Honey is Mother Nature's original sweetener and offers a delightful alternative to sugar. It’s especially great for baking. Not only does it bring a unique flavor and natural sweetness, but it also adds moisture and can enhance the overall texture of your baked goods. Here are the benefits and some tips to help you use honey in your baking endeavors.
Ratio - Use 1/2 to 2/3 cup of honey for every 1 cup of sugar. Honey is sweeter and has more calories than sugar, so you'll need less.
Liquids - Reduce other liquids in the recipe by 1/4 cup for every cup of honey you use. Honey contains water, so reducing the liquid helps balance its dense consistency. You can also add a few extra tablespoons of flour.
Oven temperature - Reduce the oven temperature by 25°F because honey makes baked goods brown faster and cooks faster than sugar.
Baking powder or soda - Honey is slightly acidic, so you can add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder or baking soda per cup of honey to neutralize it. If the recipe already contains another acidic ingredient, you can just add baking soda.
Other tips - Use non-stick measuring tools and stir more often on the stove to prevent burning. Honey can also make baked goods moist and fluffy, so the final product might have a tighter crumb. You can experiment by starting with half the amount of sugar and adding some honey to see how it affects the texture.
Benefits of substituting honey instead of sugar
Research indicates that honey varies in its nutritional composition based on the origin of the nectar the bees used to make it. In general, it contains trace amounts of local pollen along with other substances, such as:
amino acids
antioxidants
enzymes
minerals
vitamins
Dark honey may contain more antioxidants than light honey and typically, honey is less processed than refined sugar as manufacturers usually only pasteurize it before use.
Research indicates that honey is higher in fructose than glucose. Fructose is sweeter than glucose, so a person may only need to use a small amount of it to sweeten their food or drinks.
Let us know how you use Lansdale Honey in your recipes at home!
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