Baking Basics: Stages of Sugar Syrup

 A lot of candy recipes require sugar syrup to be boiled to a certain stage. And there are these strange names for them. Hard ball. Soft crack. Weird. Let's talk about it.

First step: Combine sugar and water and/or some kind of sugar-based syrup pre-prepared.

Second step: Heat it on on the stove. I am using a candy thermometer today to make sure I give you the right photos at the right stages, but the point of this post is to make it possible to tell the stages without a thermometer.

So, now that we have the basics, let's go through the stages. Sugar combined with water can heat to a much higher temperature than water alone. And different stages of the sugar syrup will have different percentages of sugar to water because as the water boils, it will slowly evaporate, leaving more and more sugar behind.

We also need to test the sugar syrup. We do this by dropping a drop of the hot syrup into a glass of cold water. The way the syrup behaves will be different depending on the stage it is in.

Thread stage: (223°F–234°F, 106°C - 112°C) This is just above boiling. This stage isn't used very often, but is the first stage above boiling. When you drop a drop into the cold water, the sugar syrup will look like a thread in the water and then disperse as it hits the bottom of the cup. It will not hold together after a moment.

Soft ball stage: (234°F - 240°F, 112°C - 115°C) This is the next stage. This is the first stage typically used in candy making. It is often used for recipes like fudge or pralines. When you drop a drop into the cold water, the sugar syrup will look like a thread in the water and then clump together at the bottom of the cup. However, when lifting it out of the cup, it will mostly disperse before you can pick it up. If you put a lot of syrup into the water, then you may be able to pick it up, but it won't hold its shape for long. It will flatten on your finger.

Firm ball stage: (242°F - 248°F, 116°C - 120°C) Then, when the temperature rises, the sugar syrup will then form a ball in the cold water that you can pick up, but as you try to shape it and fold it, the ball will be possible to knead and shape. This is often used for recipes like soft caramels.

Hard ball stage: (250°F - 266°F, 122°C - 130°C) Same as above, but this time, the ball you fish out of the water will be harder and you won't be able to change the shape as easily as firm ball. It will be slightly malleable, however. This is used for recipes like nougat, marshmallows and rock candy.

Soft crack stage: (270°F - 290°F, 132°C - 143°C) This time, as you drop the sugar syrup into the water, it will start to firm up before hitting the bottom of the cup. It will keep its shape in the shape it made in the water. You will be able to pick it up, but it won't snap in pieces, rather it will bend before breaking. This is often used in recipes like taffy and butterscotch.

Hard crack stage: (295°F - 310°F, 146°C - 155°C) We're almost at the last stage. This time, when dropping the syrup in the water, it will keep the shape it made in the water. When you lift it out, you can snap it into pieces, but it won't bend before breaking. This is used for recipes like toffee, nut brittles and lollipops.

Caramel: (320°F - 350°F, 160°C - 180°C) And the last stage. At this stage, the sugar syrup will no longer be clear. It will be an amber or brown color. If you let it get any warmer, the syrup will burn, so this is definitely the stage to stop heating the sugar. This is often used for candy decorations and candy coating of nuts.

I don't have a photo of the caramel stage because the recipe I was making needed hard crack. But if the color of your syrup is changing, it's probably time to stop boiling.

Watch us talk about these stages on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/YkYFvd8pWKs
Schaut zu wie wir über diese Stadien auf YouTube reden hier: https://youtu.be/qjqEzYlx8tY