Lowering sugar content in yeast bread

[kim0702]

Hi everyone! I would love to lower the amount of sugar in my sweet dough recipe to be able to use it for other things, such as enriched breads or rolls that are only slightly sweet. It's the perfect recipe otherwise. What else in the recipe do I need to modify when I'm reducing the sugar?

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Hi everyone! I would love to lower the amount of sugar in my sweet dough recipe to be able to use it for other things, such as enriched breads or rolls that are only slightly sweet. It's the perfect recipe otherwise. What else in the recipe do I need to modify when I'm reducing the sugar?

You have to calculate it by weight. What you were calling a sweet dough is and enriched yeast dough. And you want to convert

it to a lean yeast dough.


Enriched doughs contain sugar because sugar is a tenderizer. sugar tenderizes by pulling water into the dough. Sugar is hygroscopic meaning it pulls water from its environment. So enriched they will contain 10% sugar to flour by weight. The goods made with enriched doughs will have just a hint of sweet in flavor. Enriched those are used for things like cinnamon rolls, but also some breads like challah.


A lean dough contains the same ingredients but only 5% sugar. The sugar creates a softer crust in dinner rolls and breads, without adding sweetness.


So if your recipe is written in volume measurements you’re going to have to convert it to weight. It’s better to bake by weight anyway. And I would recommend you use metric weight. Metric weight is the standard for professional baking throughout the world, even in the US.

 

[retired baker]

Hi everyone! I would love to lower the amount of sugar in my sweet dough recipe to be able to use it for other things, such as enriched breads or rolls that are only slightly sweet. It's the perfect recipe otherwise. What else in the recipe do I need to modify when I'm reducing the sugar?

Nothing, just go ahead and reduce it. If you like it make a note, if not reduce it a bit more.