Fondant Specification.
There seems to be no clear definition of the terms 'candy' and 'fondant', with many beekeepers using them indiscriminately. Beekeeping literature is not particularly helpful, with TSK and MP Johansson (Some Important Operations in Bee Management) giving recipes for 'Soft Candy (Fondant)' and 'Hard Candy', whilst Morse and Hooper (Encyclopædia of Beekeeping) define candy as a 'soft, fudge-like sugar solid'. A range of boiling temperatures are suggested, from 234-240ºF (Johansson 'fondant'), 243ºF (Wedmore quoted by Johansson), 243ºF (Morse and Hooper 'candy' - did they get this from Wedmore? or Johansson?), up to 310ºF (Johansson 'hard candy'). Johansson suggests adding glucose, 1 tbsp to 3lbs sugar, in their fondant, but state that 'candy makers' use 15% glucose for 'excellent' fondant.
Some sources suggest using cream of tartar in the recipe, but both of the above point out that acid-inverted sugar is toxic to bees (LE Dills, 1925) and that if inversion is desired then only enzyme inverted sugar should be used. However, Johansson points out that 'The addition of acid arrests inversion, and accelerates crystallisation, which argues against the long-established rationale for inverting sugar syrup in the first instance.'
I telephoned my supplier of Bakers' Fondant (used by many large-scale beekeepers in the UK) to establish the technical specifications and method of production. They tell me that the fondant consists of: sugar 74.5% ± 0.5%, glucose solids 14.5% ± 0.5%, water 11.0% ± 0.5%. The ingredients are heated just to boiling point (approx 221ºF) and are then stirred in a creamer until cool. This produces a soft, fine-grain sugar paste.
I would suggest that the term 'fondant' should be used only for this type of sugar paste and the term 'candy' be used where the mixture is heated to a higher temperature (typically above 234ºF) in order to evaporate some of the water and make a more solid product. The one thing that is clear is that it would seem to be unwise to add cream of tartar!
Peter Edwards
There seems to be no clear definition of the terms 'candy' and 'fondant', with many beekeepers using them indiscriminately. Beekeeping literature is not particularly helpful, with TSK and MP Johansson (Some Important Operations in Bee Management) giving recipes for 'Soft Candy (Fondant)' and 'Hard Candy', whilst Morse and Hooper (Encyclopædia of Beekeeping) define candy as a 'soft, fudge-like sugar solid'. A range of boiling temperatures are suggested, from 234-240ºF (Johansson 'fondant'), 243ºF (Wedmore quoted by Johansson), 243ºF (Morse and Hooper 'candy' - did they get this from Wedmore? or Johansson?), up to 310ºF (Johansson 'hard candy'). Johansson suggests adding glucose, 1 tbsp to 3lbs sugar, in their fondant, but state that 'candy makers' use 15% glucose for 'excellent' fondant.
Some sources suggest using cream of tartar in the recipe, but both of the above point out that acid-inverted sugar is toxic to bees (LE Dills, 1925) and that if inversion is desired then only enzyme inverted sugar should be used. However, Johansson points out that 'The addition of acid arrests inversion, and accelerates crystallisation, which argues against the long-established rationale for inverting sugar syrup in the first instance.'
I telephoned my supplier of Bakers' Fondant (used by many large-scale beekeepers in the UK) to establish the technical specifications and method of production. They tell me that the fondant consists of: sugar 74.5% ± 0.5%, glucose solids 14.5% ± 0.5%, water 11.0% ± 0.5%. The ingredients are heated just to boiling point (approx 221ºF) and are then stirred in a creamer until cool. This produces a soft, fine-grain sugar paste.
I would suggest that the term 'fondant' should be used only for this type of sugar paste and the term 'candy' be used where the mixture is heated to a higher temperature (typically above 234ºF) in order to evaporate some of the water and make a more solid product. The one thing that is clear is that it would seem to be unwise to add cream of tartar!
Peter Edwards
