Sugar

Sugar, also known as sucrose, is the water-soluble substance obtained by processing sugarcane, sugar beets, and sorghum. It also is the greater part of maple sap. Although the most commonly used sugar comes from cane and beets, it is also available in other forms such as dextrose (corn or grape sugar), fructose (levulose), maltose (malt sugar), and lactose (milk sugar). Not only does sugar add sweetness, it can also preserve foods, caramelize the surface of cooked or baked foods, delay coagulation in egg-based mixtures, and add stability to, strengthen, and tenderize doughs and other mixes. To the commercial baker, one of its most important benefits is that it retains moisture, which prolongs a product’s shelf life. It is indispensable in the pastry kitchen! Although sugar is available in many forms, we will mainly focus on “regular” sugar. That is, the type of sugar most commonly used in the home kitchen. It should be noted that there are also many types of granulated sugar, but most of them are available for use only in the commercial processing of foods and baked goods or by professional bakers. These sugars differ in crystal size, with each type of crystal providing unique functional characteristics.