What's Cooking in the Kitchen?
Any sugar-free daring bakers?
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 10:47
Hi everyone!
I just wanted to see if anyone else is attempting to tackle the challenges sans refined sugar. I gave up sugar for the time being, but as crazy as it seems, I still want to take on the challenges. I'm not into artificial sweeteners, but I think that between honey, maple syrup, sucanat, and naturally sweet fruits and vegetables, it can be done! I'm up for the challenge, and if there's anyone else who's doing this, I'd love to join forces!
I'm with you on this one : ) I don't do refined sugar and I'm not a fan of artificial sweetener, so "naturally sweet" is usually the way I go...
Jen
Jen
Jen's Kitchen
Hello! I do mostly ALL my cooking and baking cane sugar free. I use agave (light and amber, honey (raw and normal), maple syrup (grade A, but grade B is so much better), molasses, brown rice syrup, and stevia. I feel like I forgot one? But don't worry, all these challenges can DEFINITELY be done without sugar. Just sub with your sugar of choice and make it the same way. Sometimes you have to reduce or add liquid, but I've found that usually everything comes out fine, it just requires some thinking.
hey, good to hear from you guys! now I know who to ask if I run into trouble
Another sugar-free person here, or at least mostly.
I usually substitute agave nectar for any liquid sugar (Honey, molasses, etc.) unless it just HAS to be a particular thing such as molasses for gingerbread. I'm a Type II diabetic and so, while it's not popular with many, I also resort to Splenda now and then.
Yeah... a diabetic baker. Life is not easy sometimes! It's all about little portions, and incorporating as much whole grain as I can when possible!
SulaBlue @ The Yeast I Could Do
Hey y'all! I'm a sugar/sweetener free low carb baker. I don't use much in the way of honey, maple syrup, agave, etc. because I gear my recipes towards low carbers/diabetics/primal eaters. Erythritol/xylitol/ and stevia are my weapons of choice.
Erythritol is found in tomatoes, melons, and the human body. It's naturally occuring and works especially well in cakes. Stevia is an herbal sweetener.
Sula, I hear ya on Splenda. It's the most accessible low carb sweetener for many, and I don't get the hate! Better that than all the carbs from sugar, for many people... Poor blood sugar regulation will harm most people much more quickly than any unsubstantiated effects from Splenda. The only problem with Splenda is the aftertaste!
Glad to see other bakers who don't use white sugar! Let's see if we can conquer this tart.
I stick with fruit sugar and agave due to hypoglycemic needs!!!
I am sugar & gluten-free...I use a variety of sweetners including agave, dates, and unsweetened fruit juices. I use stevia occasionally in my baking in addition to other sweetners. I do not use honey, molassas, or anything like that...too close to the real thing for my body to handle.
I am not big on splenda in my baking - I do use it in my coffee. I am on board with the comment about it being much better for people than refined sugar.
For me, it's a personal choice and I don't walk a hard line with others when it comes to what works for them.
Amy Green
Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free
www.simplysugarandglutenfree.blogspot.com
Amy Green
Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free
www.SimplySugarAndGlutenFree.com
I also try to make nearly everything I can sugar free or low sugar. Diabetes runs in the family, so for me its a necessary step! I mainly use agave nectar, organic honey, or Maltitol (which is a net zero sweetner). I've found that using the agave nectar and maltitol can make a really nice icing!
Chiefly Mexican, agaves occur also in the southern and western United States and in central and tropical South America. The plants have a large rosette of thick fleshy leaves, each ending generally in a sharp point and with a spiny margin; the stout stem is usually short, the leaves apparently springing from the root. Along with plants from the related genus Yucca, various Agave species are popular ornamental plants.
agave sweetener
I try and reduce sugar as much as possible. I use NuStevia, Agave, honey, Splenda, and fruit sweetners. Depends on the recipe. No sugar is difficult, but not impossible. I tend to do more low-sugar, sometimes combining with Splenda.
I also experiment a lot with wheat-free.
Bonnie
Hi- glad to hear someone is taking on the sugar-free challenge! I'm a 13 year old gluten-free vegan, and creating baking without those or sugar and minimal fat, which has been a great learning experience and is still going strong. Check out my blog- I have some recipes posted there. I am new to the Daring Kitchen (yesterday new!) and I'm so excited to get started!
VEGirl- Vegan, Environmentalist, Gluten-free
vegirlblog.blogspot.com
Avoiding sugar is a challenge in itself, the redefined sugar or the artificial sweetners are not so reliable. Its quite adventurous of you that you give such challenges to yourself by the time. Its also quite clever of us to use a different ways to tackle the challenges and you do so. Agave Nectar is a wonderful way to avoid sugar and to maintain the taste in food and being healthy ever.
I don't use any sort of refined sugar (including brown sugar or molasses), despise artificial sweeteners, don't do honey, and pretty much don't use even unrefined whole sugar except maybe a tiny pinch to feed yeast when making bread. I am okay with brown rice syrup, agave nectar, and barley malt, but I keep them to a minimum as I really prefer making everything from whole, single ingredients, doing the rest myself. Usually if I can pull something off without any sweetener, that's the route I choose.
I have some pretty crazy dietary standards I try to live by - I joined because I wanted the challenge of trying to live up to some of the recipes while staying within my own constraints!
Hi there! I use honey instead of sugar on all my baking recipes. Things tend to come out softer, which works well for muffins, cupcakes, and things like banana bread, and not so well for cookies, which are usually so soft they just fall apart. My boyfriend has gotten used to eating his cookies with a spoon.
I hate artificial sweeteners and even dislike stevia. I keep hearing about agave nectar, which I'd love to try, but I live in Argentina, where alternative sweeteners like that really aren't easy to find. Probably they don't even exist down here.
I have type 1 diabetes and usually make my challenges using regular refined granulated sugar since I find the taste of aspartame (NutraSweet), sucralose (Splenda), and saccharin (Sweet N Low). I just adjust my insulin intake to meet my sugar consumption. Nonetheless, I feel the need to start being more conscious and critical of the amount of sugar I consume and have been thinking about playing around with the herbal sweetener, stevia. Does anyone have any experience with this sweetener or know which sorts of substitutions can be made with it (baked goods, jams and jellies, custards, etc)? How sweet it is compared to sugar, honey, or other sweeteners? Do you know of any other zero-calorie or low calorie sugar alternatives?
Thanks!