Speaker #0Welcome to a new episode of Revolution Patisserie, where sugar is at the very heart of today's topic. When we think about pastry, we immediately think of something sweet. And at the same time, we can already hear the scientific community raising alarms about the negative effects of sugar on our health. So, when you are a pastry chef, a baker, or simply someone who loves to create desserts, An important question arises. How can we continue to create sweets, delicious pastries with beautiful textures and good shelf life while respecting today's health challenges? In this episode, I want to give you practical keys and concrete solutions to challenge your recipes, whether at home or in the lab, and reduce sugar without sacrificing pleasure. But before we dive into that tips... Let's take a short scientific detour. We can't talk about sugar without talking about the glycemic index. What is it? It's simply the speed at which a food releases glucose into the bloodstream. A food with a high glycemic index releases glucose very quickly, which can trigger a sort of red alert in the body. The pancreas immediately releases insulin to manage this excess and allow glucose to enter our cells. For example, if we take the same amount of white sugar, let's say white sugar, like beetroot, beet sugar, yacon syrup, honey or coconut sugar, with the same amount, we will see that the metabolic response, meaning the speed at which sugar is absorbed, will be different for each other. That's how we determine the glycemic index. The real issue arises when the quantity is too high. First, glucose circulates in the blood, then enters the cells, any excess is stored as glycogen in the liver or muscles, and when there is still too much, it is converted into fatty acids and stored as body fat. Those famous love handles. This is why we say sugar can contribute to weight gain. When we understand this, we realize that repeated blood sugar spikes day after day, week after week. month after month can have a negative effect on our health. So please, let's reinvent pastry without losing the pleasure. As a chef, passionate home bakers, or parents cooking for our children, making snacks and desserts for pleasure, we start wondering how can we rethink our recipes to preserve indulgence, something that can even be part of everyday life, while reducing... these glycemic spikes. That's exactly what I'm going to explain now. There are three very simple ways to lower the glycemic index of a pastry. Key number one, reduce of course the quantity of sugar. The first step is to question how much sugar is actually in the recipe. Some traditional recipes are extremely high in sugar. Personally, I never sweeten a recipe beyond 8% and I can even go down to 5% to 6%. if there is already sugar coming from fruits in the recipe. Key number two, diversify types of sugar. The second key is to vary the types of sugar used. We can choose sugars with different glycemic index, such as coconut sugar, yacon syrup, grape sugar, raw honey, chicory syrup, or New Year's sugars like sous vide, a naturally fermented sugar combined with fiber. All these sugars. offer different aromatic profiles. Honey is very different from agave or chicory syrup, as well as different colors and textures. A syrup brings more water into the recipe, while a powdered sugar is mainly a dry input, which also impacts texture. So, we choose the sugar that best matches the final result we want. Often, tasting is necessary. When we make a change, we might be surprised, disappointed, or feel the need to adjust. That's why in pastry we work so much in R&D, research and development. This is exactly what I have done over the years, questioning ingredients and exploring how these sugars could shape the pastry of the future. Key number three, add fibers and good fats. The third key is introducing ingredients that further lower the glycemic index, fibers and fats. Fibers can be found easily in wool or semi-wool flowers, vegetables, fruits and... let's say like banana or mango, different fruits. So I like to play with all that. One ingredient I have rediscovered and absolutely love is psyllium for the fiber. Psyllium is so interesting. I first used it years ago when I was competing in sports to increase fiber intake. I have now reintroduced it into pastry in a very small quantity, but with a powerful effect. Okay, now let's move into the recipes. I have several recipes you can easily make at home or in your lab. For children, athletes, pregnant women, especially those monitoring gestational diabetes and even seniors. For example, a cookie made with semi-wool flour and oats, almond butter, coconut sugar, an egg and chocolate chips. Why not a banana bread, perfect as a snack for children or athletes. Using bananas, buckwheat flour or spelt flour. Olive oil or coconut oil, nuts, seeds and an egg. Why not? I also love the recipe I made years ago with Camille Perrot during an Instagram event. She created a healthy chocolate brownie style dessert using beetroot. We can also use red bean. Since chocolate already contains sugar, you can almost remove added sugar entirely. Another great option is a homemade snacks bar. That mid-afternoon craving hits everyone. Children, active adults, pregnant women and event seniors. A simple base of dates, seeds, whisky, flax and flour. Nut butter holds a pinch of salt and that's it. You can add dried fruits like cranberries. It is really delicious and really like very satisfying. I think it's nice to introduce that in your daily routine to eat this amazing, amazing product. Finally, Let's say for a plain base dessert cream, you can also use coconut milk or almond milk. For coconut milk, I may just need agar-agar for texture. While almond milk, I will maybe add a bit of starch and bring to boil to make that texture. Sweet and lightly with chicory syrup, honey or also yacon syrup, let's say. Or the fermented fiber-based sugar like sous vide. And you are done. To sum it up, everything comes down to three essential keys. Reduce, diversify, enrich with fiber and good fat. You can narrate your recipes at home or in your lab without losing taste, texture or pleasure. This topic is not a train. It is a global movement that affects all the generations, all the cultures and our daily way of eating. I think we see now the impact of this work. worldwide through people like Jason Joseph, was sold over a million books, translated into more than 40 languages. This shows how central this issue truly is. In France, voices like Bérengère Philippot have also shown how joyful, generous, and low-glycemic cooking in pastry can be. The challenge today is clear, to prove that pastry can be sweet, beautiful, generous, and respectful of the body. Pastry is not doomed. On the contrary, it is evolving, and we can continue to enjoy it intelligently. Thank you for listening to Revolution Patisserie. See you very soon for the next episode. Until then, put on your aprons. The revolution continues. Thank you.
