Sugar in baking

Sugar means white granulated sugar and its relations, Liquid sugars such as honey, molasses, maple syrup, and corn syrup are used less frequently in home baking.

Sugar usually comes from cane, and cane is a form of grass, which is related to wheat. Some sugars do come from other sources such as beets, which are a tuber.

In culinary terms, sugar as a type of food delivers one of the primary taste sensations, that of sweetness.

Sugar improves the nutritive value of bread and at the same time sweetens the aroma of the baked products. 

Sugar tenderizes breads and pastries by interfering with gluten formation. Its presence in shortbread cookies, shortcrust for tarts and crumble toppings influences the delicate crumb of these pastries.

Sugar provides color because it caramelizes hen it’s heated over its melting point. This helps the surface of baked goods to brown, which adds flavor and texture, and increases their ability to hold onto moisture. 

Sugar also act as creaming agents with fats and as foaming agents with eggs. When butter and sugar beaten together, or creamed, the sharp edges of the sugar crystals cut into the butter, forming little air pockets where the air gets trapped – thousands and thousands of them.

It will further increasing the volume of the baked product and contributing to a finer, more even texture. 

Because of its water attracting nature, sugar increases the moisture in breads and pastries and helps prevent them from drying out.

In general, sugar is a preservative m thus bread containing sugar will last longer than those without.
Sugar in baking