Diabetic Pastry

If you are wondering how to become a pastry chef, one way to differentiate yourself is to learn how to bake for specific dietary needs such as diabetes. Diabetic foods present a challenge in keeping flavor, sweetness, and body while substituting sugar for artificial sweeteners and alternative flavors. All it takes is some practice, experimentation, and following a few tips.

Here are some common problems when removing sugar from baked goods and tips for being successful:

Dryness

When you remove sugar from a recipe, the end result will be a much drier cake. One alternative substitute is a naturally sweet syrup called agave nectar from the agave plant. This adds both moisture and a delicate sweet flavor.

Rising to the occasion

One of the roles sugar plays in baking is helping batter to rise. Eliminate sugar and baked foods will look more flat. To make up for this,  simply add a couple additional tablespoons of flour to give more volume and an extra half teaspoon of baking soda for every cup of flour to give baked goods more height. A smaller pan will also force the same amount of batter to rise higher.

Sweet golden brown

The trademark of the most treasured baked goods is that light golden brown color that is so inviting, but without sugar even the best blue ribbon pie will look lackluster. Adding a couple tablespoons of molasses or honey will do the trick as well as misting the batter before baking with cooking spray.

Cookies that will not flatten

Artificial sweeteners in cookie dough will not flatten when baked. An obvious solution is to simply press down the cookie dough before baking.

Weird aftertaste

One way to rid that awful aftertaste of artificial sweeteners is to combine two different sweeteners together. Doing so enables you to use half as much sweetener with a much stronger sugar flavor. Vanilla also gives a sugar flavor.

You too can become a diabetic pastry chef and create your own brand of baked goods that could quite possibly open new doors for a successful career. The key is to learn more about sugar and its various forms as well as the various sugar alternatives and then use this information by trial and error to find your own unique recipes. Friends and family are often quite willing to be your test subjects!

Pastry chefs are not limited to just baking bread and desserts. A good education in becoming a pastry chef opens all sorts of doors: opening your own business, being a food critic or writer, or teaching. An experienced pastry chef can make over $60,000 a year and it is a rewarding career limited only by your own creativity.