist of?
- 99% water-soluble carbohydrates
- 1% water
What are the 2 categories of sugar?
- Refined white sugar
- Less fully refined brown sugar
Where is granulated sugar most commonly found?
In the kitchen
What is lump or cube sugar?
Granulated sugar pressed together and used for hot drinks.
What is caster sugar?
A finer form of granulated sugar.
What is icing sugar?
Very finely powdered white sugar and is the fastest dissolving kind of sugar.
What is preserving sugar?
Used for making jam and jellies and has large, clear crystals.
What is starch sugar?
AKA glucose syrup; not sugar syrup.
What is starch sugar used for in baking?
Liqueurs, jams, sweets.
What does sugar do to the product in baking?
- Makes pastries and cakes cook quicker
- Browns
- Improves flavor
- Improves nutritional value
- Helps the product keep longer
How can sugar be used in decorating?
- Sprinkled on cakes
- Dusted on as icing sugar
- Cover the cake in the form of icing
How should sugar be stored?
In a dry place away from contaminating odors since its susceptible to damp and smells.
What is golden syrup?
By-product of sugar refining.
What is Molasses?
Natural syrup drained from sugarcane.
How many liters of maple water (sap) does it take to make a single liter of syrup?
40
Why do we use sugar or sweeteners in baking?
- To add sweetness and flavor
- To create tenderness and fineness of texture by weakening the gluten strands
- To give color
- To increase keeping qualities by retaining moisture
- To act as creaming agents with fats
- They provide food for yeast
Granulated sugar
- Most common; most familiar
Very fine or finer than granulated sugar
- Best used for cakes and cookies because they make a more uniform batter; support higher qualities of fat
Sanding sugar
- Coarser; used for coating doughnuts and cakes
Icing sugar
- Ground to a fine powder and mixed with a small amount of starch
- Classified by coarsness
- Contains 3% starch
10x Icing sugar
- Finest sugar; provides the smoothest texture and is best for royal icing
6x Icing sugar
- Standard; used in icings, toppings and cream fillings
4x and xx Icing sugar
- Used for dusting
No-melt icing sugar
- For dusting of warm pastries
Molasses
- Contains large amounts of sucrose, other sugars, acids and impurities
- Concentrated sugar cane juice
What are the 3 kinds of brown sugars?
- Muscovado
- Molasses
- Demerara
Muscovado (brown sugar)
- Crystals are coarser and stickier than brown sugar
- Derived from the early stage of the refining process
- Ranges from light to dark brown; strong molasses taste
Molasses (brown sugar)
- By-product of sugar cane and sugar beet refining
- Dark colored
- Usually requires further processing to be sold
Demerara (brown sugar)
- Very moist having heavy molasses coating
- Specialty light brown sugar with large golden crystals which are slightly sticky
What are dark sugars best used for in baking?
- rich cakes, christmas cakes and christmas puddings
What is glucose?
- AKA corn syrup
- Consists mainly of glucose and dextrose
How is corn syrup made?
By boiling starch in water so that it is gelatinized and then a weak acid is added to change the gel to sugar, and then that acid is neutralized.
What is invert sugar?
- Made from ordinary sugar boiled with water and dilute hydrochloric acid.
- Thick and colorless
- Used in cakes, biscuits and sugar boiling
Malt syrup
- Used in yeast breads and is food for the yeast
- Adds color and crust to the bread
Golden syrup
- By-product of sugar refining
- Some are inverted sugars that are colored and concentrated
- Used for ginger cakes and biscuits
Honey
- First form of sugar used by man
- Thick natural syrup from bees and the nectar of flowers
- 80% water and 20% sugar
- Color and consistency vary with the source
- English honey is the best, but honey can be exported from Canada, Australia, California, Hungary and Poland
- Used in nougats, creams, German Lebkuchen and French gingerbreads
- Excellent yeast food
Why is a lower baking temperature needed when cakes contain a large amount of honey?
- Because honey contains a lot of inverted sugars and they caramelize at a lower temperature
Treacle
- Much darker syrup with a more pronounced flavor than golden syrup
- Made by diluting and filtering molasses
- Used for ginger goods
Maple syrup
- Made by boiling sap of maple trees
- Unique rich flavor
- Used for candies, ice cream, sauces
- Graded by color
Turbinado sugar
- Known as “washing sugar”
- 3x coarser than granulated sugar
What are the 3 main types of sugar substitutes?
- Aspartame
- Sucralose
- Saccharin
Aspartame
200 times sweeter than sugar
Sucralose
- Highly heat-stable, used in many recipes with little or no sugar
- Available in granulated form for sugar substitute
Saccharin
- 300 times sweeter than sugar
- Bitter aftertaste when heated
- Banned for use in Canada (only available for diabetic use in pharmacies)
Can sugar substitutes be used interchangeably with granulated sugar in baked goods?
No, they do not provide structure like sugar.
How much of the sugar substitute is needed to replicate 2 tsp of granulated sugar?
1/4 tsp
What are some tools required in sugar cooking?
- Baumé meter
- Sugar thermometer
- Copper saucepan
- Brush
What is a baumé meter?
- Glass tube with gradations of 0-45 degrees baumé
- Weights are attached to the bottom so the meter floats on the density of sugar syrups
What is a sugar thermometer?
Celsius of Fahrenheit are used for supersaturated sugar solutions.
Why use a copper saucepan for sugar cooking?
Because it allows for a more even heat transfer.
How can you avoid sugar crystallization?
- Wash down the sides of the saucepan with a brush dipped in cold water.
- Adding an acid such as cream of tartar of corn sugar.
- Glucose is added to prevent crystallization.
Why are preferments good in baking?
They provide a simple and inexpensive way to add flavor, strength, aroma and to improve the quality of the bread.
What is a preferment?
A dough or a batter that is prepared prior to mixing the final dough
Prefermented dough (old dough)
- Dough that has been made with flour, water, yeast and salt is allowed to ferment for a period of time before adding it back into the final mix
How long should a baker leave the dough out to get the most benefit from the preferment?
At least 3 hours; but they ca ferment up to 6 hours at room temperature.
What temperature should prefermented dough be stored at?
2-7C or 30-45F for up to 48 hours.
Does the preferment need to reach room temperature before it can be incorporated into the final dough?
Yes, it should be removed from the fridge from 1-2 hours before being used.
What products are preferments most commonly used in?
Croissants, brioche, danishes and bread making.
Poolish
- Comes from Polish bakers
- Created from the bread formula using 20-80% water and the same amount of flour
- Liquid consistency and is fermented at room temperature
What are the fermentation times for Poolish?
- 3 hours with 1.5% yeast
- 7-8 hours with 0.7% yeast
- 12-15 hours with 0.1% yeast
What is the sign of a properly fermented Poolish?
It will be slightly domed on top when mature.
Sponge
- Very similar to Poolish method, except sponge should have a stiffer consistency
- The same yeast and fermenting times ca be used as Poolish
- Only use sponge once mature
- Creates slightly sweeter tasting product
How can you tell when the sponge is mature?
You will see bubbles and the formation of cracks that create a little bit of collapsing.
Is lactobacillus present in a sponge?
No, so it won’t have the same flavor, texture and keeping qualities of sourdough.
Biga
- Basic ingredients are the same as other preferments, but the final product can change immensely
- Has a constant quantity of yeast (0.8-1% fresh commercial yeast) fermentation temperature (16C/60F) and a fermentation time of 18 hours
What is a biga most commonly used in?
Brioche, stollen or other high hydration breads.
Sourdough starter
- Usually the consistency of mud
- Left out at room temperature to develop yeast and lactobacillus bacteria which develop into a leavener
- Takes days and months to develop
What does addition of sourdough give to yeast breads?
- More depth of character and richness
- Sour or wheaty taste
- Crusty crust
- Irregular air holes
Why do we “feed” the sourdough starter?
To keep it alive and strong; it is fed with equal parts water and flour.
Levain
- Natural yeast starter; ancient way of making bread rise
- Starter is made of only water and flour and is fermented with the yeast in the air
- Can add fruit juice or beer for different flavors
When should the levain be added to the dough?
Before the autolyse.
What is autolyse?
The process of mixing the flour and water and letting rest for 15-20 minutes.
What are starches used for?
Thickening puddings, pie fillings and similar products
Cornstarch
- Stays translucent; does not cloud the product or affect the final color
- Must be mixed with a cold liquid before being added
- Set almost like gelatin when cooled
What product is cornstarch usually used for?
Cream pies and other products that hold their shape
Waxy Maize
- Doesn’t break down when frozen
- Very clear when cooked
- Makes a soft paste; does not firm up
Can waxy maize be used instead of cornstarch in cream pies?
No, they would fall apart.
Instant Starches
- They have been pre-cooked or pre-gelatinized
- Can thicken cold liquid without cooking
- Useful for fruit glazes
Arrowroot
- Powdered root of a plant called Garanta arundinacea (Caribbean)
- Won’t break down from acid
- Thickens at a lower temperature than cornstarch
What is arrowroot used for?
Thicken glazes, fruit fillings and puddings.
Tapioca starch
- From the root of the South American Cassava plant
- Doesn’t dissolve completely, the particles become translucent and soft
- Doesn’t break down when frozen
In what 3 forms are tapioca starch available?
- Quick cooking granules
- Flakes
- Pearls (pellets)
What is tapioca starch usually used for
Frozen products.
