I've used honey for a long time (interchangeably with molasses,
depending on the bread). but I'm about to move in with a strict vegan,
and although I'm not vegan, I sure as hell can't eat a loaf of bread
fast enough on my own.

maple syrup, agave nectar, stevia, hell, even unbleached sugar...are
any of these worthwhile to make bread with? or should I just stick to
darker breads for awhile?

On 2007-09-12, raisethedead > wrote:
> I've used honey for a long time (interchangeably with molasses,
> depending on the bread). but I'm about to move in with a strict vegan,
> and although I'm not vegan, I sure as hell can't eat a loaf of bread
> fast enough on my own.

You need not use added sugar at all, unless you want a sweet bread.
Have you been maintaining your starter on sugar? If so, then you may
have cultured some organisms that lack the ability to break down
starches into sugar, and that could be a bit of a problem. Even that
can be solved by using whole grains (which include the necessary
enzymes) or malted flour (which has the enzymes added to it). If your
bread tastes bland without sugar, that can be solved through process
changes -- probably a longer, cooler rise will do the trick.


> maple syrup, agave nectar, stevia, hell, even unbleached sugar...are
> any of these worthwhile to make bread with? or should I just stick to
> darker breads for awhile?

If you want a sweet bread, then sure, any of those will work. I would
add barley malt syrup to the list. I don't think stevia will be food
for the critters, but it certainly would make the bread sweet.

--
Randall

raisethedead wrote:
> I've used honey for a long time (interchangeably with molasses,
> depending on the bread). but I'm about to move in with a strict vegan,
> and although I'm not vegan, I sure as hell can't eat a loaf of bread
> fast enough on my own.
>
> maple syrup, agave nectar, stevia, hell, even unbleached sugar...are
> any of these worthwhile to make bread with? or should I just stick to
> darker breads for awhile?
>

The only difference I see in my bread when I use a sugar product of any
kind is the browning of the crust.

I was under the impression that was the sweetener's purpose, for browning.

I have seen no difference in the rise, just the colour.

Mike

On Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:25:42 -0400, Mike Romain
> wrote:
>
>I was under the impression that was the sweetener's purpose, for browning.
>
>I have seen no difference in the rise, just the colour.
>
>Mike

Howdy,

There are "styles" to bread, just as there are "styles" of
beer or wine.

Just as a well made India pale ale does not look or taste
the same as a well made porter (and does not have the same
ingredients), a good white sourdough boule is not the same
as a good pumpernickel.

Sugar is an ingredient like any other in that it can change
the look, texture, and taste of the bread in which it is
used.

All the best,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

Mike Romain wrote:
> I have seen no difference in the rise, just the colour.
>
Seen a difference:

http://samartha.net/SD/images/BYDATE...rustCrumb.html

not only in crumb but also in starter performance, that's two pages
before the crust/crumb page.


Sam

Sam wrote:
> Mike Romain wrote:
>> I have seen no difference in the rise, just the colour.
>>
> Seen a difference:
>
> http://samartha.net/SD/images/BYDATE...rustCrumb.html
>
> not only in crumb but also in starter performance, that's two pages
> before the crust/crumb page.
>
>
> Sam
>
>


Wow, OK, I will pay more attention because mine without might very well
have been denser too. The crust looked the same and it was 4 ingredient
so I was expecting heavier bread.

I normally use about 1 tsp of a sugar product per loaf.

I should play around with just adding one thing at a time to see the
effects, but I have great results now so I keep on making it.

Mike

I only use grain meal and flour in my starter. I don't particularly
care to have sweet bread per say, I just don't know enough about
kitchen science to know which sweeteners are good food for the yeast
beasts.

(I also haven't made sourdough in a few months, so it's probably
something I could intuit after a few tries...but I'm just being lazy)

On 2007-09-12, raisethedead > wrote:
> I only use grain meal and flour in my starter. I don't particularly
> care to have sweet bread per say, I just don't know enough about
> kitchen science to know which sweeteners are good food for the yeast
> beasts.

In that case, the flour itself will be food enough for the beasties.
After all, that's what they've been living on in the starter. The
other sweeteners you mentioned might speed up fermentation slightly,
except probably stevia, since that's not actually sugar.

--
Randall