Home Made Fondant

[Peterxix]

Fondant for Bees
1 pan or wok 1 kilo Sugar 250ml water 25g or 1 tea spoon of Liquid Glucose and a Thermometer.
Put the water into the pan bring to boil add the Glucose stare until it melts, take off the boil then add sugar stare until it melts then bring it up to 117c. then lift the pan into a bowl of cold water in the sink let it cool to 60c and then stare it until it starts to get thick and turns white, when it is 45 to 50c, take it out of the pan and put on work surface a little water on first so to stop it sticking, and need like bread until all soft and smooth and into a round ball, Put Clingfilm over it and turn over wrapping it in the Clingfilm, the leave over night it should have set, and be ready for use, put some small slits in the middle and put on the frames. I HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD TIME MAKING IT,

 

[Tremyfro]

I make up about 2kilos at a time. I add a bit less water. The water has to be boiled off to get to the temperature for soft ball...so adding a bit less makes it quicker. I don't bother with the kneeding bit...I use an old electric beater instead until smooth and white. When the beater can't stir it anymore...I scoop into plastic cartons. I now have a neat stack..which won't leak. I just take off the lid and turn upside down over brood nest. I also add a few bee goodies which help prevent it fermenting....essential thyme oil, tea tree oil and peppermint oil.

 

[JohnyP]

Oh you mean stir. At first I thought you meant stare to make sure everything had dissolved...

 

[oliver90owner]

A lot of staring going on! Eyes will be hurting, if not careful!

A few useful suggestions to the simple job described.

+ or - a couple of degrees indicated, I would suggest, dependent on the accuracy of the thermometer used and/or the amount of glucose added.

Only one kilo of sugar at a time? Better to be doing far more than that at a time.

Reducing the water a tad would perhaps be good as 20% water at the start is a lot in excess of the normal baker's fondant (c.12%?) and reducing volume by evaporating water is both time consuming and energy intensive.

Why taking off the boil to add the sugar? The sugar addition will soon do that. Continual stirring while adding sugar and cooling from boiling point is preferable and speeds up the process.

BTW, dissolving is the process not 'melting'.

Making only a kilogram at the first attempt would help get the process refined for the particular user. Otherwise the finished product can be too soft or rock hard.

RAB

 

[itma]

[Personal Opinion]

It is not worth doing it yourself.

[/Personal Opinion]


For a tiny quantity, the time and effort involved saves mere pennies (if that).
For a large quantity, its damn hard to get right, and manual mixing is in the 'hard labour' category.

Then we come to product quality. Boiling the sugar takes you into HMF territory. This is very much more dangerous to the bees than any of the food-safe additives you might come across in even supermarket fondant.

For those with, say, 8 colonies - buying a 12.5kg box of fondant from the local baker is going to cost under £15 and give you 1.5kg of fondant available per colony, should it be needed. You do the maths. I was actually born in Aberdeen, but I don't think the saving, for the risk and effort is remotely worthwhile.

 

[thenovice]

[Personal Opinion]

It is not worth doing it yourself.

[/Personal Opinion]


For a tiny quantity, the time and effort involved saves mere pennies (if that).
For a large quantity, its damn hard to get right, and manual mixing is in the 'hard labour' category.

Then we come to product quality. Boiling the sugar takes you into HMF territory. This is very much more dangerous to the bees than any of the food-safe additives you might come across in even supermarket fondant.

For those with, say, 8 colonies - buying a 12.5kg box of fondant from the local baker is going to cost under £15 and give you 1.5kg of fondant available per colony, should it be needed. You do the maths. I was actually born in Aberdeen, but I don't think the saving, for the risk and effort is remotely worthwhile.

as a beginner have not had the pleasure to use fondant but I wonder what different process is used to make the industrial fondant to have less HMF?

 

[itma]

as a beginner have not had the pleasure to use fondant but I wonder what different process is used to make the industrial fondant to have less HMF?

Mixing powdered sugar with syrup.

 

[oliver90owner]

At £1.35/ kg of sugar (12.5kg for £15), fondant is rather more expensive than sugar sourced at a good price. Not knocking it, because it is convenient and the best option for bees in need during the colder months.

Personally, I would not use glucose syrup - far too costly - as I can get a bag of glucose monohydrate at around £2 a kilo.

For the competent 'one', two' or a 'few' hive owners, just feeding when stores are short during the winter, the method offers an overall easy and cheap fix, IMO.

A case of horses for courses. The 25kg. Fondant which has sat in my kitchen for about three years, with only a small slice used, was cheap enough at the time, but now I am reducing colony numbers, I may, in the future, revert to making my own fondant for late winter needs. It is not rocket science.

 

[BeeJayBee]

I also add a few bee goodies which help prevent it fermenting....
But it won't ferment, there isn't enough liquid for that to happen. Sugar has always been used as a preservative.

I've kept one pack of bakers fondant for several years to see what the shelf life might be under the less than optimum conditions of a garden shed. I crammed it into a mayonnaise bucket. There's still no sign of mould, and no hint of fermentation.

I do admire those who make fondant, but I have a hard enough time trying to cook fudge. I know I'd end up wasting a lot of sugar because I'd probably overheat the mixture and have to throw it away.

I think it's easier, and safer for my bees, to buy it because it's cheap enough - as long as you don't pay beekeeping suppliers' prices.

 

[Cazza]

It is not rocket science.

No, it's not, it's child's play, in fact, my dog could do it (as they say.)

Takes very little time and effort.

Cazza

 

[REDWOOD]

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/video.php?do=viewdetails&videoid=96

 

[itma]

No, it's not, it's child's play, in fact, my dog could do it (as they say.)

Takes very little time and effort.

Cazza

Cazza, better not to let the children play with boiling sugar.

Unless, of course … aaah!

 

[REDWOOD]

I asked a top beekeeper if you can add thymol to home made fondant and apparently thymol can added during the cooling down process

 

[fatshark]

Fondant prices this year are significantly less than £15 for 12.5kg ... under a tenner if you shop around and/or buy a reasonable amount. It keeps very well if unopened so it's worth buying in bulk and storing if you have the space.

 

[beesleybees]

When I've tried toake fondant, I find it doesn't end up like the cake stuff. Ends up going pretty dry and hard. What am I doing wrong?

 

[oliver90owner]

Simple. You either have omitted the glucose or you have beliebed your innacurate thermometer. Both of which can give that result. Read my earlier post (again?).