Sugar and Sugar

Dudley Reed (b. 1946)
London Library, 1986
Black and White Photograph
English Photographer

I just received a very good question from the lovely Celiac Chicks, wondering if they could substitute regular brown sugar in recipes that call for specialty sugars like palm sugar, demerara, rapadura, etc.

Realizing I wasn’t able to answer her question straight away, I decided to find out all that I could about sugar and where to find them.

Demerara and Turbinado (also called sanding sugar) is typically used in coffee or teas or for sprinkling on top of baked goods to give it that crunchy shine we all go for when baking pies, for example. Demerara is actually the generic name for raw sugar cane, which means it has not been subjected to the refinement process and the sugar granules are usually quite large with a pale brown color. Turbinado sugar is the same with the exception that it usually comes in a variety of colors for sprinkling onto sugar cookies, etc.

The name of this sugar, Demerara comes from the name of the colony from which this sugar originated in Guyana. Mauritius is now the main site of production.

Palm Sugar is made from the sap that oozes from the cut Palmyra palm or date palm flower buds. Used primarily in Thai cuisine, it is also sold under the guise of “coconut sugar,” which does not contain a coconut flavor. Sold in blocks, it can be found at Thai markets or specialty stores.

Rapadura sugar is the Portuguese name for a traditional candy common in Brazil and Venezuela (papelon) and is essentially pure dried sugar cane. Rich in dietary iron and very inexpensive, it is often used as a substitute for refined (granulated) sugar and typically sold in bricks.

Golden Bakers sugar has a delicate molasses flavor, used primarily for making preserves, it can also be a substitute for any recipe calling for granulated sugar. Pale brown in color and very fine in texture.

Milled Cane sugar is also substituted for granulated sugar in equal measure; perfect for coffee or tea and sprinkled on cereal. Pale flesh tone in color and medium sized granules.

Caster Sugar is extremely fine in texture, lily white in color and dissolves quickly. Ideal for cold drinks and for making cakes, cookies, mousses, meringues, custards and for sprinkling over fresh fruit.

Light Brown Sugar (Muscovado= molasses) is sugar that has not had all of the naturally occurring molasses refined out of the sugar. Ideal for cookies, candies and sweet sauces it is not recommended as an equal substitution for granulated sugar.

Dark Brown Muscovado Sugar has a very high molasses content resulting in a very robust flavor. Ideal for making gingerbread, enjoying with coffee or when making chocolate desserts. Definitely not an equal substitution for granulated sugar.

Vanilla Sugar is essentially granulated or golden bakers sugar that has been infused with vanilla. You can easily make this at home by placing a couple of vanilla pods into the sugar and allow to sit for about a week.

So now you are probably wondering, where can I find these sugars?

Try the India Tree Company: 1421 Elliott Avenue West, Seattle, WA 98119
1.800.369.4848 India Tree Gourmet Spices & Specialities

or

Billington’s Sugars

India Tree and Billington’s are carried by Whole Foods.

Hope all this is helpful and happy baking!

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