You won't find a more effective sweetener than stevia -- it has 30 times the sweetening power of sugar -- but when you cook with it, you have to substitute for more than sweetness. Sugar adds color, moisture, caramelization, aroma and volume to food, so you have to use stevia in conjunction with a thickener or bulk ingredient. You get the most from stevia when you process the dried leaves yourself into a form suited for the application. Ground stevia works well in baked goods, stevia extract provides a boost to glazes, and stevia syrup works as a finishing ingredient.
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Ground for Use in Baked Goods
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Step 1
Rinse the stevia leaves in cold water and lay them flat on paper towels. Pat the moisture from the leaves and let them sit out for a few minutes.
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Step 2
Break off any stems. Grind the dried stevia leaves to powder using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
Scale, or portion, out the dry ingredients -- except for sugar -- for the recipe. Portion 1 tablespoon of ground stevia for every cup of sugar called for in the recipe.
Step 4
Scale out the wet ingredients for the baked good and add an extra 1/3 cup of the primary liquid for every tablespoon of stevia used. For example, if you're making a hot-milk sponge cake -- which calls for 2 cups of sugar -- you would add an extra 2/3 cup of milk because you are using 2 tablespoons of ground stevia to replace the 2 cups of sugar.
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Step 5
Mix the batter and examine the consistency. If the batter is too loose from the additional liquid or bulk ingredient, add flour, a teaspoon at a time, until it stiffens to the desired consistency. Bake the baked good at a temperature up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Extract for Sauces and Glazes
Step 1
Rinse the dried leaves in cold water and pat them dry with paper towels. Break the stems off and crush the leaves in your hand. Put the crushed leaves in a glass jar.
Cover the stevia with vodka and seal the jar. Keep the jar in a cupboard for two days.
Step 3
Strain the vodka through a mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth and into a saucepan. Reduce the extract on the stove over low heat until syrupy, about 30 minutes.
Step 4
Transfer the extract to a dark bottle that has a dropper; you're going to use stevia extract by the drop. Keep the extract in a dark pantry or cupboard until you're ready to use it.
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Step 5
Prepare the glaze, dessert sauce, fruit sauce or other liquid-based sweetened dish until the point when you would add the sugar. Substitute 2 drops of extract per teaspoon of sugar; substitute 6 drops of extract per tablespoon of sugar; substitute 1/4 teaspoon of extract per 1/4 cup of sugar; substitute 1/3 teaspoon of extract per 1/3 cup of sugar; substitute 1/2 teaspoon of extract for 1/2 cup sugar; substitute 1 teaspoon of extract for 1 cup of sugar.
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Step 6
Mix the glaze or sauce and heat it to 180 F in a saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon of powdered agar for every 2 cups of sauce.
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Step 7
Stir to incorporate the agar and remove the saucepan from the heat. The glaze or sauce will thicken when it cools to 100 F.
Syrup for Finishing
Step 1
Rinse the stevia and remove the stems. Pat the leaves dry and crush them by hand into a food container or jar. Use 1/4 cup of crushed stevia leaves for 1 cup of simple syrup.
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Step 2
Cover the stevia leaves with 1 cup of tepid water. Steep the leaves at room temperature for 24 hours.
Step 3
Strain the syrup through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Add the stevia syrup to taste to drinks, sauces, glazes or any other liquid that needs sweetening at the finish.
Tip
You can find stevia leaves and agar at health-food stores and some supermarkets.
Stevia extract and simple syrup keeps for 30 days. Store extract in a dark place, such as a cupboard, and store syrup in the refrigerator.
Rinse the stevia and remove the stems. Pat the leaves dry and crush them by hand into a food container or jar. Use 1/4 cup of crushed stevia leaves for 1 cup of simple syrup.
You can also grind stevia leaves into a fine powder for baking or cooking. This can be done with a coffee grinder or a blender. I don't recommend using the powder in drinks unless you want it floating at the top of your coffee–not nice. The last way to enjoy stevia is by infusing it and using it as a liquid extract.
Making stevia extract is easier than you think. This method extracts the sweetness from the stevia herb and concentrates it in water for future use. Bring 1 cup of water to a near boiling, add 1/2 cup of lightly crushed stevia leaves.Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 40 minutes.
Farm fresh stevia plant leaves can be used directly in drinks as a sweetener. However, most often its dried powder/ refined stevioside/ stevia syrup is being used in the cooking. Remember to use dried stevia sugar in small proportions, as it is nearly 30 times sweeter than cane sugar.
Stevia leaves are commonly cut, then hung for drying, then either ground up into little flakes and used sparingly in drinks such as teas or recipes. The leaves themselves are also very commonly used unground as garnish in drinks as well as added to recipes.
Surprisingly, it has now been found that sodium gluconate is able to reduce or mask the bitterness emanating from natural sweeteners such as stevia extract and erythritol without at the same time affecting the sweetness.
Can I Cook With Stevia? Stevia lends itself well to cooking and baking, unlike some artificial and chemical sweeteners that break down at higher temperatures. Stevia is stable at temperatures of up to 392° Fahrenheit (200° Celsius) making it an ideal sugar substitute (with some adjustments) for many recipes.
When cooking and baking, stevia can be used to replace some or all of the sugar in most recipes. Since most purified stevia leaf extracts are already blended will other ingredients, you don't need to worry about adding extra ingredients (e.g., applesauce, yogurt, egg whites) commonly used when replacing sugar.
For example, if you're making a hot-milk sponge cake -- which calls for 2 cups of sugar -- you would add an extra 2/3 cup of milk because you are using 2 tablespoons of ground stevia to replace the 2 cups of sugar.
A study on rats carried out since then suggests that stevia leaves in supplement form may instead possess qualities that protect the kidneys and reduce the impact of diabetes. Current research also suggests that it is safe to consume the recommended amount of sugar substitute or less while pregnant.
Introduction: My name is Greg Kuvalis, I am a witty, spotless, beautiful, charming, delightful, thankful, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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