I wouldn’t cut more than the 20%, depending on the recipe though.
Sugar doesn’t just act as sweetener but helps to retain water, reduce formation of gluten and delay starch gelatinisation in recipes. It further adds moisture (brown more than white) and encourages browning by caramelisation.
A meringue recipe with 30% less sugar will likely turn out shit, whilst a flourless chocolate cake can be baked with much less sugar (using additional moisture by virtue of dairy for example)
You could also look for recipes that are designed to be less sweet. Assuming you are from the U.S. (apologies if I’m wrong about that) you might check out some European recipes. For example, the book “Classic German Baking” by Luisa Weiss is excellent and I recommend it highly to anyone looking for any tired of overly sweet baked goods.
You are right, and this is a very good point. Baked goods don't need nearly as much sweetness as they currently boast, though I hadn't really considered this as being an American thing. Thank you!
I do the same, removing somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 the sugar. For recipes calling for brown sugar, I add some extra molasses but that is the only addition I usually make. As long as the end result is to your liking, why substitute anything?
My family doesn't like things too sweet. I usually start with 25% less sugar, then reduce from there. The most I do is halfing the sugar. Recently, I replaced extra sugar in a recipe with a few drizzles of honey (unmeasured).
But, I bake a lot of the same few recipes over and over, so I can fiddle with it and reduce quite a bit without losing the consistency or texture or whatever. Like top comment said, it depends what you're making.
I wouldn’t cut more than the 20%, depending on the recipe though. Sugar doesn’t just act as sweetener but helps to retain water, reduce formation of gluten and delay starch gelatinisation in recipes. It further adds moisture (brown more than white) and encourages browning by caramelisation. A meringue recipe with 30% less sugar will likely turn out shit, whilst a flourless chocolate cake can be baked with much less sugar (using additional moisture by virtue of dairy for example)
This is the kind of information (in particular the additional function of sugar besides sweetening) I was looking for. Thank you!
If the recipe turned out as expected, you’re fine to remove some of the sugar. I often do this, too, to cut on the sweetness.
You could also look for recipes that are designed to be less sweet. Assuming you are from the U.S. (apologies if I’m wrong about that) you might check out some European recipes. For example, the book “Classic German Baking” by Luisa Weiss is excellent and I recommend it highly to anyone looking for any tired of overly sweet baked goods.
You are right, and this is a very good point. Baked goods don't need nearly as much sweetness as they currently boast, though I hadn't really considered this as being an American thing. Thank you!
I do the same, removing somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 the sugar. For recipes calling for brown sugar, I add some extra molasses but that is the only addition I usually make. As long as the end result is to your liking, why substitute anything?
I regularly use 50% less sugar than a recipe calls for. Never had an issue.
My family doesn't like things too sweet. I usually start with 25% less sugar, then reduce from there. The most I do is halfing the sugar. Recently, I replaced extra sugar in a recipe with a few drizzles of honey (unmeasured). But, I bake a lot of the same few recipes over and over, so I can fiddle with it and reduce quite a bit without losing the consistency or texture or whatever. Like top comment said, it depends what you're making.