> wrote in message
oups.com...
> My understanding is that when you put, say, 3 Tbsp of refined table
> sugar in a bread recipe, the yeast will react with that sugar to
> produce carbon dioxide to make the bread rise, and alcohol.
>
> Does this mean that there is not any "sugar" (at least from the 3 Tbsp
> added to the mix) in the finished loaf of bread?
>
> Another way to put my question is: If I am "sugar conscience" and don't
> want to ingest plain old table sugar, will I be doing so if I put it in
> my bread? Or will it NOT be sugar anymore after it is baked, and
> therefore not a concern?
>
> TIA,
> Greg
>
You are getting a lot of advise, most of it good, but nobody is answering
your question. The answer is that, if you add a small amount of sugar
(perhaps 1/2 an oz. to the lb. of flour) the yeast will ferment virtually
all of it. It can help speed the fermentation process a little (not
necessarily a good thing and not necessarily bad.) The yeast will get the
job done just fine without any added sugar as others have indicated.
If you put a lot of sugar (more than 1 oz. per lb. of flour) you are likely
to get some sweetness in the bread because the yeast won't ferment it all in
a normal fermentation period. Halla, Cuban and other breads have this
slight sweetness so, obviously, all the sugar has not been converted by the
yeast.
If you don't want any sweetness in the bread, then don't use any sugar as
others have correctly recommended. I think it's pretty hard to beat a nice,
lean, hard crusted Italian bread made just from flour, water, yeast and a
little salt for flavor.
Fred
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