BROWN
(light and dark): When recipes
say brown sugar, use the sticky, damp kind, not raw brown sugar crystals
(like raw sugar) or free-flowing dry brown sugar
called "Brownulated". Dark brown sugar has
more color and a stronger molasses flavor than light brown sugar. Lighter types
are generally used in baking and making butterscotch, condiments and glazes.
Dark brown sugar has a rich flavor
that is good for gingerbread, mincemeat, baked beans, plum pudding and other
full flavored foods. Its presence will keep sugars from crystallizing during
candy-making.
To store:
Keep in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year and once opened store in an airtight
container to prevent the sugar from going hard or damp.
| Brown
sugar hardens during storage when the moisture in it has evaporated.
Therefore, the various methods used for softening brown sugar are intended
to return moisture to the sugar, but they don't always work:
1) To soften hard brown sugar, place an
open bag of sugar in the microwave with a cup of water next to it.
Microwave on high (100%) for 2-3 minutes. If your microwave doesn't have a
carousel, turn the bag after each minute. NOTE: This worked great, but
isn't a permanent fix. Any unused sugar will dry up again. However, the
process can be repeated each time you need sugar.
2) Place about 1/2 lb. of hardened brown
sugar in microwave safe bowl. Cover sugar with two pieces of wet paper
towels. Tightly cover bowl with plastic wrap. Heat in microwave at HIGH
for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes.* Divide sugar with fork (sugar will be hot); stir.
Use immediately. *Microwave ovens vary in power; cooking time may need
adjustment.
3) Place a piece of foil or plastic wrap
directly on the sugar. Set a piece of crumpled, dampened paper towel on
the foil. Cover container tightly. The sugar will absorb the moisture from
the paper towel and become soft. Remove the paper towel when it has dried
out.
4) Place about 1/2 lb. of hardened brown
sugar in a bowl. Cover sugar with two pieces of wet paper towels. Cover
bowl tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Let stand overnight at
room temperature. Divide sugar with fork; stir. Use immediately. |
BARBADOS
BROWNULATED:
Brownulated granulated is free-flowing sugar with a
medium molasses flavor. It is less moist than "regular" brown sugar.
It is pourable and doesn't lump, cake or harden. Don't
interchange it with regular brown sugar because it will produce differences in
texture.
CUBED SUGAR
DATE
SUGAR: Date sugar is more a food than a sweetener. It is ground up
from dehydrated dates, is high in fiber, and a long list of vitamins and
minerals, including iron. Its use is limited by price and the fact it does not
dissolve when added to liquids. Substitute one cup date sugar for each cup
granulated sugar.
DEHYDRATED
CANE JUICE CRYSTALS = GRANULATED CANE JUICE
DEMERARA:
Popular in England, it is a light brown, slightly sticky sugar with large golden
crystals. Used as a specialty item for household baked goods or in tea, coffee
or on top of hot cereals. Substitutes: turbinado sugar.
JAGGERY:
[JAG-uh-ree] (Also known as
Panela) This dark, coarse, unrefined sugar
(sometimes referred to as palm sugar) can be made either from the sap of
various palm trees or from sugar-cane juice. It is primarily used in India,
where many categorize sugar made from sugar cane as jaggery and that processed
from palm trees as gur. It comes in several forms, the two most popular being a
soft, honeybutter texture and a solid cakelike form. The former is used to
spread on breads and confections, while the solid version serves to make
candies, and when crushed, to sprinkle on cereal, and so on. Jaggery has a
sweet, winey fragrance and flavor that lends distinction to whatever food it
embellishes. It can be purchased in East Indian markets. To order it,
click here.
MALT SUGAR OR SYRUP: Barley malt syrup or
powdered malt is used in breads because it doesn’t interfere with gluten
development and because the diastatic variety contains enzymes to convert flour
to yeast food. It contributes both flavor and color, although these enzymes
require at least eight hours to work effectively in fermenting dough.
MUSCOVADO = BARBADOS:
Muscovado sugar is a British specialty rich and dark brown unrefined sugar
obtained by evaporation of cane sugar and draining off molasses. However, it
still has a particularly strong molasses flavor. The crystals are slightly
coarser and stickier in texture than "regular" brown sugar. Uses: good for
toffee & gingerbread. Not suitable for cooking with fruit.
To store: Keep in a cool, dry
place for up to 1 year and once opened store in an airtight container to prevent
the sugar from going hard or damp.
PALM SUGAR:
Commonly referred to a jaggery in SE Asia where it is widely used. It is brown
with a crumbly texture. Palm sugar is the sap obtained from various palm trees
which is produced when the tree converts starch reserves into sugar in
preparation for growth. The actual sugar content is between 10% to over 15%.
RAW SUGAR = TURBINADO = SUCANAT = DEHYDRATED CANE
JUICE (CRYSTALS): Natural sugar is refined to produce pure sucrose In
the form of dry, brown sugar crystals (the color being due to the presence of
impurities) obtained from the evaporation of clarified sugar cane juices.
Raw or sucanat sugar comes in both
granular and liquid forms, while both
turbinado and light brown sugar comes in granular form. Granulated raw or
turbinado is a dry, coarse-textured sugar that's not been refined to make white
sugar. It's light brown and tastes mildly like molasses. The blond color with a
mild brown sugar flavor come from the molasses in the crystals. It has the same
carbohydrate and calorie content as white sugar. As it contains only trace
amounts of any minerals, it offers no nutritional value over white sugar.
STEVIA
SUCANAT
TURBINADO
The way I have always kept
my brown sugar soft is to simply keep a piece of bread in the bag with the
sugar. It sucks up all the excess moisture and always keeps the brown sugar
soft as can be. I usually change the bread once it gets hard.
