Baker's Fondant

[Rock_Chick]

I've just picked up some fondant from my local bakers,I've wrapped 2kg blocks in clear plastic bags and put a hole in there and placed over feeder hole in a crown board.
Have I done right or have I messed up.

 

[BKF Admin]

10/10 Capri !

Just remember as things warm up to around 10c they will become more active but it may still be to cold to forage.

What I am trying to say is they will be eating you out of house and home without anything coming in so keep an eye on those blocks for a top up.
It would be a great shame to have them starve at this time just because you never popped the lid to check the fondant levels.

 

[oliver90owner]

Only you will know whether they needed it or not. Obviously better to be safe than sorry (finishing up with a starved-to-death colony), but they will likely be consuming fondant from now on, rather than clearing brood area in preparation for brood expansion. That may be a problem if there is insufficient brood space at some time during the spring build-up - but less of a problem than no live bees.

As soon as it comes warm enough to open the hive(s) check, and 'score' stores cappings (to encourage the bees to use that up), if there is too much still there.

How did the hives heft? Did you do it? Good to do, if only for the experience for following seasons. Fondant is more expensive than autumn sugar feed.

Probably right move if only on a National brood, less likely if you have a super above. Can't quite make out which you have from here!

If you are on OMFs, close up the floor securely before opening, as that will chill the brood less than having a cold draught straight through the brood area.

Regards, RAB

 

[Poly Hive]

Just to add a foot note to this, I took off my unused fondant from the hives and have recycled it into syrup which I am now bringing the bees along on. So no waste at all.

PH

 

[peteinwilts]

did you add anything to the syrup to prevent any crosscontamination between hives or are you only feeding each hive their own left over fondant?

 

[Poly Hive]

Cross contamination?

Never gave it a thought and thinking about it now I cannot see if there would be any as the syrup was boiled. As I am pretty confident that my bees are disease free, and the 100 degree temp I cannot see an issue.

I have treated the syrup with Hivemakers or rather Manley's thymol solution at 5ml per gallon.

PH

 

[bunbury]

have just bought 12.5 kgs of White Fondant from a helpful baker for £10.74 Bako's price and as I have 2 hives should last some time.
Made of Sugar,Glucose and Water. Box says contains Sulphur Dioxide which is obviously a preservative but the concentrate must be only a trace.
I had tried to make fondant but was left with rock hard fondant!

 

[oliver90owner]

was left with rock hard fondant!

Obviously too little water % in the final product. Would also have been boiling at too high a temperature during preparation.

RAB

 

[bees knees]

Hi All
Made some fondant last weekend folowing Frisbee's instructions on this sticky. It was fun! Took a lot longer than I expected though to boil to the soft ball stage. At the end, the bulk of it was pretty sloppy but there was a layer of rock hard stuff at the bottom of the pan which I had to hack off with a metal spoon! Did I leave it a bit too long at the boiling stage or perhaps a bit slow to get it out of the pan and onto the work surface? The useable fondant became firmer on cooling and was fine to put on top of the crownboard. I wrapped in clingfilm, cut a hole in for access and put in upturned tupperware. Will venture out there today to see how much has been taken. Any tips for making my next batch?
BK

 

[oliver90owner]

Inadequate stirring or just too much heat, I would think.

RAB

 

[bees knees]

Thanks RAB.
Just checked the hives and plenty there still. It is harder now but I am able to squash into it a bit with my thumb. Does this sound like the right consistency?
BK

 

[oliver90owner]

They will cope. They may need extra water to get through it, especially if needed for larval food, but if a bag of damp sugar is enough for an emergency, your fondant will be OK.

Regards, RAB

 

[bees knees]

Great. Left a plant pot of water near the hives in case they don't want to venture too far!
BK

 

[barratt_sab]

Bako appear to sell several different varieties of fondant. Most are clearly more appropriate to baking than beeking, but I am left wondering whether "Fondant 183" or "Ready-use Fondant 163" is the one to order.

Any advice gratefully received.

 

[Frisbee]

Bako appear to sell several different varieties of fondant. Most are clearly more appropriate to baking than beeking, but I am left wondering whether "Fondant 183" or "Ready-use Fondant 163" is the one to order.

Any advice gratefully received.

You want 'white fondant'. Roll out icings for cake decoration is also sometimes called fondant but it has other ingredients such as egg albumen and gelatine. The product you need is a boiled sugar fondant, suitable for glazing and coating. Typical use in the bakery industry is toppings on Belgian buns and iced buns. Although I looked on the Bako website I couldn't find Fondant 183 or Ready-use Fondant. White was top of the list I found. Ready-use sounds more like a roll out icing type. Ring and ask.

Frisbee

 

[barratt_sab]

You want 'white fondant'. Roll out icings for cake decoration is also sometimes called fondant but it has other ingredients such as egg albumen and gelatine. The product you need is a boiled sugar fondant, suitable for glazing and coating. Typical use in the bakery industry is toppings on Belgian buns and iced buns. Although I looked on the Bako website I couldn't find Fondant 183 or Ready-use Fondant. White was top of the list I found. Ready-use sounds more like a roll out icing type. Ring and ask.

Frisbee

Thanks for that - they seem happy to deliver to me, in relatively small lots (12.5kg for about £11) - but I wanted to make sure that I got the correct stuff, and didn't know how to properly describe it to ask the question!

 

[Frisbee]

As liquid glucose is (for me) difficult to get hold of and only available in small and expensive quantities, I looked on line for a larger tub. I found a 12.5kg tub for £14.89 plus postage at £6.95. I ordered and it arrived in about 3 days. Excellent service. The place is called cake hyphen stuff dot com. No spaces of course and don't forget the w w w

Frisbee

 

[AJLR]

Bakers Fondant

2lbs sugar
1/2 pint or less water
1 tablespoon liquid glucose

Heat water, sugar and glucose together until sugar has dissolved, bring to boil, boil to 240f. Put the pan into a sink of cold water and start stirring with a flat wooden spatula. It is important to keep the mixture moving, when it gets harder to stir and has cooled sufficiently to work with hands pour out onto a clen worktop splashed with water, knead the mixture like bread until cool. Wrap in cling film. The glucose keeps it supple.


It is quite easy to make Baker's Fondant without a thermometer, which aren't too acurate in any case.

The temperatures for sugar boiling and the results are :-

240f = soft ball - if you drop a splodge of mix into a bowl of water the resulting cool ball of sugar will be soft like a chewy mint.

250f = hard ball - same splodge, hard ball (I think this is what you boiled to)

280f = small crack - used for spun sugar (candy floss)

310f = hard crack - used for more brittle sweets like barley sugar

345f = caramel

When I learnt my sugar boiling skills at catering college we didn't use thermometers as the state of the syrup is better at showing the temp than a dodgy thermometer.

Once the water has gone and you are boiling pure sugar the temp rises reasonably quickly.

Have ready a bowl of cold water. When the mixture boils it will take a few minutes for the water to evaporate off, the easiest way to describe it is the boil "slows down" the temperature will then rise quite quickly. After it has "slow boiled" for 1 minute and using the spoon you are stirring with, drip a drop of mixture into the cold water, follow it with your fingers, if the temperature is right the drop will form a small soft ball, if it disintegrates under your fingers it has not boiled enough, keep boiling and trying till you get the "soft ball" When this happens stop boiling immediately, turn off the heat and put the pan into a sink of cold water and start stirring.

Thank you (belatedly) for the recipe - and for the link to a video that someone posted. Just made my first batch of fondant, hope to get it on the frames tomorrow if I move fast and don't let them chill.

Only been a beekeeper for 11 months and am terrified of not doing something that 'my girls' might need.

 

[Poly Hive]

I am running short of fondant and as I posted pre December Bako are not too keen on small orders. They were a bit vague when I asked what a viable order was!

I looked up cake companies and phoned the nearest one to me, and they are delighted to order some white fondant for me from Bako.

It truly was that easy.

PH

 

[UEAHoneyBeeMan]

I am running short of fondant and as I posted pre December Bako are not too keen on small orders. They were a bit vague when I asked what a viable order was!

I looked up cake companies and phoned the nearest one to me, and they are delighted to order some white fondant for me from Bako.

It truly was that easy.

PH

I've followed you advice here PH and got the same result, local company to me were very happy to supply 12.5kg boxes of Bakers Fondant to me.

Stewart