How to Cook with Dextrose

Hi followers,
So how is your week so far? Been tempted to start the sugar free lifestyle yet? Here is something that may swing you further that way. I had a real reward yesterday for all the sugar I haven't consumed over the past three months that I am dying to tell you about.


I went for my 3 month dental check-up with the dental hygienist yesterday... 3 months because I had been negligent of my teeth cleaning and had a condition that left my gums in a very poor state (ratings mainly of 4 and 5 for each tooth for those in the know). Anyway, yesterday I had an incredible 1 and 2 rating which is a miracle result in that short time frame. My gums are perfect and healthy. The hygienist couldn't believe the results and said it was basically impossible to have such an improvement especially over just 3 months. She just couldn't explain it. I then suggested the possibility of the sugar-free diet perhaps being behind this miraculous healing. And to my amazement she actually agreed as she then admitted to having one other lady who has been on the same diet for 12 months now with similar results. So there you have it ....... a big positive in dental health. Yahoo!!!!


So how about you....want to hear more? Having to eliminate sugar...or more specifically fructose from your diet can be very tricky - but the benefits are huge. So how can you still enjoy the sweet treats  you soooooo love - after all the liking of sweet foods go way back to the caveman days. Yep, our ancestors only ate those fruits off the trees that were sweet, and totally avoided anything sour or bitter as these were usually poisonous!!!! How do we eat yummy cakes, and desserts without consuming the poisonous fructose. What do we use instead of sugar?


The answer is dextrose, bought at your local supermarket in the home brewing section. To be more exact (for all those closet chemistry buffs) it is officially known as dextrose monohydrate and is a form of glucose - sugar without the fructose. It's safe to use because our body does have a regulator for glucose. When we've had enough, a hormone is released which stops us from wanting more. Dextrose is very easy to digest, but it also releases into the bloodstream very quickly (I have spoken about this in length in earlier postings). 


So dextrose is good to use instead of regular table sugar. But there are some differences to keep in mind when cooking with dextrose. Being a monohydrate, it contains more water than sucrose does. So sometimes cakes and biscuits have to be eaten on the day they are made or they get a little soggy. Personally I have found putting them in the fridge reduces this happening most times...that is if the cakes last more than a day!!!! And the glucose powder is more finely ground than sucrose, so creaming butter with glucose, for a cake, might not incorporate as much air as the usual sucrose crystals. 


But remember this most important piece of information I am about to give you - stuffing yourself with cakes isn't going to do you any favours - whether they are made with dextrose or standard sugar. Dextrose is still energy and calories.  Make some, enjoy some, but don't overdo it. (Besides which, removing fructose from your diet  leaves you with less desire for sweet foods most times anyway......).



So how do you convert your recipes? Gram for gram, dextrose is about 70 percent as sweet as white sugar. So... to determine how much dextrose to use instead of standard sugar in a recipe, divide the quantity of standard sugar by 0.7. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, divide 1 by 0.7 to get 1.4 cups of dextrose. Or better yet.... because you and hopefully your family will all be on the diet, your taste buds won't like things as sweet as they used to be. Trust me this does happen. It really turns my eyeballs in when something sweet and sugary slips passed my scrutiny. If this is your story, then leave the recipe exactly as it is. By this I mean if it calls for 1 cup of sugar, then just use 1 cup of dextrose. To you it will still be heaps sweet enough without changing the volumes of the ingredients. 


So go ahead and do some experimenting with your favourite recipes. Sorbets and ice creams are a big success subbing in dextrose for sucrose (pretty much equal parts). I was actually googling earlier today for some proven dextrose recipes as I have a friend coming for a visit this Saturday and want something that will be a definite success.... and I found this interesting recipe for making sugar-free lamingtons!!!! So thought I would share it with you all.
Sugar-Free Lamington Recipe (Fructose Free)

Lamingtons have three parts- sponge, chocolate icing, and coconut. None of these are optional 

How to make the Sponge:

(Modified from “Complete Perfect Recipes”)

• 6 eggs
• 3/4 cup dextrose
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup SR flour
• 75g melted butter

Preheat oven to 180 C. Spray a lamington tin with spray oil, baking paper as well.

Combine the eggs, dextrose and vanilla in a heatproof bowl. Microwave on 50% (for about 30 seconds) to dissolve the dextrose. Beat in a mixer until pale, thick and doubled in size.

Gently fold in the sifted flours, and the cooled melted butter. Mix until just combined and there is no flour.

Spread the mix into the tin. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until firm to touch. With lamington sponge, it’s best to cook until it’s firmer then a normal sponge. Leave it to cool.

How to make the Icing:

(Modified from David Gillespe’s The Sweet Poison Quit Plan)

• 3/4 cup dextrose
• 2 tbs water
• 2 egg whites
• 80-100g butter
• 2 1/2 tbs cocoa

Heat the dextrose and water in a pan (you could also use a saucepan) until it enters ‘soft ball’ stage.

Beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Trickle the dextrose mixture into the egg whites while still beating, until combined.

Beat the butter in a separate bowl so it’s light and thoroughly mixed. Mix the two together in a bowl with the cocoa.

How to make the coconut:

Buy desiccated coconut. 

Putting together your lamingtons:

This hardly needs an explanation, but in case you live somewhere else in the world, and you’ve been deprived on lamingtons your whole life, here’s a quick explanation.

1. Cut up the sponge cake into squares or rectangles.
2. Coat the mini sponges with the icing.
3. Cover with coconut. Don’t over-handle, or the icing will come through.
4. Refrigerate them so they set.

Uhmmmmmm... .. wish me luck and let me know if any of you have any success with one of your favourite recipes being converted.

Until we next meet, sleep tight cherubs and don't let the bed bugs bite..........