Honey, Sugar, and Flour

Honey

There are as many flavors of honey as there are flowers, since the flavor of the honey is directly influenced by the type of nectar gathered by the bees from various floral sources. Flavors can range from mild to aromatic, spicy, fragrant or medicinal and are often combined to create gourmet flavors for the discriminating palate.

Honey Colors

Color is usually an indication of flavor concentration. Colors can range from near-white through yellow, yellow-green, gold, amber, dark brown or red to even nearly black.

Usually, a lighter color will indicate a milder flavor, while darker honey is customarily more robust and contains more minerals. Texture can also vary from thin to heavy.

Honey Textures and Honey Products

There are also various forms of honey, including liquid, comb, cut comb, solid (granulated or crystallized), and chunk.

o     Liquid honey, the most widely used, is extracted from the combs by a centrifugal method and is usually filtered to remove all remnants of the comb and/or pollen.

o     Granulated or "sugared" honey is partially or wholly solidified honey crystals.

o     Creamed honey adds finely crystallized honey to liquid honey and has a smooth texture.

o    Comb honey includes the honey and comb as stored by the bees and can be served as is or cut into chunks.

o    Cut-comb is small chunks of sealed comb honey which is normally sold in pieces about four inches long and 1-1/2 inches wide, wrapped in cellophane.

o   Chunk honey is pieces of comb honey placed into containers and covered with liquid honey.

Honey Storage

Storing honey is easy. Simply keep it in a cool location away from direct sunlight in a tightly covered container. It is not necessary to refrigerate honey. In fact, it's much easier to handle if you don't.

Honey may also be frozen, although there's really no need.

Do not be alarmed if stored honey becomes cloudy. This is called crystallization. It is not harmful nor is it any indication of deterioration.

In fact, honey has an indefinite shelf-life thanks to its high concentration of sugar. Raw honey with high pollen content will crystallize even faster, and cold temperatures also cause crystals. Crystallized honey is one of the many forms intentionally produced for purchase by many beekeepers.

If your honey crystallizes, you can easily re-liquify it by gently heating the jar in a pan of hot water, stirring while heating. Do not overheat as heat may alter flavor and color as a result of carmelization of the sugars.

Honey Tips and Hints

•   It's very easy to substitute honey for sugar in your recipes. Honey is up to twice as sweet as table sugar, so you will need to reduce the amount called for in the recipe by one-third to one-half honey for granulated or table sugar. In addition, since honey is composed of up to 18% water, you will need to reduce the liquid called for in baked goods by about one-fifth.

•   When baking sweets, you should also lower your oven temperature by 25 degrees F.

     (15 degrees C.).

•   If you are measuring honey by weight, 1 cup will weigh 12 ounces.

•   To help that honey slide smoothly from your measuring utensils, simply lightly coat the utensil with a vegetable spray before measuring the honey.

•   Unless the recipe calls for sour milk or cream, some cooks add the merest pinch of baking soda to the recipes of baked goods to counteract the slight acidity of the honey which may cause over browning.

•   Since it has the ability to absorb and retain moisture, honey is used in the industry to keep baked goods moist and fresh. Use honey in baked goods you plan to mail to keep them bakery-fresh.

•   Honey is also an excellent choice to use in , since its emulsifying qualities make it a perfect stabilizer

Reference :

https://www.thespruce.com/honey-cooking-tips-1809268


Sugar

     History

Sugar is a natural ingredient that has been in our diet for thousands of years. It is thought to have been first used in the Polynesian Islands over 5,000 years ago.

The first records of it being consumed in Britain date back to 1264, but it was only from 1655 when Jamaica and parts of the West Indies became British colonies, that Britain became much more involved in the sugar industry.

While sugar production increased rapidly during this time, and it played a major role in the expansion of the British Empire, it remained a luxury item for many people well into the 18th Century.

It wasn’t until the Government in 1874 removed heavy taxes levied against sugar that it became more affordable, and a household staple for everyone.

It was at this time as well, that sugar beet rivalled sugar cane as the main source of sugar in Europe.
Britain’s own beet sugar industry came to fruition during World War 1. The Government persuaded farmers to grow sugar beet following shortages in sugar cane and as a way to boost the agricultural sector.

In 2012, Britain celebrated 100 years of the beet sugar industry and its continued success. Today, the homegrown sugar industry involves 3,500 sugar beet growers and supports up to 9,500 UK jobs in the wider economy. UK beet production occupies over 100,000 hectares of UK farmland.

From 1 October 2017, EU sugar quotas are being abolished following a decision made under the 2013 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reforms: this will be one of the biggest changes in the sugar sector since 2006.

What is sugar

Getting granular: what exactly is sugar

Sugar is a natural ingredient that has been part of our diet for thousands of years. Sugars are carbohydrates that provide energy for the body. The most common sugar in the body is glucose which your brain, major organs and muscles need to function properly.

Some sugars are found naturally in foods (e.g. fruit, vegetables and milk) while others are used during processing and cooking. The body does not distinguish between the different types of sugar and breaks them down in exactly the same way. For example, the sucrose in an apple is broken down in exactly the same way as the sucrose in your sugar bowl.

The most common kinds of sugars

1.   Sucrose is often called table sugar. Made up from glucose and fructose, it is extracted from sugar cane or sugar beet and also naturally present in most fruits and vegetables

2.   Fructose and glucose are found in fruits, vegetables and honey

3.   Lactose is commonly called milk sugar because it is found in milk and dairy products

4.   Maltose is also known as malt sugar and is found in malted drinks and beer.

Sugars in your kitchen cupboard

There are of course lots of different sugars that you’ll find in your kitchen cupboard too. They are all forms of sucrose and include:

1.   Granulated sugar – a traditional sugar used for cooking

2.   Caster sugar – a little bit finer than granulated sugar, caster sugar is perfect for making cakes

3.   Icing sugar – used for dusting cakes and desserts and making butter icing

4.   Demerara – a brown sugar with a coarse texture that is great for crumble toppings

5.   Light brown sugar – often used to make fruit cakes and puddings with a fuller flavour

6.   Muscovado sugar – a dark treacle like flavour used in gingerbread

     How is sugar used

     There’s more to sugar than meets the eye

    There’s a lot more to sugar than putting a teaspoonful in your cup of tea or sprinkling it over your bowl of strawberries. A range of different characteristics make sugar ideal for     all kinds of food preparation. From improving the taste of food, sugar is also used to provide structure, texture, and also acts as a natural preservative.

   In cooking sugar has a number of important functions and uses. A few everyday uses include:

1.   Acts as a structural agent for products like meringues

2.   Is a fermentation agent – works with yeast to help dough rise and  make wine

3.   Helps to preserve jellies and jams

4.   Adds flavour to all sorts of food and drinks

5.   Adds colour and flavour (browning) upon cooking

Refernce :

http://makingsenseofsugar.com

Flour (Wheat)

 History

    Before 1870 there was only stone ground wheat. By 1880 all stones had been replaced with iron, steel, or porcelain rollers throughout Europe and America. It marked the beginning of the industrial revolution of our food. Refined flour was the first fast food so to speak.

   Before the industrialized roller-milling revolution, the ground white flour could only get just so white. You see grinding removed the bran from the wheat berry and therefore most of the fiber, but it didn't remove the germ, which contains oils that are rich in nutrients. The stone mills simply crushed the germ and released the oil. This tinted the flour a rather unappealing yellow grey (the yellow is carotene) which shortened the shelf life once it was exposed to the air. The flour soon oxidized and turned rancid. It didn't look or smell very nice after that and people didn't like it. However what they didn't realize was that the oil was where all the nutrients were, such as protein, folic acid, B vitamins, carotenes and other antioxidants, such as omega-3 fatty acids. It was probably the omega-3 that caused it to go rancid.

   With roller milling came the ability to remove the wheat germ as well as the fiber, leaving behind a big packet of nothing but starch and a little protein. This starch hitting our bodies all at once causes our bodies to have a sugar rush. Now the pancreas has to kick into double time to keep up with this over load. Soon the pancreas gets worn out and you have diabetes. You also have an overweight population. But the good news for the population back then was that now everyone could afford white flour that would last on the shelves for many months. Before this only the rich could afford white flour.

   Now not every little town had to have a water wheel in order to provide almost daily flour for everyone. Now since white flour could last months it could be ground far away and shipped. Now towns did not have to be by a stream or river. Now they could build a town anywhere. So America began to spread out.

   The problem with this new white flour was that it was nutritionally worthless, or just about. As well as the wheat, the corn and rice flours suffered from the same fate. Wherever these refined flours appeared so did epidemics of pellagra and beriberi. Both of the diseases are caused by deficiencies in B vitamins, which were in the germ.

   In the 1930s vitamins were discovered and scientists soon figured out why everyone was sick. So the government made it a law that B vitamins had to be added to the white flour. Not until 1995 did the public health authorities order folic acid be added to the white flour as well. We are plagued with deficiency diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. We also know that eating whole grains reduces the risk of these diseases.

   It is true that white flour is easier to digest, because by removing the fiber that normally slows down the release of sugar, it is now released faster into your system. Let me explain. The finer the flour is ground, the more surface area is exposed to digestive enzymes, so the quicker the starches are going to turn to glucose. The food processors are doing this on purpose. They want to find ways to deliver the glucose, the brain's preferred food, more swiftly and efficiently. It is indeed the whole point. After the sugar rush, you crash and then crave more. So is it your fault you crave white flour products? But you can claim that up to this point that you didn't know any better, but now you are informed.

   We need to eat whole grains that are ground fresh just before they are used. The way to do that is with a wheat grinder. When you grind grain fresh it has a wonderful smell. You can smell the nutrients in it. Go smell your white flour. Go ahead go smell it! What did you smell? Nothing, right? That's because the nutrients are gone and the flour is dead. When you fresh grind your whole grain it is still warm when you make your baked goods. If you use this fresh grain to make bread the warmth of the flour activates the yeast and your bread will rise better and faster. Don't eat dead white flour your body deserves better than that. Only in America do we take real nutrients out of something and then replace it with artificial nutrients. Remember added chemicals can never replace what God put in, in the first place.

Wheat Flours

    Most of the common types of wheat flour (bread, pastry, etc.) are available as both white and whole wheat.

    All-Purpose Flour

   "If you only stock your kitchen with one variety of flour, it should be AP," says Reid. All-purpose flour contains just the seed head's endosperm, making it much more shelf-stable than whole wheat flour. Unfortunately, that also means that it contains less nutritious qualities, like fiber and protein. AP flour can be bleached or unbleached.

     Best for: Cookies, bread, baked goods.

     Don't use for: No restrictions, but you should sift it first for very tender baked goods.

     Bread Flour

    With a high protein content, bread flour is made from hard wheat and contains a greater amount of gluten than AP, which is made from softer wheat varieties. When worked by hand-kneading or processing with a dough hook in a stand mixer, the gluten is developed and contributes to a chewier consistency, which is desirable in artisan breads. It brings excellent structure to doughs, making it the "underwire bra of the baking world," says Reid. Bois prefers to use it just for extra-chewy baked goods, like pretzels and bagels, due to its dense and heavy texture.

     Best for: Bread, pretzels, anything chewy and requiring plenty of structure.

     Don't use for: Tender cakes and pastries.

     Pastry Flour

    With a fine texture and lower protein content thanks to soft wheat varieties, pastry flour is the go-to for sweets for many serious bakers. Many commercially-available pastry flours are bleached, although both some millers, like King Arthur and Bob's Red Mill, offer unbleached pastry flour.

    Best for: Pie crusts, breadsticks, pound cakes, muffins.

   Don't use for: The lower amount of gluten means that this flour produces bread with less structural integrity.

    Cake Flour

    Similar in protein level to pastry flour (about 8-9%), cake flour is milled to an ultra-fine consistency. It is also traditionally bleached. Bleaching slightly damages the flour's starches, allowing them to absorb more liquid and rise higher—an ideal quality in lofty cakes.

    Best for: Tender cakes, like sponges.

    Don't use for: Cake flour does not produce a good bread product.

    00 Flour

     Ground to extreme fineness, this flour is made from soft wheat varieties, and is frequently used in Italian pastas. The fineness of the grind makes 00 dough easy to roll to extreme thinness (necessary for pasta).

     Best for: Pasta, very thin crusts. 

     Don't use for: The grind is too fine for successful bread.

References :
http://www.bonappetit.com
http://pioneerthinking.com