How can I minimize crumbliness in agar based candies?
3.5% agar agar makes a sturdy gel, which can be used to make candy. However, instead of dissolving smoothly in the mouth, the agar tends to break down into small chunks. Would adding a percent or two of gelatin add meltiness, or is there some other additive that is commonly used to improve mouth feel in candies of this type?
April 12 Update: Tried various combinations of Agar with gelatin, glycerol, xanthan gum, tapioca flour. 3% agar with 2.5% tapioca was least crumbly, but still not great. Tapioca alone is pretty sticky stuff, and not suitable for pressing into molds, but with the addition of glycerol to keep it from hardening it can be made into blobs of vaguely palatable candy that don't crumble in your mouth.
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I took a look here http://blog.khymos.org/recipe-collection/ but i see no recipe that fixes agar's crumbliness. All the candy recipes use gelatin or cornstarch.
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How do you make hard gummy candy?
The cold temp will help the gummies set up faster. After a half-hour in the chiller, you can pop all of the gummies out the molds and arrange them upright somewhere out of the way so that they can begin to dehydrate and toughen up. Standing them like this is the best way to maximize surface-to-air exposure.Can you bake agar agar?
Gelatin is not vegetarian. This is not a surprise to you. The good news is that there is a vegan substitute for gelatin called agar-agar, which is a product derived from algae. Agar-agar looks and acts similar to gelatin, but it's made without any animal products at all, making it just right for any home cook or baker.What does agar agar do in baking?
Agar agar is a gelling agent extracted from red algae, which is mainly used for setting jellies. Because gelatine is made from animal collagen, agar agar makes a viable vegetarian alternative.Diana and the New Candy Series
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