Sugar

Preface

When I began writing this page, I had only considered the two fundamental -- structural -- things we did with sugar (poured, pulled -- below). But as I thought about it, sugar is one of just three "stars" in the Pastry Kitchen -- sugar, chocolate, fats. Sure there are dozens of "supporting actors", but really, our work and play in school was much about manipulating this ingredients to form radically different products. This page (which is probably the longest in the blog) is about All Things Sugar.

Hot Stuff -- Poured and Pulled Sugar

You probably never give much thought to how sugar-based confections are made. Perhaps you've heard about sugar temperatures -- "hard ball stage". "hard crack stage". More than perhaps anything else in the Pastry kitchen, though, sugar demands precise operating procedures. A few degrees makes the difference between a useful product and a useless one.

Poured

We did a lot of things with sugar. First and arguably simplest, is poured sugar.

In the first stage, the sugar, some glucose and some water are brought up to 100+ C. Impurities in the sugar that may cause crystalization, must be skimmed off, as the sugar is then brought to 132 degrees C (recall that the boiling point of water is 100C, so already this is pretty hot). At this point, a type of chalk can be added if opaque sugar is desired. The temperature is further raised to 138C, where coloring can be added. Bring to 152C (this is about 305F), add a precise amount of acid, and stop the cooking. Sugar caramelizes at about 160C to there's not much latitude.

The whole process happens slowly until the mixture gets over 100C (because up to this point, the water in the mix is still boiling off and keeping the overall temperature down. After that, you need to have an accurate thermometer and all your additions measured and ready. Once the water has boiled off, the temperature rises quickly.

Poured sugar is, you guessed it, poured into moulds of various kinds. These are often cut out of plasticine, a type of modeling clay which is heat resistant. You need to old the heck out of it, however, or you will be

Pulled

Remember that ribbon candy we used to see around Christmas time? That's an example of pulled sugar. The preparation starts out similiar to poured sugar, but once the sugar has cooled down a little (it is still very very hot), one begins picking it up, stretching it out and forming a rope. Fold back on itself and repeat. I have a video of a classmate doing this, if you're interestedl You must work with the hot sugar; as soon as it cools down too much, it is no longer pliable. This process forces air into the sugar and it takes on a remarkable sheen.We use heat lamps to re-warm the sugar until we could work with it again. And the microwave, in a pinch.

One of the more interesting things you can do with pulled sugar, is to form flowers (typically roses) with it. This requires some agility and a high tolerance for temperature. You pull a small blob of sugar from the ball, and from that, pull what is almost a film of sugar. As you do this, it begins to cool (because its quite thin and you are cooling it down by virtue of it being on your skin). Shape the first piece into the pistol of the flower, then leaves around it.

Blown Sugar

Coming to the end of our hot experience with molten sugar, Chef Marco attempted to blow a piece of this pulled sugar into a round shape -- with mixed success. The procedure is very much like glass blowing and the result looks a bit the same too. We each had the opportunity to try blowing sugar. I don't think I'll be quitting my day job over it.

Royal Icing

Simply a mixture of icing sugar, egg white, and a bit of acid (e.g. lemon juice), it forms a paste which can be applied to cakes in a myriad of ways (usually with a pastry bag). Flowers, decorations, writing. It is easily colored allowing for a rainbow of color on cakes. It also makes a pretty effective glue.

Rolled Fondant

Most wedding cakes are covered with a sheet of rolled fondant. Fondant in its simplist form, could just be called icing. Sweet (almost entirely made from sugar) and sticky. But with the addition of glycerin and gelatine, it becomes an incredibly smooth, pliable substance. It is rolled out like pie dough (but thicker) and likewise draped over the cake, over the top and down the sides. We smooth it down, practically polishing the surface as we go along. Done right, it is quite attractive. It is edible, but not especially tasty. Fondant can also be used for decorative shapes on cakes -- ribbons for example. It is impervious to humidity, so it really helps the inside of the cake stay moist, while looking beautiful at the same time. Neat stuff.

Pastillage

Moving from the hot stuff to cool, we made a variety of stuff out of mixtures of icing sugar (confectioner's sugar) and glucose or other stabilizers. Pastillage behaves like Playdough, but it dries rock-hard and can support a relatively large weight.

Gum Paste

Similiar, recipe-wise, to rolled fondant, gum paste has the addition of a gum ("gum tragacanth") which affects how it can be handled and how long it stays plaible. It is usually used for creation of flowers for wedding cakes. Again, entirely edible -- but again, not particularly tasty.

All Things Sugar
The Sweet Success

Preface When I began writing this page, I had only considered the two fundamental -- structural -- things we did with sugar (poured, pulled -- below). But as I thought about it, sugar is one of just three "stars" in the Pastry Kitchen -- sugar, chocolate, fats. Sure there are dozens of "supporting actors", but really, our work and play in school was much about manipulating this ingredients to form radically different products. This page (which is probably the longest in the blog) is about All Things Sugar. Hot Stuff -- Poured and Pulled Sugar You probably never give much thought to how sugar-based confections are made. Perhaps you've heard about sugar temperatures -- "hard ball stage". "hard crack stage". More than perhaps anything else in the Pastry kitchen, though, sugar demands precise operating procedures. A few degrees makes the difference between a useful product and a useless one. Poured We did a lot of things with sugar. First and arguably simplest, is poured sugar. In the first stage, the sugar, some glucose and some water are brought up to 100+ C. Impurities in the sugar that may cause crystalization, must be skimmed off, as the sugar is then brought to 132 degrees C (recall that the boiling point of water is 100C, so already this is pretty hot). At this point, a type of chalk can be added if opaque sugar is desired. The temperature is further raised to 138C, where coloring can be added. Bring to 152C (this is about 305F), add a precise amount of acid, and stop the cooking. Sugar caramelizes at about 160C to there's not much latitude. The whole process happens slowly until the mixture gets over 100C (because up to this point, the water in the mix is still boiling off and keeping the overall temperature down. After that, you need to have an accurate thermometer and all your additions measured and ready. Once the water has boiled off, the temperature rises quickly. Poured sugar is, you guessed it, poured into moulds of various kinds. These are often cut out of plasticine, a type of modeling clay which is heat resistant. You need to old the heck out of it, however, or you will be Pulled Remember that ribbon candy we used to see around Christmas time? That's an example of pulled sugar. The preparation starts out similiar to poured sugar, but once the sugar has cooled down a little (it is still very very hot), one begins picking it up, stretching it out and forming a rope. Fold back on itself and repeat. I have a video of a classmate doing this, if you're interestedl You must work with the hot sugar; as soon as it cools down too much, it is no longer pliable. This process forces air into the sugar and it takes on a remarkable sheen.We use heat lamps to re-warm the sugar until we could work with it again. And the microwave, in a pinch. One of the more interesting things you can do with pulled sugar, is to form flowers (typically roses) with it. This requires some agility and a high tolerance for temperature. You pull a small blob of sugar from the ball, and from that, pull what is almost a film of sugar. As you do this, it begins to cool (because its quite thin and you are cooling it down by virtue of it being on your skin). Shape the first piece into the pistol of the flower, then leaves around it. Blown Sugar Coming to the end of our hot experience with molten sugar, Chef Marco attempted to blow a piece of this pulled sugar into a round shape -- with mixed success. The procedure is very much like glass blowing and the result looks a bit the same too. We each had the opportunity to try blowing sugar. I don't think I'll be quitting my day job over it. Royal Icing Simply a mixture of icing sugar, egg white, and a bit of acid (e.g. lemon juice), it forms a paste which can be applied to cakes in a myriad of ways (usually with a pastry bag). Flowers, decorations, writing. It is easily colored allowing for a rainbow of color on cakes. It also makes a pretty effective glue. Rolled Fondant Most wedding cakes are covered with a sheet of rolled fondant. Fondant in its simplist form, could just be called icing. Sweet (almost entirely made from sugar) and sticky. But with the addition of glycerin and gelatine, it becomes an incredibly smooth, pliable substance. It is rolled out like pie dough (but thicker) and likewise draped over the cake, over the top and down the sides. We smooth it down, practically polishing the surface as we go along. Done right, it is quite attractive. It is edible, but not especially tasty. Fondant can also be used for decorative shapes on cakes -- ribbons for example. It is impervious to humidity, so it really helps the inside of the cake stay moist, while looking beautiful at the same time. Neat stuff. Pastillage Moving from the hot stuff to cool, we made a variety of stuff out of mixtures of icing sugar (confectioner's sugar) and glucose or other stabilizers. Pastillage behaves like Playdough, but it dries rock-hard and can support a relatively large weight. Gum Paste Similiar, recipe-wise, to rolled fondant, gum paste has the addition of a gum ("gum tragacanth") which affects how it can be handled and how long it stays plaible. It is usually used for creation of flowers for wedding cakes. Again, entirely edible -- but again, not particularly tasty. Previous Log Next Log

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