It is important to understand the physical and chemical properties of sugar in baking. Sugar, obviously, enhances the flavor of many products. It also is an essential part of the structure and formula of products, such as cakes or cookies. Besides sugar's attributes as a sweetening agent, it creases tenderness and fineness of texture, partly by weakening the gluten structure. it gives crust color, increases keeping qualities by retaining moisture, acts as a creaming agent with fats and a foaming agent with eggs and provides food for yeast.

The term sugar is used generally for refined sugars derived from sugar cane or sugar beets. Its chemical name is sucrose. Other sugars of different chemical structure also are used in the bakeshop . Fructose, or fruit sugar, is one of these sugars and is much sweeter than sucrose. The Lo Han fruit has this type of sugar, and the differences in sweetening power need consideration.

If you are planning to develop baked items using fructose, you must evaluate whether the chemical and physical properties of sucrose apply. If you are primarily using the sugar for sweetening, then you must determine the usage levels. The "filler" or bulk to take the place of sugar's mass should not be an issue.

Workbench. September, 2002. Modern Baking Masi, Noble is author. Volume 16.

Updated: Saturday, December 29, 2007.