Baking with Xylitol and Erythritol
By Jules Marie
Two relatively new all natural sweeteners are gaining in press and popularity and no home kitchen is complete without a bag of each. One is xylitol (pronounced zy-li-tall) and the other is erythritol (pronounced ah-rith-ra-tall). Xylitol and erythritol can be used in place of any recipe that calls for sugar. They’re revered as ingredients in gum, mints, oral care products, beverages and a variety of foods that usually contain white sugar. They’re naturally sweet and both have well-known and documented dental benefits. Classified as sugar alcohols, xylitol and erythritol don’t metabolize oral bacteria and the Journal of the American Dental Association, the International Dental Journal and the Journal of Dental Research cites the positive benefits of using sugar alcohols.
These FDA approved sweeteners are gaining in popularity because they’re naturally sweet and virtually guilt free – and for good reason – xylitol is seven on the glycemic index and erythritol is zero. The glycemic index is a numerical index that ranks carbohydrates on their rate of glycemic response or how quickly they convert to glucose in the body. The higher the number, the more quickly the carbohydrates break down thus causing a spike in blood sugar. For specific information on the glycemic index and glycemic load of foods, visit glycemicindex.com.
Erythritol has the highest digestive tolerance of all sugar alcohols. Xylitol can cause mild digestive discomfort until the body builds up new flora in the stomach and lower intestines to tolerate it. Xylitol is pre-biotic so it metabolizes in the small intestine; the more you consume, the more tolerable it will become.
Baking Tips
Xylitol and erythritol can be substituted one to one in any recipe requiring sugar. Erythritol is not quite as sweet as sugar. Also, xylitol does not react with yeast; it provides nothing for the yeast to metabolize, so it won’t help bread rise. Xylitol and erythritol is heat stable which means it has a very high melting point.
Xylitol and erythritol don’t caramelize when baking so your finished baked goods may seem dryer. An easy solution is to add more liquid or lecithin, butter, or even xanthan gum to your recipe to retain moisture. Xanthan gum will keep sugar alcohols from crystallizing so we suggest sifting xanthan gum with xylitol or erythritol prior to adding liquid ingredients. Solid chocolates and some recipes that are exposed to air for long periods such as jams, or jellies will also show signs of re-crystallizing. Leave a cookie with xylitol out on the counter and it will become hard to the touch quickly.
Xylitol and erythritol can be ground into a powder and used in recipes requiring powdered sugar. Bakers can add corn starch, arrowroot, tapioca starch, or a touch of guar gum to powdered xylitol or erythritol and blend it all together.
To make frosting, substitute out the powdered sugar with erythritol or xylitol, add a pinch of arrowroot or guar gum and pre-blend to a fine powder. Use two parts by weight of powder to one part of shortening or butter for frosting.
To substitute for one cup of brown sugar, use 1/4 cup molasses and 3/4 xylitol or erythritol.
