Yield: 8 lbs/ 3.63 kg

Ingredients:
sugar...............5 lbs................2.27 kg
water...............32 fl ounces......960 ml
glucose syrup....1 lb 1 1.2 oz.....496 g

1. combine the sugar and water in a copper or heavy bottomed pot and bring it to a boil.

stir to dissolve the sugar

wash down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to remove sugar crystals

Once the sugar comes to a boil, stop stirring. Add the glucose syrup and cook. continue to wash down the sides of the pan as necessary until the contents of the pan come to the right temp.

when your sugar reaches 166F/130C add 1 drop of an acid for every 2 lbs/ 907g of sugar syrup, along with the color desired or whitening

for pure white sugar, add whitening and cook the sugar to 295F/146C

Marbelized effects can be made by swirling small amounts of food color into the sugar syrup before pouring into the greased frames or molds

shock the pot in a bowl of cold water, allow the surface bubbles to dissipate, then pour the syrup into the prepared molds or frames.

(final cooking temps will be 309F/ 154C to 320F/160C it all depends on the size and color of your piece)

Good luck!

Once again Risquebusiness great info!

Here's another tip. If you let the sugar cool down to cornsyrup or molasses thickness before you pour it than it will leave a nice rounded edge when it hits the border of the mould instead of a concave sharp edge.

www.kincaellan.com

Use Tartaric Acid, you can buy it in powder form from any home brewery supply store. It costs a dollar or two.
It is NOT the same as creme of tartar.
but comes from the same source.

You can use other acids but this one is the strongest and it's clean of debris. Lemon juice for example is really weak and may have fruity bits in it.

Try to avoid using gelatine colourings as the gelatine will give the sugar something to crystalize on.

www.kincaellan.com

Cool. Thanks, both of you.

Vinegar is also an acid that can be used as well. As was mentioned in the post tartaric acid is best if it can be found because it is the stronger of the acids used in this medium. If I were going to use lemon juice, first strain it through a fine sieve or tea strainer this will get some of the bits out of it.

Thanks for posting this Risque! And thanks kincaellen for the added info!

So, what kind of coloring do you usually use for sugar? Is powder necessary? Also, how do you know when the sugar is done if it's between 309 and 320?

Thanks!
Courtney

You can use gelatine colouring but i really don't like it. The gelatine never cooks out of the sugar and can shorten a showpieces life. I still use an autobody airbrush paint strainer when I use powdered colouring because small granules of powder can not dissolve sometimes. When your pulling tiny ribbon or such and you get a chunk of debris in the sugar it's a pain.
Some artists add the colouring early to cook out the moisture (sometimes it makes your sugar sticky ) others add it after making a big batch of clear sugar.

Definitley get an accurate thermometer.
and don't buy the large square silver and black one with a clip on the back or any other candy thermometer where the degrees are painted on the outside. Try and get one where the gauge is entirely internal. W-mart has ones that are $3 and are entirely internal candy thermometers.

www.kincaellan.com

My technique is to add color after pouring it on the marble/silpat and mix it in as I am turning the sugar. This works effectively especially if you are coloring different batches.

Thanks for all the info, I really want to try sugar.

So, can this recipe be halved or quartered? I want to try some things with the sugar, but don't need so much sugar. Also, I've tried a few batches using different combinations of ingredients and processes and things are improving, but my sugar is still sticky after it's cooled. Any insight on how I can get a dry candy? I live in a somewhat humid environment. Any help would be greatly appreciated. (BTW, I'm a home enthusiast, so I may not have access to bakery grade things.)

kincaellan: I saw some sugar swirls in your sugar pieces. How do you make them? Are they pulled, blown or poured sugar? If they are poured, do you have a mold or a special cup you pour it from. I usually do pulled and poured sugar decorations, but your swirls look so uniform. Always looks the same with the piece being the same thickness all around.

Sorry if it was too long. I just want to get better at this and am too far from any teacher to take more classes. Thanks.

What is whitening?