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I was recently asked how do I use honey in recipes that call for sugar. The correct exchange is 3/4 cup of honey for each cup of sugar in a recipe but there is a catch. Honey is liquid while sugar is dry. You’ll have to account for the extra liquid in your recipe as well. In some cases this will not matter such as sauces, soups, and drinks but for baking you will need to take out some liquid or add some extra dry ingredients. Here is an example.

Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup pumpkin purée
1/2 cup olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 Preheat oven to 350°F . Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

2 Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts.

3 Pour into a well-buttered 9×5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack. Makes one loaf.
To use honey in place of sugar use ¾ cup of honey and add it in the recipe along with other liquids like the pumpkin, oil, and eggs. There are two choices now to account for the extra liquid in the bread. My first choice would always be to take out the water, since it is not a flavoring of any kind. In this recipe it is a perfect replacement since you should take out about ¼ cup liquid for each ¾ cup of honey. Another alternative would be to simply add another ¼ cup of flour into the recipe. As with any baking rely more on the knife inserted in the middle or the touch test rather than just going by time.

Enjoy eating healthier as you replace unhealthy ingredients in your favorite recipes with better choices.