Baking & Snack - June 2020 - 46

SWEETENERS

these are simple sugars that can caramelize at lower temperatures, further contributing to crust color. In contrast, regular corn syrup contains dextrins, which do not
brown as easily as some sugars."

The buzz in bakery

Prune juice adds
structure and
texture to glutenfree pumpkin bread,
eliminating the need
for xanthan gum.
Sunsweet Ingredients

Honey is a viscous sweetener that carries unique advantages ranging from flavor to functionality to marketability, according to Catherine Barry, director of marketing,
National Honey Board. It is composed of fructose and
glucose, making it up to 50% sweeter than sugar. This
may allow a product developer to reduce the overall
amount of sweetener ingredients used in a formula.
"The complex nature of honey gives it a natural dynamic you can't find in other sweeteners," Ms. Barry
said. "Honey may seem simple on the surface, but if you
analyze it, you'll find it has more than 180 components
including all-natural minerals, antioxidants, vitamins
and prebiotics, as well as a host of carbohydrates and acids that give honey its complex flavor profile."
Honey lends depth and complex flavor profiles to
baked foods. It also is the only sweetener with a vast array of flavor profiles and varietals, all of which are naturally developed based on a honeybee's diet.
"Monofloral honeys, such as orange blossom, buckwheat or watermelon, give bakers the ability to impart
specific flavor profiles on their finished bakery foods,"
Ms. Barry explained. "In monofloral varietals, honeybees predominantly visit one type of plant, and the nec-

46 Baking & Snack June 2020 / www.bakingbusiness.com

tar they pull from the flowers imparts a unique color, flavor and aroma on the honey. There are more than 3,000
varietals of honey worldwide."
In addition to its flavor and functionality, honey's
key benefits include its lack of processing. Most natural
sweeteners have been significantly manipulated using
extreme heat, chemicals or machines to turn leaves, fruit
and sap into powders or concentrated syrups.
"In contrast, honey is just honey," Ms. Barry said.
"Honeybees do all the heavy lifting, and beekeepers take
the excess honey and extract it by removing the wax caps
with a heated knife and spinning the honey to separate it
from the comb."
Most people think of sweetness when they think of
honey, but there is also a tartness in the ingredient's
acidity. This profile balances flavors in baked foods without overwhelming sweetness. The acidity (average pH
3.91) also helps inhibit mold growth.
"Honey's fructose content helps clean label breads
hold in moisture and naturally extends shelf life. This
reduces dryness and crumbliness of baked foods, making for a more acceptable finished product," Ms. Barry
said. It's an amazing binder, holding together bars and
bakery foods with a significant amount of inclusions.
There is a reason so many fruit-, nut- and seed-dense
bars contain honey."
Like most sugar compounds, honey caramelizes
during baking and contributes a desirable golden color
to products.

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Baking & Snack - June 2020

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