What can I add to boiled lollies to stop them from melting in humid weather?
I've made a gingerbread house this year and popped in stained glass windows. The windows are made of crushed up boiled lollies.
I baked the gingerbread, then added the windows, then baked the bread a further 15 minutes. Five days later the windows are melting because of air humidity. How can I stop this from happening? Is there something I can add to the boiled lollies to keep them hard?
Best Answer
To be precise, the lollies are not melting. They are absorbing water from the air.
If you're really just crushing the lollies (not melting them and re-casting them into sheets of "glass") then you're accelerating the absorption process by increasing the surface area.
Does it need to be out in the open for five days? I'm surprised the gingerbread hasn't gone soggy (actually, I'm surprised it's not been eaten). I would consider putting it in an airtight box until it's ready to serve.
Otherwise, you might be able to make the windows last longer by reducing their water content. Put the crushed lollies in a pan, bring them to the boil and let them simmer to lose more water. Use a sugar thermometer to find the necessary stopping point. Be careful not to burn the sugar. Then pour onto a flat greased surface, to solidify into "glass".
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Quick Answer about "What can I add to boiled lollies to stop them from melting in humid weather?"
How do you keep hard candy from melting?
A couple of other tips to help you get the best results and prevent hard candy from melting are as follows: Heat the mixture quickly (at high heat) without stirring throughout the cooking. Bring the candy to 300\xb0 to get the hardest results. It may start to color (brown) at that stage, so watch it.How do you make candy in humid weather?
Making Candy on a Humid Day It's best to make candy on a cool, dry day. If it's humid or rainy, the candy might end up with a more sugary, grainy texture. If you are making candy on a hot or humid day, cook the candy until the thermometer registers 1 to 2 degrees higher than the recipe specifies.How do you keep candy from getting sticky?
5 Ways to Reduce Hard Candy StickinessDoes humidity affect toffee making?
Humidity is more likely to affect the texture of the toffee, taking away the crunch and making it limp or saucy. Also, unless you're adding an acid or some fructose, you're not likely to absorb all that much water.Preventing Cake Condensation when using Fondant in a Humid Climate
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