Are you looking to reduce the sugar in your diet? Substituting honey is a way to add variety to your baking and make healthier choices without losing the flavor.
One of the best parts about baking with honey is that each honey variety can create a different flavor to the end product. Orange blossom adds light citrus notes, wildflower honey can add lovely floral notes, and Datil Sting can bring a little heat to your treats.
When it comes to using honey in place of sugar for a recipe, it's not an even trade.
When it comes to baking, use less honey than sugar. When swapping sugar for honey, you want to reduce the overall amount of sweetener. Honey is often two or even three times as sweet, depending on the variety. When it comes to choosing the type of honey, it is a personal preference and best judgment. It will be trial and error for some recipes to find honey that enhances the flavor in your baked goods, rather than getting lost in it.
An easy rule of thumb to help you get started is for every 1 cup of sugar, substitute 1/2 to 2/3 cup honey.
Baking is a science—chemical reactions and moisture content matters. When using honey, it is essential to reduce the liquids. Honey is around 20 percent water, which means you'll also want to reduce the total amount of liquids in the recipe to counter the honey's liquid content. For every 1 cup of honey you're using, subtract 1/4 cup of other liquids from the recipe. When using honey in baked goods, remember to add baking soda. If the recipe doesn't already call for it, you'll need to add a little baking soda. You do this because honey is naturally acidic, and baking soda helps balance that acidity to allow the baked good to rise correctly. Add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda for every 1 cup honey used.
When using the honey, lower the oven temperature. The higher sugar content in honey means it caramelizes and therefore burns faster than granulated sugar. To ensure that the recipe you're baking doesn't brown too quickly, lower the heat and keep a watchful eye.
We recommend as a general guideline to reduce the temperature of the oven by 25°F.
Baking is all about having fun, sharing experiences, and making memories, whether in the kitchen or at the dinner table. Make it a healthier experience with honey.
Don't forget to share with us, "How you, honey!"