I attempted to make some hard sugar to use as windows for gingerbread houses. I thought I could do it without a candy thermometer as I have before, but obviously not. I tested it in ice water and it went straight from soft ball stage to a dry crumbly mess in a matter of 20 seconds. What did I do wrong?
Sugar – Boiled sugar disaster
candysugar
Related Solutions
Demerara sugar is a sugar made from reduced, crystallized cane juice. That is, it is a form of brown sugar with the molasses left in during the refining process.
Regular brown sugar is actually made from pure white sugar, with molasses added back in for flavor.
They will have similar performance and flavor profiles so you can substitute freely, although demerara sugar may have less of a pronounced molasses flavor. Your best substitute is light brown sugar.
It's not a question of "how long" as much as it's a question of "how hot." Sugar reaches the so-called hard ball stage somewhere between 250 and 265 degrees F. How long it will take your sugar to reach that temperature depends on a number of variables including the power of your cooking range and the type of vessel the sugar is being cooked in.
Use either a candy thermometer or the tried and true water testing method from which the stages get their names. When dropped into cold water, the sugar will literally form a hard ball when rolled between your fingers.
You either did not apply enough heat or you applied too much heat. The most reliable way to troubleshoot this problem is with a thermometer.
There's some great information in this article titled How to Test Stages of Sugar on RecipeTips.com
Pictured below is the example image from that article of what hard ball sugar should look like when dropped into cold water:
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Best Answer
It sounds like a stray sugar crystal fell into the mix--that's all it takes to kick off the crystallization you noticed. Ensure there is no undissolved sugar on the sides of the pan by wiping with a wet paper towel. Do so early though so you don't risk knocking them in at a susceptible point.