Sugar’s Role in Baking

Appears in
Baker Bettie's Better Baking Book
Baker Bettie's Better Baking Book

By Kristin Hoffman

Published 2022

  • About
  • Sweetens and Flavors: While granulated sugar is fairly neutral in flavor, other varieties of sugar, such as brown sugar, add more depth of flavor in addition to the sweetness.
  • Encourages Browning: Because of the way sugar caramelizes when heated, it also promotes the browning of baked goods. Baked goods with higher sugar ratios will brown more readily than baked goods with little to no sugar.
  • Keeps Baked Goods Moist: Sugar is hygroscopic, meaning that it grabs and holds onto moisture. Because of this, baked goods made with sugar do not stale as quickly as baked goods made without sugar.
  • Acts as a Tenderizer: Because sugar grabs and holds onto moisture, it leaves less readily available for the flour to absorb, slowing gluten development. Additionally, it keeps baked goods tender for a longer period of time.
  • Acts as a Leavening Agent: When sugar is creamed with butter, or whipped with eggs, it forces a web of air to get trapped between the ingredients. This web of air lightens and helps to leaven baked goods.