Using BakeryBits decorative sugars
What are they?
Not all white sugar is the same. You’re probably familiar with different brown and unrefined sugars, the coarse demerara sugar crystals and “coffee” sugar (even larger brown sugar crystals). But did you know that the same is true for white sugar? At BakeryBits we do a range of different white sugars especially made for baking, with characteristics to suit most needs.
Grain sugars
Sometimes called nibbed sugar or pearlized sugar. These are sugar crystals produced in a way to resemble snow “grains” and vary in size from fragments the size of a pin head through to 1cm-long thick threads of crunchy white sugar
Sugar sand = 1-2mm wide, roughly rounded, perfect when a crunch is needed without the pieces being too obvious
Sugar Crumbs = 3-4mm wide, roughly rounded. Excellent for the top of choux buns when a sweet finish is needed without icing
Pearl or Nibbed Sugar = 4-5mm wide, roughly rounded. The standard pearlized sugar, excellent for currant buns, as a finish on fruit cakes (added before baking).
Belgian Waffle Sugar = 5-6mm wide, roughly rounded. Specially designed for Belgian waffles, where the sugar is stirred into the batter just before baking.
Panettone Sugar Grains = 4-5mm wide, about 10mm long. Excellent for panettone and whenever a bold sugar finish would look good.
How to store: store in a cool dry place. If your kitchen or bakery is at risk of mice etc it’s probably wise to sore it in a sealed container.
How to use: very easy!
Cake mixes and batters: just sprinkle in onto the cake or choux paste mixture before baking. Lovely used in pancake and waffle mixtures generally, just stirred though the mixture before frying (use about 10g per 100g batter for a light extra-sweetness.
Firmer dough: either use an egg wash or a light almond frangipane like this one spooned over the dough, so the sugar will really stick on firmly.
Snow sugar
Regular supermarket icing sugar is great at dissolving, but when used on the outside of a baked cake, Danish pastry or similar it tends to vanish into stickiness after a few hours. This is where BakeryBits Snow Sugar is perfect: it’s made from a type of regular sugar known as dextrose and when powdered it can be sprinkled onto warm cakes or pastries and will stay looking white and powdered for days. Great used on doughnuts, stollen, sponge cakes, tray bakes, or any pastry where you would like a dusting of icing sugar but need it to stay looking good for days.
How to store: as with grain sugars, store in a cool dry place.
How to use: very easy! Just sieve it onto the baked good while it’s warm or cold.
