Professional Pastry Chefs Forum A forum for professional pastry chefs and bakers.


Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 06-15-2007, 11:44 AM
koko Offline
Registered User
Culinary Experience: Just Graduated From Culinary School
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 4
Default Stevia?

HI I am wondering if anyone has tried substituting Stevia for Sugar in Praline or truffles?

I have read up on it's uses but have yet to try it, I would also like to know how it substitutes in baking... cakes etc.

Anyone have any insight, I'd love to hear it.

thx

Last edited by koko; 06-15-2007 at 12:15 PM.
Reply With Quote


  #2  
Old 06-15-2007, 10:23 PM
Luc_H's Avatar
Luc_H Offline
Registered User
Culinary Experience: Food Writer
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Montreal
Posts: 687
Default

Hi Koko,

Stevia may taste sweet like sugar but it does not function like it. The candylike texture of pralines is due to the sugar. Stevia juice is 30 times sweeter then sugar and the pure extract (Stevioside) is 250-400 times the sweetness of sugar.
This means Stevia has no bulking potential like sugar has. It is like saying the sweetness of one hard candy is found in a pinch size of steviaside.

The only other <sugar> that can act like sugar in cooking is xylitol (that I know of). If you make praline with this stuff, you will need many trials to get the texture right but you would NOT need stevia because xylitol is already as sweet as sugar with a similar bulking capacity.

As for truffles: I guess you could make a truffle using pure dark chocolate, cream and butter then add the pure stevia powder to sweeten it (I would not use the liquid extract because water and chocolate don't mix).

Don't forget that Stevia has a mild licorice-like taste so I do not know how it would clash with chocolate (just a thought)

In any event, what you propose requires many trials...

Good luck!
Luc
__________________
I eat science everyday, do you?
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 06-15-2007, 11:49 PM
shel Offline
Banned
Culinary Experience: Other
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA
Posts: 3,416
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Luc_H View Post
The only other <sugar> that can act like sugar in cooking is xylitol (that I know of). If you make praline with this stuff, you will need many trials to get the texture right but you would NOT need stevia because xylitol is already as sweet as sugar with a similar bulking capacity.Luc
I'll sort of second that. I've used xylitol a few times over the years, and it's durned close to sugar in just about every way.

Some say that the Chinese and corn-derived xylitol has a somewhat metallic or off taste. and I've noticed that but once (but I don't recall the circumstance right now, but it was subtle). I don't think you'd notice it in your situation. If you can get US produced birch-derived xylitol you may be a little better of.

Shel

Last edited by shel; 06-15-2007 at 11:52 PM. Reason: Need to improve bowling score
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 06-16-2007, 08:21 AM
Luc_H's Avatar
Luc_H Offline
Registered User
Culinary Experience: Food Writer
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Montreal
Posts: 687
Default

(I forgot to add) recipes are readily on the net for baking applications.

Example site: SweetLeaf Stevia

Luc
__________________
I eat science everyday, do you?
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 06-19-2007, 12:33 PM
m brown's Avatar
m brown Offline
ChefTalk Moderator
Culinary Experience: Professional Pastry Chef
 
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Outside Dallas, BABY!!!
Posts: 2,315
Blog Entries: 1
Default

for truffles you could add liquid stevia to the cream using unsweetened chocolate.

Let us know how things turned out!
__________________
bake first, ask questions later.
Oooh food, my favorite!

http://www.myspace.com/chefmbrown

Professor Culinary and Pastry Arts
www.CCCCD.edu
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 06-25-2007, 09:20 AM
koko Offline
Registered User
Culinary Experience: Just Graduated From Culinary School
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 4
Default stevia

< Participant is not yet authorized to post links. >
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are Off

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Using Stevia as a sweetner bcsman The Chef's Garden 8 01-16-2008 12:31 PM
Stevia NancyR Food & Cooking Questions and Discussion 3 09-26-2006 01:15 AM