About the sugar effect

I am asked about the "sugar effect", that I demonstrated sometimes during lectures.


I would demonstrate it in this way :

1. observing that water rolls on flour shows that the surface is rather hydrophobic

2. but kneading makes a dough: water goes in the flour through capillarity

3. when you knead, it is stronger and stronger, which shows that something happens (the gluten network formation)

4. but when you lixiviate, then you demonstrate the presence of the "gluten" network (+starch); this is due to protein bridging by water

5. if instead of lixiviating, you add the sugar, then the sucrose traps water and dissolves in it, making a continuous phase (syrup), in which the starch particles are suspended (you move from a D0(S)/D3(S) toward a D0(s)/D3(W) system).

For the "sugar effect",  it is much more efficient when icy sugar is used (because of faster dissolution).

And this is why doughs are more tender with sugar is added in the dough before cooking: instead of having this network, the flour is cemented by butter.