I Love Science
Sugar, Sugar...
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With the holiday season upon us, many will be making (or receiving) baked goods. The main ingredient in many of these treats is sugar.
As such, I thought this a good time to discuss some of the basic science of sugar.
Sugar is composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen - and contains a hydroxyl group, which makes the molecule very polar and therefore very soluble. In plain English, it dissolves easily.
Sugar also bonds easily with other molecules and, in doing so, helps to hold on to the moisture of foods (which also makes it a natural preservative).
Common table sugar, and most other sugars, is actually formed by combing two simple sugars (glucose & fructose) to form a disaccharide. This is great at storing energy.
Adding sugar to recipes with flour helps to absorb water and prevent gluten development; which changes the texture of the baked good. The sugar forms strong bonds with water molecules, so it helps to keep baked goods soft and moist.
Also, adding a small amount of sugar will result in a denser texture (e.g., bread or rolls) and a larger amount of sugar will give a light fluffy texture (e.g., cake & other pastries).
Sugar also causes cakes and quick breads to rise while baking. When sugar is mixed with fat, eggs and other liquid ingredients, it creates air bubbles; which then expand in the oven, causing the batter to rise.
Sugar can also provide the crunchy textures to the outside of baked goods. This happens when moisture evaporates from the surface of foods while baking; allowing dissolved sugars to re-crystallize and create crunchy crusts.
With the holiday season upon us, many will be making (or receiving) baked goods. The main ingredient in many of these treats is sugar.
As such, I thought this a good time to discuss some of the basic science of sugar.
Sugar is composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen - and contains a hydroxyl group, which makes the molecule very polar and therefore very soluble. In plain English, it dissolves easily.
Sugar also bonds easily with other molecules and, in doing so, helps to hold on to the moisture of foods (which also makes it a natural preservative).
Common table sugar, and most other sugars, is actually formed by combing two simple sugars (glucose & fructose) to form a disaccharide. This is great at storing energy.
Adding sugar to recipes with flour helps to absorb water and prevent gluten development; which changes the texture of the baked good. The sugar forms strong bonds with water molecules, so it helps to keep baked goods soft and moist.
Also, adding a small amount of sugar will result in a denser texture (e.g., bread or rolls) and a larger amount of sugar will give a light fluffy texture (e.g., cake & other pastries).
Sugar also causes cakes and quick breads to rise while baking. When sugar is mixed with fat, eggs and other liquid ingredients, it creates air bubbles; which then expand in the oven, causing the batter to rise.
Sugar can also provide the crunchy textures to the outside of baked goods. This happens when moisture evaporates from the surface of foods while baking; allowing dissolved sugars to re-crystallize and create crunchy crusts.
