Biscuit lovers often ask us a very important question:
"What's the difference between sorghum & molasses?"
We have both on the shelf and people are often confused on which item they should purchase. A few months ago we hung up an info sheet to help folks out. It has cleared things up quite a bit so we wanted to share it online for you.
Sorghum vs. Molasses
They are used differently in the kitchen
Molasses is traditionally used for baking, while sorghum is more popular as a syrup on its own for biscuits or as an ingredient in salad dressings and barbecue sauces.
They have different origins
The sorghum plant, which is a grass, spread throughout the American South due to its resilience against hot temperatures and dry conditions. The syrup was then developed as a sugar and molasses alternative. Molasses is from the Caribbean, the epicenter of the sugar cane industry, to be used in rum production.
They have different production methods
Sorghum syrup is made from the green juice of the sorghum plant, which is extracted from the crushed stalks and then heated to steam off the excess water, leaving the syrup behind. Conversely, molasses is the byproduct of processing sugar cane into sugar. Sugar cane is stripped of its leaves and the juice is extracted from the cane by crushing or mashing. The juice is then boiled to concentrate it, which produces crystallization of the sugar.
They have different flavors and consistencies
Sorghum tends to have a thinner consistency than molasses, along with a slightly more sour taste. When molasses undergoes its first boiling and the sugar crystals are removed, the result is called "first molasses," which is its sweetest form. "Second molasses," which is considerably milder, is created from a second boiling and then "blackstrap" is the result of a third boiling. It's considered bittersweet.