[wagaboodles]

I would like to start subbing agave nectar and other natural sweeteners (honey, maple) for refined sugar in recipes. I'm trying to wean our family from white sugar and flour. I'd like to hear from those who have gone before me...what works for you?

Beth

 

[kallyn]

They're both a lot wetter and sweeter than sugar. For instance, if a recipe calls for 1 cup sugar, you should probably use 2/3 cup honey or otherwise it will be overkill sweet. I'm not sure if you have to add dry ingredients to make up for the wetness as I don't really bake - maybe someone else can chime in on that.

 

[Panserbjorne]

I don't do grains, and I rarely bake anything (I am mostly raw) but the rule of thumb is to decrease the sweetener by half if going from dry to wet and increase the dry ingredients a bit. SO if a recipe calls for 2 cups flour, 1 cup honey you would do 2 cups flour plus a T. or so and 1/2 cup honey.

This is the "rule" (or so I've read) can't tell you if it works!

 

[LauraLoo]

I've done 1 : 1 substitution with honey in baked goods and they've turned out fine, but I'm also usually adding wheat germ and flax into the recipe, too. I'm probably adding more dry ingredients than what the originally recipe called for.

I've never tried Agave Nectar because it seemed too watery and not as sweet for what I was baking, but I'd love to try it out.

 

[tigerseye]

I use agave. I still play around with it, using anywhere from 2/3 to 3/4 cup for every 1 cup of sugar called for in the recipe. You'll also need to reduce any other liquid amounts called for in the recipe by 25%.