Friday, April 16, 2010

low-sugar no-sugar

So, ever since Lent, I've been continuing on with my resolution to eat less sugar. I have to say, I love the feeling of eating more in line with how I want to be eating. I feel healthier, lighter, less guilty, and more like the kind of eater I would like to be. On the other hand, I have to remain vigilant. It would be shockingly easy to reverse the whole thing and go back to the way I was before--which was putting sugar in my mouth constantly. I don't want to go there, so I'm sticking (mostly) with my April resolution to only have a sugary treat on Sundays. I've slipped just enough to realize that I don't want to slip. In truth, I've lost the taste for such concentrated sweetness as regular candy or soda. So, here are a few of the "less sweet" things I've made recently. This scone above is what I made when Carrie was visiting over spring break. It's from the Tassajara Bread Book. I was amazed at how very yummy this was! Carrie is the one who suggested serving scones with unsweetened whipped cream and berries. Ideally, you'd have more berries than this--we were running just a bit low which is why it's not more buried in fruit. This is just the kind of dessert I want to be eating now.
Also from Tassajara, the "Oriental Spice Muffins." I loved these. They are sweetened entirely with molasses. The family didn't like them as much as I because the less sweet flavor takes some getting used to. I have to be careful with this because I don't want to be the only one eating a dozen muffins, ya know? Rainer and Ken did eat theirs--Faith and Dieter not so much.

Ditto with the fruit juice muffins, also from Tassajara. I made these with a can of crushed pineapple, which I thought was brilliant, but again the lack of sweetness made them less popular with the family.
Here's the recipe for the excellent scones:

Cream Scones from the Tassajara Bread Book by Edward Espe Brown

1 c. buttermilk
6 T. sugar or honey (I used honey)
1 egg
3 1/2 c. flour (I used half whole wheat)
2 heaping teaspoons cream of tartar
1 heaping teaspoon baking soda
1/2 c. melted butter or oil (I used butter)

Blend together the buttermilk, honey and egg. Stir in the dry ingredients and the melted butter. He suggests cooking these on a griddle. I patted the dough into a huge circle, cut into wedges, sprinkled the scones with raw sugar, and baked in the oven on a piece of parchment. No instructions are given for this but I think I baked them at 350 for maybe 15 minutes? or until done.

I'd love to hear your own experiences in reducing sugar in your life.

8 comments:

Heather said...

I love the Tassajara Bread Book, and I have never made those scones, so it was a treat to see how they came out for you. Enjoy your weekend

Bridget said...

yummmmm

Julie said...

The scones look delicious! I gave up sugar for Lent also. Unfortunately, I've been reverting back to my old sugar ways. I definitely need to focus more on my food choices.

Denise C. said...

I absolutely love your blog! I had a hard time leaving comments on previous posts.

Love the biscuit tin! :)

sheer whimsy said...

i adore scones! thanks so much for sharing. love love your blog!

Sarah said...

you may like to try truvia, too...it's all natural made from the stevia plant and we love it around here for adding a touch of sweetness when necessary.

Allison said...

now i've got some more ideas of what to try next from the tassajara book! i could definitely use less sugar in my life and i haven't made muffins in ages. yum.

Tola said...

where did you get that awesome biscuit tin?