|
 You
should never try to make toffee (or any
other candy
that requires boiling the sugar first), in humid or damp weather, because
the candy will not harden properly. The toffee will absorb water from the
air and turn into syrup. |
 QUESTION:
What's the difference between caramel and
toffee?
ANSWER: Caramel is a
fairly chewy candy that is soft at room temperature; toffee is harder and
somewhat brittle.
Toffee, while similar
to caramels, contains lower levels of dairy and fat-based ingredients. It
has a firmer texture as a result, and its cook temperature, 300 degrees F,
gives the confection more carmelization or flavor than caramels.
Both caramel and toffee are basically a
mixture of boiled sugar and butter made in a way similar to that of hard
candy except that more ingredients are added. Milk in a sweetened,
condensed, or evaporated form is normally used. Fats, such as butter or
vegetable oil, are mixed with cream or milk or some kind of syrup before
being added to the batch of candy. |
Toffee is a hard but chewy,
caramel colored candy made by cooking sugar, water (or cream or milk)
and usually butter or other fat. Other ingredients such as nuts or
chocolate are sometimes added. Depending on the recipe, a toffee mixture may be
cooked to anywhere from 236 degrees F to 300 degrees F measured with a candy
thermometer, or called the Hard Ball Stage. It is when syrup is
dropped into ice water and forms a hard ball which holds its shape on removal
but is still plastic.
1. Separation
- The Most Common Toffee Pitfall: Toffee
sometimes separates during cooking or when spread onto the pan, leaving a
buttery layer on the surface and a thicker mixture underneath. This is caused
when the liquid in the mixture evaporating too quickly, or stirring the mixture
too fast leading to the liquid and fat separating.
Salt in the recipe seems to stabilize the
mixture. Use salted butter, or if you use unsalted butter add ¼ teaspoon
of salt per stick of butter.
Be patient
because candy takes a long time to cook. Don't rush the process by turning up
the heat. Stir slowly and gently during
the final stages of cooking.
If the butter toffee does separate:
A. Continue to stir the
mixture. The toffee may remix on its own. Lower the heat, slowly stir, so not to
splash yourself with "really hot butter" until it comes back together.
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QUESTION:
When making toffee, I sometimes have a problem with the butter
separating from the sugar mixture when the temperature gets near 280
degrees. The recipe we had trouble with didn't call for any water. When we
changed recipes to one that called for water, we didn't have this problem.
What do you think could have caused this separation problem?
ANSWER: The additional
water will help get the temperature up before the sugar goes to
super-saturation. |
B. If gentle stirring
doesn't work, add hot water, a
tablespoon at a time, while the mixture cooks. Add no more than a total ¼ cup (4
tablespoons) to recipe calling for 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter. Add water slowly
and carefully as the water can cause the hot candy mixture to splatter.
Adding the hot water lowers the temperature
of the toffee mixture; therefore, continue to stir
and cook the toffee until it reaches
the correct temperature.
Ways to prevent this from happening include:
 | If you use a Candy Thermometer test it for
accuracy. |
| Use medium heat. |
| Use correct size of heavy-gauge saucepan. |
3. Crystallization:
One of the greatest frustrations in toffee making comes when a smooth
syrup turns quickly into a grainy mass. This is caused by sugar crystals that
have formed on the sides of the pan in the process of being stirred down into
the syrup.
Here are several ways to prevent crystallization:
| Dissolve sugar completely before mixture
boils. |
| If you notice any crystals on the side of the
pan, brush them down into the syrup with a pastry brush dipped into hot water
or tightly cover the saucepan and let the mixture cook for about 3 minutes.
This causes steam, thereby melting the sugar crystals that may have adhered to
the sides of the pan. |
| Avoid stirring syrup once it begins to boil
unless the recipe instructs otherwise. |
adapted from landolakes.com
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QUESTION:
I sometimes have trouble with the
chocolate popping off the top of the batch of toffee after it has cooled.
Sometimes I put it in freezer to cool it or store it, and sometimes it will
pop off. (Not usually) Is this because of humidity, temperature, brand of
chocolate or what?" ANSWER:
That's a good
question about the coating of chocolate popping off the toffee. The toffee was a bit too greasy when
the chocolate was applied. That happens sometimes if the fat in the recipe
separates for whatever reason. (Like with buttercrunch.) I always make sure
that I dry the surface of the candy well with lint-free absorbent towels
just before applying the tempered chocolate. Otherwise, the chocolate kind
of floats on a layer of fat.
Also, have the toffee at room temperature before you
pour the chocolate on top and when you break-it up to serve.
Barry Marcus, baking911.com Candy Expert
and Chef Instructor, Institute of Culinary Education, New York
QUESTION:
Sarah: I'm also having problems
with the toffee separating (I read your explanation that you posted from the
previous reader). Also, sometimes it looks as though the toffee is fine and
then when I pour it into the pan and it sits for a few minutes, it is very
grainy and I have to throw it away. What causes this grainy texture? Am I
not cooking it long enough or is it too long? Could it be the butter I'm
using? I'm using unsalted butter. I ran out of unsalted one time and used
Challenge European Style unsalted butter, but that didn't work either. The
box said it had less moisture and more butterfat so could this be the
problem? What does the corn syrup in your full-proof recipe do? Will it help
to adhere the toffee together so it doesn't separate so much. Also, I live
at almost 5,400 ft. in altitude. How much more or less do I need to cook my
toffee if, for example, the recipe calls for me to cook it until 300
degrees? Any help and insight you can give me would be very much
appreciated! Thank you! And, I will try your recipe too!
ANSWER: In
order for toffee to not separate, you have to keep stirring ALL THE TIME --
not fast, but keep it moving. The minute you stop, the fat wants to separate
out. The graininess is caused by not having enough butter in the recipe --
try adding a teaspoon or two more -- the fat prevents the graininess or
sugar crystallization from occurring -- but this is a balancing act because
I'm not sure how much more butter you really need -- it could be a teaspoon.
When you pour the toffee, "pour it thin"; that is, onto a larger area so it
is thinner and cools more quickly. The thicker it is and the longer it takes
to cool, the more it will tend to separate. When it does cool, take a paper
towel and wipe off the excess fat (from some separation, which is normal).
At your altitude, cook the mixture about 4 to 5 degrees F lower. Let me know
what happens.
- Barry
Marcus, baking911.com Candy Expert and Chef Instructor, Institute
of Culinary Education, New York
FOLLOW-UP:
Thank you so much for your long explanation and answers to ALL my toffee
questions. I tried the
Foolproof Toffee Recipe
that you recommended and stirred it for the entire time, constantly, but
slowly and gently, not fast. When I have stirred it fast in the past, it has
separated. Your recipe came out wonderfully and did not separate!!!!! If any
of you are looking for a fool-proof recipe as Sarah suggested, please try
her recipe! I will also try another toffee recipe that does not call for
corn syrup (only butter, sugar and water) and will try using an extra tsp.
of butter as you suggested. Thank you for your help! I'm going to the
bookstore today to purchase your new book,
Baking 9-1-1!
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