Sweeteners give bread and baked goods browning properties-that appetizing color. (Too much sugar causes baked goods to over-brown before they're baked through). Besides contributing to color, sugar feeds the yeast, makes the loaf tender and flavors the bread. Should you wish to make a sugar-free loaf, though, the yeast will be able to get enough sugar to survive from converting flour starches to sugar. Expect a longer rising time. (1)

Sweeten your dough with any of these sugars: granulated sugar, brown sugar, honey, or molasses.

When using honey, feed the yeast with a teaspoon of sugar for every 1/4 cup of honey. This brings out more honey flavor in your bread.

Lastly, when substituting liquid sweeteners (honey, molasses, pure maple syrup, etc.) for sugar, remember this conversion: 3/4 cup honey = 1 cup sugar. Also decrease the recipe's total liquid by 1/4 cup for every cup of sugar replaced by liquid sweetener. (1, 5)








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