It’s so cool being able to see the results side by side. Available in a variety of sizes from coarse (crystal/decorating) to superfine (14X), cubes to tablets; Great For: Use in baking, pastry, sauces, and savory applications; Brown Sugar . Marie, what a fascinating post! In this first image you can see the difference in colour that the different types of sugar gives the cookie dough. I always have regular sugar on hand, but too often run out of the specialty sugars. Granulated sugar has had all of the naturally present molasses refined out of it. Granulated sugar is what I use in most of my recipes, including The Best Chocolate Cake recipe. Marie xx. If you can’t find it or you find it is a little too expensive where you are which may be the case in places it is not so easily found, you can use a food processor to grind regular granulated sugar down to finer crystals. In other countries it’s called castor or caster sugar. It also saves on pantry space as caster sugar can always be used in place of regular granulated sugar but not necessarily the other way round. Turbinado sugar is mainly used in sweetening beverages, but can also be used in baking. Maple syrup contains a fair bit of sugar, so consume it rather minimally. Baking is one of life’s pleasures, but if like many of us, you’re taking steps to cut the sugar in your diet, it shouldn’t mean an end to it. As you can tell from its name, coarse sugar has much larger crystals than regular white sugar. It is used in baking and for sweetening drinks. Don’t miss a thing! Most used for: Self-rising flour is used to make biscuits, pizza crusts, sugar cookies, different kinds of pancakes, and dumplings. You may notice a difference in moisture content, chewiness (in cookies especially), a slight colour difference and maybe flavour but the differences will be negligible. Brown sugar is white sugar that has had cane molasses added to it. Muscovado sugar is used in sweets with rich flavors such as gingerbread, coffee cake, and fudge. Coconut sugar is an unrefined natural sugar that can be used just like granulated sugar. Raw brown sugar is great for sweetening your coffee, but not as suitable for baking. Pure icing sugar is icing sugar that does not contain any anti-caking agent. Used mainly in the baking and confectionery industries to sprinkle on top of baked goods: Liquid sugar. The sugar crystals are a little larger than regular brown sugar and the texture is stickier. Use granulated sugar in Chef Dominique Ansel’s mini madeleines recipe. confectioners’ sugar is easily dissolved into toppings (such as icing, hence “icing sugar”) and fillings. It is commercially sold in three varieties. Hey guys, As promised I am back with part 2 of the types of sugar we commonly use in baking, and today I am talking all about syrups! Demerara sugar is a large-grained, crunchy sugar that hasn’t had all of the molasses refined out. Used commercially in beverages, jams, candy, ice cream, syrups, and cooked fondants (i.e. fudge) Not available for purchase by consumers. That’s it. Brown sugar is composed of refined, granulated sugar with some impurities remaining or molasses added. In baking, you need to have three different types of sugar on hand: granulated sugar, confectioners' sugar and brown sugar (light or dark). Cane sugar is sourced only from sugar cane (different from granulated sugar which is sourced from both sugar cane and sugar beets). The coarse crystals in the sugar held their shape, even after a trip to the oven. There seems to be different opinions when searching for an answer on this question and I can guarantee you caster sugar and powdered sugar are two different things. This post, all about sugar, delves into the different types and their best uses. Turns out it’s the same thing! Caster sugar is granulated sugar that has been ground into very fine crystals. What is granulated sugar? When it comes to a regular baking sugar, this is the one I and many bakers use most. My cake had a square spot on the top in the middle that looked like brown sugar. It has a lighter molasses flavour than brown sugar and its crunchy texture makes it wonderful for using as a topping on cakes or cookies or in a crumble or streusel topping. Available from our all baking store at CooksDream Turbinado is a type of raw cane sugar: It's made from the residue remaining after sugar cane has been processed into granulated sugar. Your email address will not be published. Decorative sugar. When it comes to baking, sugar is one of the most important ingredients we use. However, the more often you bake, the more different types of sugar you may come across. Muscovado sugar is very dark brown in color and has more molasses than light or dark brown sugar. Sanding sugar is a great addition to any DIY Cookie Decorating Station. Raw Cane Sugar  |  Demerara Sugar  | Turbinado Sugar. When most people think of sugar, this is the one they’re thinking of. New bakers often get confused when they see the words “powdered sugar” and “confectioners’ sugar” used interchangeably. When you go to the store, you’ll see two types of brown sugar: light brown sugar and dark brown sugar. Types of Sugar in Baking Granulated Sugar. Brown sugar can harden if left open to the air, so it is best stored in an airtight container. Granulated sugar is one of the best types of sugar for baking. It is also great for adding texture, in bread making it is used to help bread rise and in savoury cooking it is used to add depth of flavour. In breads and rolls, however, it feeds the yeast that makes for a beautiful rise. Make sure everything is incorporated thoroughly in a food processor, and you can store it for up to a month! And it’s perfect on a cheese platter, too. The sugar crystals are a little larger than regular brown sugar and the texture is stickier. Caster sugar is commonly found in Australia and the UK but not so well known in the US, where it is instead known as superfine sugar or bakers sugar. The Spruce. The darker you’d like your brown sugar, the  more molasses you would add. Granulated sugar has bigger crystal-like pieces and is not very commonly used in baking. Muscovado sugar, also known as Barbados sugar, is a type of British brown sugar. I want to give home cooks the confidence to get in the kitchen and create delicious recipes. Since the difference between white and brown sugar is only molasses, all you need do is add some molasses to granulated or caster sugar and you have brown sugar. And, who doesn’t love their baked goods sparkly? Sugar also causes browning (turns brown) when heated, because it caramelizes. Use it for almost any sweet baked good. among all sugars, it is the finest and smallest in size. I love how you explained how to make your own sugars at home – icing sugar, brown sugar, caster sugar. Your cookie experiment was awesome!. This type of sugar also helps to give baked goods or candy a little texture. Powdered sugar, aka confectioner’s sugar, icing sugar, or fondant sugar, is an extremely fine-ground white sugar with a texture that’s soft and powdery, not granular. : Granulated sugar is a refined sugar that is white in color and is the most common type of sugar used in baking. Superfine sugar is generally used in making delicate or smooth desserts such as mousse, meringues or puddings. Brown sugar comes in many different varieties and is either unrefined or only partially refined. Typically smaller or fine crystal in size and depending on the amount of molasses used will determine the ultimate use. This is a refined white sugar with medium sized crystals that is the most readily available. Required fields are marked *. Sucrose is a double sugar (disaccharide) made up of two simple sugars (monosaccharides), glucose and fructose. Sugar is one of the major ingredients used in the baking industry. Numbers 5 and 6, using the darkest of the brown sugars had a complex caramel flavour and were also denser and slightly chewier in texture. It has a blond color, mild brown sugar flavor and larger crystals than brown sugars used in baking. Some tasters loved the grittier texture of the cookies, but not everyone did. In America, this would be similar to what is called superfine or baker’s sugar. I'm a self-taught home baker and cook passionate about making delicious food from scratch to share with family and friends. Top to bottom – Golden Caster Sugar, Granulated Sugar, Caster Sugar Cookies #2 and #3, using all white types of sugar, didn’t have as much flavour although there wasn’t a big difference in texture. If you’re out of brown sugar, it is easy to make at home in a pinch. It provides sweetness but also functionality. Continuing our series examining new developments in the basic ingredients of baking, and their effect on the baking industry, what are the types of sugars and syrups normally used in baked goods and what is their functionality? Sugar is an integral part of the baking that we do day to day. Purpose. I never really knew what caster sugar was, although I do make my own superfine sugar in the blender. Thanks so much Pamela. Very useful page. Good baking apples are firm, and without bruises or blemishes. Now it’s time to make sure you are stocked up and ready to bake! I was prompted to do more research on sugar after a reader asked me a question about a type of sugar I use almost daily – caster sugar. Your email address will not be published. Sucrose syrups. Learn how your comment data is processed. Dark brown sugar, because of the rich molasses flavor, is used in richer foods, like gingerbread. Caster sugar is fine crystals whereas icing sugar is a powder and they perform very differently if used in baking. The two types of brown sugar, light and dark, refer to the amount of molasses that is present. Try dark brown sugar in Savory Sweet Life’s Chocolate Chip Cookies. Baking Sugar is an integral part of the baking that we do in our day-to-day life. And I hate paying more for the specialty sugars. A Cortland with its snow-white colored flesh will hold up beautifully in salads or kabobs. Finally, after letting the cookies cool and breaking them open I found that #1 and #4, both the cookies with the light brown sugar, had the nicest texture and flavour. Powdered or confectioners’ sugar is granulated sugar that has been finely ground and mixed with a small amount of cornstarch to prevent caking. Substituting honey for sugar in baking is easy enough as you simply need to use 3/4 cup of honey for every 1 cup of sugar in a recipe.