Black treacle in baking 

Black treacle is a viscous syrup, known for its rich, bittersweet flavour and dark colouring. Historically used as a medicine to treat snake bites and then as a preservative for meat in the 1800s, black treacle is now a commercialised sugar product and valued functional ingredient in the baking industry, enhancing texture and flavour and extending the shelf life of a range of products. 

In this blog, we explore how black treacle is used in the baking industry and how its functional properties contribute to consumer enjoyment of baked goods. 

Black treacle’s value in commercial baking goes beyond adding sweetness to products; it has multiple functional properties. At Ragus, we take raw cane molasses into our manufacturing facility in Slough and carry out heated evaporation processes to stabilise the product, adjusting acidity levels and adding refiner’s syrup to create black treacle. Learn more about how black treacle is made. 

Black treacle retains a high proportion of natural molasses following the production process. This not only gives it a rich nutritional profile – it contains elevated levels of iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium and vitamin B6 in its formulation – but also a molasses-deep flavour, allowing it to enrich any baked good it is added to while acting as a natural colourant.  

Black treacle’s functional properties make it ideal for baked goods and important in different applications. For example, black treacle is a: 

 
1. Flavour enhancer 
 
The deep, slightly bitter taste of black treacle balances sweetness in baked goods that don’t require further sweetening. For example, soda or rye breads which contain black treacle have a malty, more complex flavour, making it an ideal sugar product for artisanal and speciality loaves.  

In addition to balancing sweetness, black treacle adds a richer depth and is especially well suited for use in baked goods that contain ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg or chocolate, such as gingerbread, cookies, treacle tart and Christmas cake and puddings. In these baked goods, black treacle both complements and intensifies these flavours. 

2. Texture enhancer and moisture retainer 
 
As a humectant, black treacle helps baked goods to retain moisture, keeping them soft, preventing staleness and extending shelf life. This makes black treacle particularly beneficial for use in cakes or puddings that are prone to drying out. In baked goods that contain dried fruits, such as Thor cake or sticky toffee pudding, black treacle improves consistency, adding a smoothness to the batter. This results in a soft, moist crumb that keeps its texture for longer.  
 
Black treacle also helps create an even, pliable dough for breads.

3. Natural colourant 
 
The dark, intense colour of black treacle deepens the colouring of doughs and batters, which results in a more visually appealing product. This makes it ideal for use in baked goods that profit from having a deeper colour, such as parkin, fruit cakes and rye breads. 

While cane molasses is sometimes used as a substitute due to its similar colour and appearance, black treacle lends a more rounded and smoother flavour profile in comparison to cane molasses.  

Similar to black treacle, crystalline sugars have a variety of applications in the commercial baking industry. However, there are key differences in the functional properties black treacle provides in baked goods in comparison to crystalline sugars: 

Texture: Depending on the grain size of the crystalline sugar, each type offers a different texture to baked goods. Fine grain, darker crystallines such as dark soft brown sugar and dark cane muscovado sugar, typically containing molasses have similar properties to black treacle in that they provide a smooth consistency and mouthfeel. However, light coloured, fine or coarse grained crystallines such as soft light brown sugar and demerara sugar, tend to provide a crumbly texture, adding volume or spread to baked goods. 
 

Moisture: Crystallines containing molasses have some similarities to black treacle in that their humectant properties can retain moisture in the baking process. However, this is relatively low compared to black treacle as its high proportion of molasses lends humectant properties, allowing for greater moisture retention and extended shelf life in comparison to crystallines. 

Flavour: Crystalline sugars typically add varying levels of sweetness and deeper flavours depending on the type used in baking. Black treacle has a complex flavour profile, offering a deep, rich, bittersweet flavouring. 

Colour: Some crystalline sugars lend a lightly golden or amber colour to baked goods due to the caramelisation of sugar during the baking process. The jet-black colour of black treacle deepens or darkens the baked goods it is used in. In baking, the Maillard reaction occurs where black treacle reacts with amino acids in the mixture to produce brown pigments known as melanoidins, helping to achieve a moist, tender crumb and varying shades of brown colour in baked goods. 

At Ragus, we manufacture black treacle in bulk for commercial baking and industrial applications. We supply black treacle in 1,000kg intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), our new smart ‘Bag in Box’ solution or bulk road tankers depending on the customer’s application for the product and their location.  

Our guidance for our customers is that black treacle is best stored for up to 18 months before use in a cool, dry location and at a temperature of 15-20⁰C to limit the risk of crystallisation or microbial spoilage. 

To enhance the flavour, retain moisture and improve the texture of your baked goods, order your black treacle today. 

Ragus manufactures and supplies high quality black treacle in bulk for use in commercial baking and industrial applications. To learn more about Ragus’ pure sugar crystallines and syrups, contact our Customer Services Team. For more sugar news and updates, continue browsing SUGARTALK and follow Ragus on LinkedIn.