SUGAR WORK

HISTORY

• 400 years B.C. Traveling companions reported to Alexander

the Great, in INDIA they produced honey without assistance
from the bees.
• 300 years B.C. The production of sugar as a solid began in
INDIA.
• 15th century. Sugar was transported by discoverers to the West
Indies, Central & South.
SUGAR BEGINS…
• 17th century- Sugar cane completely dominated the world as
luxury and expensive commodities.
• 1747 – German chemist, A.S. Margraft, proved by experiment
that the sugars in sugar beet and the tropical sugar cane were
identical.
• 1801- Franz Karl Achard, founded first sugar beet factory, in
lower Silesia, Germany.
• 20th Century- Production process were likewise improved.
Sugar as a common commodities.
 DECORATIVE WORK : SUGAR
TECHNIQUE
• This chapter is an introduction to sugar work.
• Beginning from the spun sugar and sugar cages and
proceeding to the more difficult pulled and blown sugar.
• The sugar is boiled at 149°c-160°c and shaped while still hot.
• A chemical change during boiling called inversion.
 BOILING SYRUP PROCESS

• A molecule of double sugar (sucrose) combines with a

molecule of water and change into two molecules of simple
sugar (dextrose and levulose).
• Invert sugar resists crystallization, and plain sucrose
(granulated sugar) crystallize easily.
• The amount of sugar inverted depends on the amount of acid
present.
 BOILING SYRUP PROCESS

• If too much cream of tartare or glucose is added, too much

sugar inverted. The sugar is too soft and sticky to work and
doesn’t harden enough when cool.
• If not enough cream of tartare or glucose, too little sugar is
inverted, so the sugar is hard and difficult to work and easily
to broken.
• The temperature is important. The higher, the harder the sugar
will be.
 BOILING SYRUP PROCESS

• The lowest, the easier and handy to work. But will not last
long as for display, especially in a humid climate.
 TEMPERATURE STAGE

°F °C
•Thread 230 110
•Soft ball 240 115
•Firm ball 245 118
•Hard ball 250–260 122–127
•Small crack 265–270 130–132
•Crack 275–280 135–138
•Hard crack 290–310 143–155
•Caramel 320–340 160–170
 UTENSILS NEEDED:

Sugar Silicon mat Scissors

thermometer

Cut off wire

whip Rubber Sugar lamp
gloves
• Stainless steel pot
• Cooper pot
• Pastry brush
• Metal scraper
• Wooden spoon / Silicone
• Sieve
• Marble/granite surface
• Silicon mold /casting
• Silica gel
 SUGAR CASTING

• Water 400 gm
• Sugar 1000 gm
• Glucose 200 gm
• Colouring as needed
• Boil to 142c add coloring > boil to 156c
PROCEDURE FOR SUGAR CASTING

• Place oiled mold on oiled marble slab

• Heat boiling sugar syrup to 330˚F (165˚C)
• Plunge base of pan into cold water
• Remove and let stand to thicken slightly
• Pour syrup into mold to desired thickness
• Cool for five minutes
• Remove mold
• When fully cooled, remove from
marble with palette knife
 ISOMALT SUGAR (PULL & BLOWN)

Isomalt sugar 1000 gm

Water 100 gm
Coloring as needed

Boil to 165⁰C. Carry over boiling to 168⁰C

 SUGAR PULLING & BLOWING
• Sugar caster 1000gm
• Water 350gm
• Glucose 300gm - 115°c
• Tartaric Acid 35 to 45 drops - 142°c
• Colouring as needed - 142°c
• Boil to 152°c >monitor to 158°c / 159°c
Tartaric Solutions
Cream of Tartar 10g
Warm water 50g

Boil to 142c add acid and colour > boil to 152c stop at 158c

**Tartaric acid helps to retain the pliability of the sugar. Add tartaric acid in before coloring as it will not
react much anymore if the temperature of the sugar passes 165°
 WHAT IS SUGAR BLOWING?

• Sugar blowing is specially worked and then molded into

various shapes.
• Traditionally, sugar was blown with the mouth, using a length
of tube.
• Nowadays, the use of blowpipe inflated with a squeeze bulb
become common.
PROCEDURE FOR
BLOWN SUGAR
• Roll hot pulled sugar into ball.
• Indent with wooden rod.
• Replace rod with blowpipe and seal.
• Inflate slowly, shaping object as it grows.
• Heat end to detach, shape stem with fingers.
• To make round objects, hold pipe upwards.
• To make long objects, point pipe downwards.
 PROCEDURE FOR PULLED SUGAR

• Heat boiling sugar syrup to 320˚F (160˚C)

• Plunge base of pan into cold water
• Remove and let stand to thicken slightly
• Pour onto oiled marble slab; let cool
• Before hardening, begin folding edges into center
• When cool, lift up, and stretch and fold until it crackles
• Cut into pieces and place under sugar lamp
• Stretch and fold pieces 12–20 times
until they are pearled
PROCEDURE FOR SPINNING SUGAR

• Lightly oil two wooden rods

• Spread out paper on floor
• Bring boiling sugar syrup to 300˚F (149˚C)
• Remove from heat and plunge pan bottom
into cold water
• Remove from water and let stand to thicken slightly
• Dip wire whip with cut ends into hot sugar
• Wave solution over rods to catch long threads
• Lift mass off rod and coil or shape as desired
 BASIC PROCEDURE FOR BOILING
SUGAR SYRUP
• Make sure you have prepared all materials and tools, the mis
en place.
• In a cooper pan, bring water to boil
• Add sugar slowly
• Strain all the impurities with a strainer at the beginning before
the boiling point.
• Wash any crystals down from the side of the pan with pastry
brush
 BOILING SUGAR

• At 115°c, add the glucose. This stage is to prevent

recrystalization of the sugar.
• At 135◦c, add colouring. Water dissolved powdered food
colour. Only black and blue to add in at 148°c.
• Only by Sugar Pulling & Blowing to add colour by 142°c,
and the correct amount of Tartaric Acid. The asid helps
prevent crystalization.
 BOILING SUGAR

• Only for sugar casting to add colour Milk White (artificial

white colour) at 150°c.
• Stop boiling the sugar syrup at 152°c
• Soak the bottom pan with cold liquid to prevent carry over
cooking and to reduce the boiling point, or directly pour the
sugar syrup onto cold, oiled marble.
 BOILING SUGAR

• Fold the hot sugar with bench scrapper or spatula.

• Once the sugar has cooled sufficiently that it does not spread
anymore.
• The sugar can be folded with the finger tips instead of bench
screpper.
• Take care, the sugar is still extremely HOT
 QUESTIONS

1. What is the purpose of using tartaric acid?

2. What is the function of silica gel?
3. Name 3 techniques of sugar art?