Baking with Honey
More and more I am reading about people swapping out traditional white sugar for honey- usually raw. If you’re anything like me, that probably sounds a little bit too daunting. After doing some research, incorporating honey over table sugar may be worth it.
Not only are the antioxidants a good reason to make the switch, but honey’s sweetness means you get to use less in your recipes!
Choose Your Flavor
If you’re looking for a potent and more sweeter flavor, experts seem to suggest purchasing a darker honey. Light honey will have a more subtle flavor.
Plan Ahead
Since honey is going to stick to your measuring cups, be sure to have some oil, egg whites or even water ready to use as lubricant. This will not only assist with getting the honey out, but it will ensure more accurate measurement.
You may also want to study the recipe before beginning so you know how much honey you’ll need. All recipes that call for 1 cup of sugar will translate into 1 cup of honey. Anything beyond a cup of white sugar will get more complex. It is said you should use around two-thirds as much honey to sugar- three-fourths if you’re baking a really sweet treat!
Adjusting the Recipe
We already mentioned you will work on the proper levels of honey to use based on how much sugar is called for. For every cup of honey used after the first, you will need to reduce the liquid ingredients measurements by 1/4 cup. Baking with Honey will almost always result in a very moist end result. Limiting the other liquid ingredients in relation to potentially excess honey will ensure a balanced cook.
Also, if baking soda is not already in the recipe, be sure to add 1/4 teaspoon to your batter for every cup of honey. It will cut the acidity of the honey.
Enjoy!
Other than what’s described, you should be good to go! I know I will be giving it a try and will document the experience for a later post. Experts do suggest monitoring the cooking more than usual as it may brown faster. You want to give yourself time to adjust the temperatures if necessary.
What are your experiences baking with honey? I would love to hear the good, the bad and the delicious!