While all syrups and granulated sugars contain ‘free sugars’ and have similar effects on your body, sometimes it’s nice to experiment. We thought we’d share a few pointers about our range of sweeteners.
Cut it
If you’re following a recipe, as a rule of thumb you can usually decrease any sweetener by ⅓ (in British recipes) or ½ (in American recipes). Or however suits your taste! Ideally decrease any salt by the same proportion. Also remember that sugars and syrups can affect the texture of baked goods, so you may want to make changes gradually.
Replacing granulated sugar with syrup?
If you use syrup in place of granulated sugar while baking, you may also want to:
- Reduce liquid by 2-3 Tblsp. per 150ml (or increase dry ingredients)
- Add ~¼ tsp bicarb per 150ml (depends on how ‘heavy’ the syrup)
- Reduce oven temperatures by 10°C & lengthen cooking time.
Syrup guide
Sweeteners come in many different flavours and have different impacts on texture in baked goods. Also, some syrups are sweeter than cane sugar by weight, while some are less sweet. See notes on our range below, and an idea of the sweetness equivalent to 200g granulated sugar.
• Agave Syrup (150g): Mild flavour, from agave cactus. Dissolves in cold liquids. High levels of processing and fructose.
• Apple Concentrate (150g): Lovely apple taste in cakes & puds.
• Barley Malt Syrup (250g): Strong taste, contains gluten. May prefer to use in combination. No fructose.
• Dates, Ground (200g). If your food processor can take it, these resemble brown sugar in texture and taste.
• Date Syrup (150g): Simply pureed whole dates. Also known as Rub, used widely in North Africa. Lovely in cakes.
• Maple Syrup (150g): 40 gallons of sap make 1 gallon of delicious syrup. Drizzle on top to make most of flavour without the cost.
• Molasses (250g): White sugar’s residue. Strong smoky flavour, and moist, chewy results. Rich in calcium, iron & potassium.
• Rice Syrup (250g): Mild flavour, great for crunchy biscuits, and one of the easiest sugar replacers. No fructose, some minerals.
• Sweet Freedom (150g): Choose light or dark depending on your taste. Specially designed, low fructose sugar alternative.
Here’s one recipe, just sweetened with mixed fruit: Earl Grey Tea Loaf
