Working with sugar takes more than just understanding sugar. It takes a lot of practice. Practice and more practice.
List of things needed:
1. Heat source to cook your sugar
2. Pans, copper is an excellent heat conductor, but you can use what you have
3. Sieve: To remove any impurities that rise to the surface.
4. you will need a wide flat brush to wash down the sides
5. container of warm water for the brush
6. thermometer
7. Acid solution. but only for pulling or blowing. NO acid needed for pouring or casting
ACID SOLUTION:
1 part tartaric acid crystals and 1 part boiling water, stirl well and put into clean dropper bottle.
8. Desired colors, be careful some colors contain acid
9. Ice bath to shock your sugar to stop cooking
10. Silpat to pour sugar onto ...a full sheet silpat can hold 3 pounds
HERE IS RECIPE FOR PULLED and BLOWN SUGAR:
1 pound 8 ounces cold water
3 pounds Sugar
8 to 10 ounces of Glucose
3-8 drops of Acid solution
Method:
Place the water in a pot, add the sugar bring to a boil stir constantly...remove any scum to the surface.
Add the glucose, bring to a second boil and clean the sides of the pan with the wet brush.
Add color and acid when it reaches 280 degrees F and continue to boil until the sugar reaches 335 degrees F.
Take the pot and place it on the ice bath to stop the cooking.
Pour onto a lightly oiled marble or silpat
if you find your sugar too soft you will use small amount of acid solution if it's to brittle go higher ..the acid is the variable....from 3 to 8 drops.
you keep on manipulating the silpat pressing the sugar together till it stops moving like the blob. If it moves fast that means it's still to hot.
When it keeps it shape a little and stops moving like the blob, it's ready to eighter pull or store. if you're going to use it the next day, you can wrap it in plastic wrap. If you're going to store it for a couple of days you can store it in zip lock bags, just make sure you remove the most air out of them.
When you decide to use the stored sugar again. unwrap it , put onto a silpat, put into microwave for TEN SECONDS, until it's soft again....DO NOT POKE IT ...HOT SUGAR
before you work with it again you MUST pull it..to work the air back into it..never work with sugar that you haven't pulled.
This is where the fun begins, you place your sugar onto a silpat that you place under your warming light...and work it!
I would have to take pictures to explain how to pull an edge...manipulate it till it's thin between your tumbs, then you grab it between your index and thumb and pull it . you keep the petal still and pull with the other hand when you're making a petal so you don't get those LONG STREAMERS.
You can make all your petals that you need before you assemble or you can assemble your flower as you go.
If you make all the petals you need to "melt" them a litte over your fire source to melt the sugar enough to stick.
I do have pictures that I can send just email me...
List of things needed:
1. Heat source to cook your sugar
2. Pans, copper is an excellent heat conductor, but you can use what you have
3. Sieve: To remove any impurities that rise to the surface.
4. you will need a wide flat brush to wash down the sides
5. container of warm water for the brush
6. thermometer
7. Acid solution. but only for pulling or blowing. NO acid needed for pouring or casting
ACID SOLUTION:
1 part tartaric acid crystals and 1 part boiling water, stirl well and put into clean dropper bottle.
8. Desired colors, be careful some colors contain acid
9. Ice bath to shock your sugar to stop cooking
10. Silpat to pour sugar onto ...a full sheet silpat can hold 3 pounds
HERE IS RECIPE FOR PULLED and BLOWN SUGAR:
1 pound 8 ounces cold water
3 pounds Sugar
8 to 10 ounces of Glucose
3-8 drops of Acid solution
Method:
Place the water in a pot, add the sugar bring to a boil stir constantly...remove any scum to the surface.
Add the glucose, bring to a second boil and clean the sides of the pan with the wet brush.
Add color and acid when it reaches 280 degrees F and continue to boil until the sugar reaches 335 degrees F.
Take the pot and place it on the ice bath to stop the cooking.
Pour onto a lightly oiled marble or silpat
if you find your sugar too soft you will use small amount of acid solution if it's to brittle go higher ..the acid is the variable....from 3 to 8 drops.
you keep on manipulating the silpat pressing the sugar together till it stops moving like the blob. If it moves fast that means it's still to hot.
When it keeps it shape a little and stops moving like the blob, it's ready to eighter pull or store. if you're going to use it the next day, you can wrap it in plastic wrap. If you're going to store it for a couple of days you can store it in zip lock bags, just make sure you remove the most air out of them.
When you decide to use the stored sugar again. unwrap it , put onto a silpat, put into microwave for TEN SECONDS, until it's soft again....DO NOT POKE IT ...HOT SUGAR
before you work with it again you MUST pull it..to work the air back into it..never work with sugar that you haven't pulled.
This is where the fun begins, you place your sugar onto a silpat that you place under your warming light...and work it!
I would have to take pictures to explain how to pull an edge...manipulate it till it's thin between your tumbs, then you grab it between your index and thumb and pull it . you keep the petal still and pull with the other hand when you're making a petal so you don't get those LONG STREAMERS.
You can make all your petals that you need before you assemble or you can assemble your flower as you go.
If you make all the petals you need to "melt" them a litte over your fire source to melt the sugar enough to stick.
I do have pictures that I can send just email me...
