Honeycomb: the recipe (it looks easy, but it's not! :))
Happy New Year! :)
This recipe has given me a lot of troubles.
But let's go in order ... honeycomb, also known as toffee or hokey pokey, is a popular confectionery specialty in Anglo-Saxon countries. The preparation and the doses are similar to those of common candies (and here we should open a whole explanation on the science of candies ... but this is another story and it will have to be told another time-cit. :)), the only difference is the addition of sodium bicarbonate. I saw the recipe a few years ago in the Nigella Express show and I got very intrigued. Above all, I was fascinated by the use of bicarbonate which, added to the very hot mixture, decomposes, releasing carbon dioxide (CO2):
2 NaHCO3 = Na2CO3 + CO2 + H2O
The CO2 bubbles remain trapped in the mixture, which is spread on a baking sheet and allowed to cool. Once it reaches room temperature, the mass is roughly cut and can be eaten as it is or covered with chocolate (long live opulence! :)). Now, this property of bicarbonate is exploited for leavening, so much so that bicarbonate is one of the many raising agents, but it would never have occurred to me to use it to make sweets!
Recently, my husband bought honeycomb at Leonidas chocolate shop and, tasting a piece, he wondered how such a delight could be prepared. "But it's easy!", I exclaimed, thinking back to Nigella's recipe. And, without hesitation, I threw myself into the kitchen convinced that I would have got the perfect honeycomb. Well, out of ten attempts, I succeeded once. I tried different variations: honey instead of syrup, recipes where water was added, but my honeycomb was still too sticky.
After a bit of research, I landed on the delightful Exploratorium website and discovered that the problem is the cooking temperature of the sugar mixture. To obtain honeycomb, the temperature must be 150-155 C. At this temperature, most of the water evaporates and the mass contains about 99% sugar. Under this temperature range, candies are sticky, due to the residual water. On the other hand, above 155 C, the sugar begins to caramelize.
Having understood this essential detail, I equipped myself with a cooking thermometer and, finally, I managed to obtain a proper honeycomb.
Honeycomb or toffee covered with chocolate
(Doses for 4-6 people)
100 g of sugar
60 mL of corn syrup
1 and a half teaspoons of baking soda
200 g of dark chocolate (optional)
Measure the baking soda and set aside. Cover a small baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Pour the sugar and the syrup into a saucepan with high sides and cook over medium / low heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. By now, the sugar crystals should have dissolved completely. Monitor the temperature with a candy thermometer, making sure that the probe does not touch the bottom of the pan. As soon as the mixture reaches 153-154 C, remove it from the heat and add the baking soda (attention! Handle the mixture carefully, you could get burned). Stir a little to melt all the baking soda, but don't shake too much or you will break the air bubbles.
Pour the mixture onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let it cool completely to room temperature. Once cold, crush the honeycomb into coarse pieces. You can enjoy honeycomb as it is or cover it with chocolate.
For the covering, melt the chocolate in a bain-marie. Dip one piece at a time and, with the help of a fork, cover it with chocolate on all sides. Place each piece on a cooling rack and transfer them to the fridge, until the chocolate is firm.