Most brown sugars you buy in the market are refined, white sugar with molasses (naturally occurring in the sugar cane and extracted in the refining process) added back to the final product. The less refined, natural brown sugar can be purchased in some supermarkets, but most health and nutrition stores often carry several brands, and a variety of types that offer different amounts of molasses and a wide variety of granule sizes that affect both the flavor and the texture of the final product.
Chemical Free
Natural brown sugar contains none of the additives found in white sugar that has been refined with chemicals, such as sulphur dioxide, phosphoric acid, calcium hydroxide, and activated carbon. Chemicals, used to remove the molasses from white sugar, are unnecessary in the manufacturing process of natural brown sugar, which is produced from the juice of the sugarcane and contains small amounts of natural molasses that give it its distinctive flavor and color. Although most Western manufacturers today use a centrifuge to extract the molasses, some still use chemicals which may be retained in trace amounts in the final product.
Nutritious
Natural brown, or raw sugar, contains trace amounts of nutrients, such as phosphorus, calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium, that have been processed out of chemically-refined sugar. The chemicals still used by some manufacturers to refine white sugar strip some of the beneficial minerals and nutrients naturally occurring in the juice that is extracted from the sugar cane and used to produce raw sugar.
Moist
Natural brown sugar contains more moisture than refined, white sugar, yielding fewer calories per teaspoon by weight. If you like to experiment with your own recipes, remember that using raw sugar results in denser, moister baked products, while refined sugar will make your baked goods lighter and crispier.
Variety of Textures and Flavors
Most cooks are well aware of the texture difference between the crystals in the sugar bowl and the powder sprinkled on french toast and other sweets. The numerous raw sugars available, such as Turbinado, Barbados, Muscovado, Demerara, etc., provide a rich variety of textures and flavors from which to choose. Natural brown sugars vary in crystal size from course to super fine, but also contain varying amounts of molasses that gives each its own, distinctive flavor.
Cooking
If you prefer the rich flavor of natural brown sugar, it can be used in a 1:1 ratio in recipes calling for white sugar. It can also be mixed to taste with white sugar to give the texture and flavor most pleasing to your own palette, and won't change the amount of sweetness.
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