Making fondant

[psafloyd]

Thanks Goran.
I'm using a video on the forum (made by Rosti) showing how to make fondant using white sugar and liquid glucose and boiling to 117C. I've made fondant using this method but the result is quite 'grainy'. The ambrosia fondant and Fondabee fondant is very much finer grained and doesn't seem to go hard so quickly.

I use a simpler one than that (in the stickies) and it works fine and the bees have never submitted a complaint about the texture.

 

[itma]

My original question was has anyone used ambrosia syrup to make home made fondant? Additionally, would the consensus be that this would be identical or very similar to the ambrosia fondant that you can buy?

I fear that it would not be similar to the Ambrosia fondant offered for sale.

However, the good news is that Ambrosia syrup stores very well.
Seal it up, and store it in a cool dark place - and it should be fine for next Autumn's feeding.
As such, its probably more valuable than bought-in baker's fondant.

Regarding your earlier comment along the lines of invert fondant being "more easily converted" for the bees - its a complicated question.
My opinion (others differ) is that the value of using invert *syrup* is that it can be *stored* more quickly by the bees, as it requires less processing.
As has been pointed out before, the inversion of sugar actually releases energy - its not something that costs the bees energy.
However, being a biological, enzymic process, it takes time.
Needing less processing time, they can store it faster.
Thus syrup feeding can be successful later, having the effect of extending the foraging season.
Add that to the absence of waste because the stuff doesn't ferment or otherwise 'go off', and using the stuff can make commercial sense.
But I'm not sure that the same benefits apply to the invert fondant.

Yes they might get food value from invert fondant faster, but unless its a real emergency feed, I'm not sure that is so important.

Thus, I'd suggest storing the left-over Ambrosia, and buying-in some bakers' fondant (if you think you are going to need it).

 

[piggy]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply.

I think what I shall do is:

Bako for queen rearing etc.;
Home-made fondant from white granulated sugar for emergencies;
Ambrosia or similar for spring and autumn feeding.

Cheers

 

[Goran]

You don't use powdered sugar to make your own fondants? Some particular reason?

 

[Hombre]

You don't use powdered sugar to make your own fondants? Some particular reason?

No, because of the price of powdered sugar (icing sugar). You would want to dissolve the sugar into a syrup as explained in my earlier post. Icing sugar would be very expensive, provide few if any benefits, get everywhere if used in any significant quantity.

 

[itma]

You don't use powdered sugar to make your own fondants? Some particular reason?

Powdered sugar is not generally available in large packs to retail customers.
In small (500g) retail packets it is perhaps twice as expensive as ordinary sugar (more expensive than buying Baco bakers' fondant).

It is possible to powder sugar yourself, with a food processor. Mixing it to a stiff (non-drip) paste would be hard work - too hard for most domestic food mixers.
I doubt that most people would even know that sugar dust in the air can actually be explosive - they'd be more worried about mess than safety!

Anyway, it is a route that is not (at least not commonly) used by beekeepers.
Home cake-makers would make soft icing from 'icing' (powdered) sugar - but that product is much softer (wetter) than the mix that beekeepers prefer. Domestic 'fondant' cake icing would drip and flow in the hive. The bees would clean it up eventually, but it would be extremely messy and might even flow out at the bottom of the hive...


Goran - if this is the method you use you make fondant, perhaps you could explain your method?
If there is an easy way, I'd love to know (and I expect others would too).

 

[BeeJayBee]

I think most of the powdered sugar we can buy contains "anti caking agents", whatever they are.

 

[Hombre]

Anti caking agents, a sweeter smaller version of those flour grain graders with the bowler hats that used to grace our television screens. They stop the icing sugar from clumping in the packet and often reduce the necessity to sieve it in use.

 

[Goran]

Well, when buy directly from sugar producer we got at same price powdered or not.
But, usually we buy not powdered and on sugar grinder make powdered as much for the moment we need ( fresh without adding some agents). Sugar grinder which grind 50kg of sugar in a short time cost less than 600 euros here.
Well, if You don't have your own grinder is good to be with beekeepers to help each other.

There are also mixers for fondants, but if You have one horse power ( as I ) till You get enough money to buy it, it will do.

I used for mine 50kg powdered sugar, 5kg "protein sh ( processed soya protein-not GMO)", 8,4 or 8,6kg of water, 2kg of my own honey ( someone will say with honey come the risk for AFB). Then if You don"t want to put honey, You have to increase water to 9kg. Split in half to easier do mixing.
First dry mixing, then adding lukewarm water ( and honey) and wet mixing.
Maybe I forgot something, but that's it.