Image is for illustrative purposes only.
Honeycomb is simply caramel that has been made to foam. Sugar, golden syrup and butter are boiled to a high temperature, bicarbonate of soda is stirred through, and the whole mass rises up in a rush of bubbles before it sets hard and crisp. Poured out flat and left to dry, it becomes a brittle amber sheet that snaps into shards.
The brown sugar in this version gives a deeper toffee colour and a slight molasses note, so the flavour is closer to butterscotch than to plain caramel. Use the sheets broken into pieces around the edge of a cake, stood upright in a rosette of cream, crushed over mousse desserts, or folded through ganache and ice cream for crunch. Keep it dry and it stays crisp; let it meet moisture and it will soften, so it is best added close to serving.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
Note: The Recipe Calculator Tool is available to subscribers.
Weight Per Unit: 595
Number of Units: 1
Unit Size: large baking tray, poured as a thin sheet about 30 x 25 cm
|
|
|
WEIGHT
(grams)
|
ALTERNATIVE METRIC
|
INGREDIENT
|
IMAGE
|
CONDITION
|
|
A
|
250 |
8.8 ounces
|
Brown Sugar
Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content (natural brown sugar), or it is produced by the addition of molasses to refined white sugar (commercial brown sugar).
|
|
|
|
B
|
250 |
8.8 ounces
|
Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
|
|
|
|
C
|
50 |
1.8 ounces
|
Golden Syrup
Golden syrup is a thick amber sugar syrup made during cane sugar refining. It has a mild buttery caramel flavour and, unlike honey, it will not crystallise, which makes it ideal for chewy caramel fillings.
|
|
|
|
D
|
30 |
1.1 ounce
|
Butter
Butter is a solid dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk, to separate the butterfat from the buttermilk. It is generally used as a spread on plain or toasted bread products and a condiment on cooked vegetables, as well as in cooking, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying. Butter consists of butterfat, milk proteins and water.
|
|
cubed |
|
E
|
15 |
0.5 ounce
|
Sodium Bicarbonate
Sodium bicarbonate (a.k.a baking soda, bread soda, cooking soda, and bicarbonate of soda), referred to as "baking soda", is primarily used in cooking (baking), as a leavening agent. It reacts with acidic components in batters, releasing carbon dioxide, which causes expansion of the batter and forms the characteristic texture and grain in pancakes, cakes, quick breads, soda bread, and other baked and fried foods. Acidic compounds that induce this reaction include phosphates, cream of tartar, lemon juice, yogurt, buttermilk, cocoa, vinegar, etc. Natural acids in sourdough can be leavened with the addition of small amounts as well. Sodium bicarbonate can be substituted for baking powder provided sufficient acid reagent is also added to the recipe. Many forms of baking powder contain sodium bicarbonate combined with calcium acid phosphate, sodium aluminium sulphate or cream of tartar.
Sodium bicarbonate was sometimes used in cooking vegetables, to make them softer, although this has gone out of fashion, as most people now prefer firmer vegetables. However, it is still used in Asian and Latin American cuisine to tenderise meats. Baking soda may react with acids in food, including vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid). It is also used in breadings such as for fried foods to enhance crispness.
Heat causes sodium bicarbonate to act as a raising agent by releasing carbon dioxide when used in baking. The carbon dioxide production starts at temperatures above 80 °C. Since the reaction does not occur at room temperature, mixtures (cake batter, etc.) can be allowed to stand without rising until they are heated in the oven.
|
|
sifted |
|
|
595
|
|
|
|
|
Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
|
STEP
|
ACTION
|
DETAIL
|
CONDITION
|
|
1 |
Prepare |
Line a large flat baking tray with baking paper or a silicone mat and stand it on a heatproof surface next to the stove. Weigh E (bicarbonate of soda) into a small bowl and sift it so there are no lumps, and have a large heatproof whisk or spatula ready. |
Everything within reach, as the mixture foams the moment the soda goes in |
|
2 |
Cook |
Put A, B and C (brown sugar, caster sugar and golden syrup) into a deep, heavy saucepan, stir once to moisten the sugar and bring to the boil over medium heat without stirring again. Boil to 138°C (280°F) on a sugar thermometer. |
Clear, bubbling and deep amber at 138°C; brush any sugar crystals off the pan sides with a wet brush |
|
3 |
Add |
Take the pan straight off the heat, drop in D (unsalted butter) and let it melt into the syrup, then add the sifted E (bicarbonate of soda) all at once. |
Butter fully melted before the soda goes in |
|
4 |
Stir |
Stir quickly and firmly for just a few seconds to work the soda evenly through the hot syrup. |
The mixture foams up pale and doubles or triples in volume; stop stirring as soon as it is even, or the bubbles collapse |
|
5 |
Pour |
Pour the foaming mixture straight onto the lined tray and let it spread by itself into a thin sheet. Do not spread or press it with a knife. |
An even, bubbly layer; it will stop moving within a few seconds |
|
6 |
Dry |
Place the tray in a very low oven, about 60–80°C (140–175°F), with the door slightly ajar, to drive off the last moisture. |
Dry and brittle to the touch, no stickiness on the surface |
|
7 |
Cool |
Take the tray out and leave the sheet to go completely cold, then break it into shards of the size you need. |
Hard, crisp and snapping cleanly |
|
8 |
Store |
Pack the pieces in an airtight container with a layer of baking paper between them, away from any moisture. |
Stays crisp for several weeks if kept dry and sealed |
Important Notes
The scaled batch makes about 595 g of mixture, enough for one large tray of thin honeycomb sheet, which breaks into a generous amount of garnish. Honeycomb is ruined by damp air: never cover it while still warm, never refrigerate it, and keep it sealed with a dry cloth or silica in the container in humid weather. Add it to cream, mousse or glaze as late as possible, as moisture from the cake will soften it within an hour or two. For dipped pieces, coat the shards in tempered chocolate, which seals them and keeps them crisp much longer.
Tools & Arrangements
Deep heavy-based saucepan (at least four times the volume of the mixture, as it foams up violently), sugar thermometer, heatproof whisk or wooden spatula, pastry brush, large flat baking tray, baking paper or silicone mat, airtight storage container.
