Maple Sugar

[TooManyIrons...]

I originally posted this in a thread in the "Tapping-Minnesota 2016" forum but another member suggested that I post it in this forum as well where more people might see and enjoy it, so here it is.

Finished the maple sugar project. Processed 18 quarts (4.5 gallons) of syrup into 23 quarts of sugar, 40 pounds dry weight. Used up all my remaining syrup inventory from previous years, 1 gallon was from this year's harvest. I do this project using only common equipment found in any home kitchen.

Quart jar on far left contains what I call maple "dots" which are 3/32" (2.4mm) round sugar particles that are screened out of the hard sugar rocks that remain from the sifting process. I put them in a shaker so they can be used as maple sprinkles on my morning oatmeal or other foods. Quart jar on far right contains various sizes of larger sugar rocks, what remained at the end of the entire process. The hard rocks could be crushed down further and more usable sugar sifted out but I lost interest. I will give them away as maple candy to my neighbors' children.

Everything is cleaned up, all the jars of syrup and sugar are now safely in storage. My 2016 maple syrup season is finished.

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x366/tak001966/MapleSugar2016R1_zps3aqxpzob.jpg (http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x366/tak001966/MapleSugar2016R1_zps3aqxpzob.jpg)

[littleTapper]

That's beautiful!

[PeddlerLakeSapper]

Nice, I need to try that.

[Jim Coleman]

Toomanyirons: I have been making syrup for many years but have never made sugar. I have from time to time had crystals form in the bottom of my jars and we pry it loose and use it in coffee.

In any event can you provide me with a quick "step by step" process in order to make some sugar?

I have made about 8 gallons of syrup this year and would like to try to make some sugar.

If you could advise me it would be much appreciated.

Jim Coleman

[TerryEspo]

I would give it a shot also to make sugar, looks delicious.

Hope we get a step by step reply.

I could even do a batch today, have 45 gallons boiled down to 2.5 gallons as I type, inside watching the thermometer now, 212F and hopefully raising !!

Thanks.

[wiam]

Heat syrup to 255-260. Use low heat at the end to avoid a or scorching. Stir. If it is a small batch in a sauce pan you can use an electric hand mixer.

[Galena]

I went to about 270 in a small saucepan, put it immediately into the mixing bowl of a 300-watt kitchenaid, put it on 6. It was fine for awhile, went through all the colour gradiations and was definitely changing texture...but I never saw sugar crystals, just went from a thick texture like shortbread cookie dough to....powder! That's right, I now have a 250ml jar of maple iciing sugar. Not what I had in mind but pretty awesome anyway :-)

But still want to make real sugar, as I have to lug maple with me when I go to visit BC soon, and am getting fed up with transporting a couple litres of syrup each time. Sugar is much lighter to carry!

[GeneralStark]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9F3vyHr-1U

From an expert. With a cool accent by the way...;)

[SeanD]

Shut up! That was too easy! I've stayed away from making sugar because all I've read is that they blow out Kitchen-Aids and you really need a big Hobart to do it safely.

Thank you, General for sharing that video and thank you, Jake for making it!

What was the amount of syrup to start with? What was the yield in sugar?

I use maple sugar to make cotton candy. I prefer the more granular, less powdery sugar. Is that controlled during the temp, stirring, or sifting stage?

Sean

[Galena]

I saw that vid too, fine and dandy if you've got the wrist strength. I'm hardly weak, but when I tried to do it that way last year I only got as far as the taffylike stage before I had to quit, and that was with a small quantity (like 500ml or less). I'm sticking with the KitchenAid!

[Sugarmaker]

You did a very nice job making your syrup into sugar!
Regards,
Chris

[Sugarmaker]

Here is my method and tools to make sugar.

Folks,
Maple sugar is a good product to make. Very few failed batches, Great shelf life, Good sales.
I learned to make it by hand first with maybe a quart of syrup. yes it takes good arm strength to get it done. I like to use a good medium or into the dark range of the grades.
I heat my syrup to 260 F (-0/+5 F). If you go less you tend to have more large lumps in the sugar. Higher temps you risk scorching the syrup.
Anyway here is the upper end of the mixing systems. Yes the Hobart is a great tool for making a gallon + of syrup into sugar.

Heating the syrup. (remember that not all syrup is created equal. late syrup sometimes doe not sugar (crystallize) well.) Also put defoamer or a little butter if allowed around the inside of the pan to help reduce boil over.
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee170/Sugarmaker/Maple%20related%20pictures/making%20sugar%201-18-15/DSC03519.jpg

Hobart counter top mixer ready for the hot syrup.
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee170/Sugarmaker/Maple%20related%20pictures/making%20sugar%201-18-15/DSC03520.jpg

cont.

[Sugarmaker]

cont,
carefully pour hot syrup into mixer.
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee170/Sugarmaker/Maple%20related%20pictures/making%20sugar%201-18-15/DSC03525.jpg

on low speed, ready for some maple action
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee170/Sugarmaker/Maple%20related%20pictures/making%20sugar%201-18-15/DSC03526.jpg

no need to wait, there is no cool down required.
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee170/Sugarmaker/Maple%20related%20pictures/making%20sugar%201-18-15/DSC03529.jpg

maybe 5-8 minutes into the cycle.
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee170/Sugarmaker/Maple%20related%20pictures/making%20sugar%201-18-15/DSC03530.jpg

cont,

[Sugarmaker]

cont,
10-15 minutes its almost done. remember that hot steam is given off during the mixing. Lots od condensation will be on the mixer. I stop and wipe off the head to minimize water droplets falling back into the sugar.
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee170/Sugarmaker/Maple%20related%20pictures/making%20sugar%201-18-15/DSC03531.jpg

We are done. This mixer can mix it too long also and make it into powder. You need to stop when the bowl is cooler to the touch and the sugar still has some creep left in it.
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee170/Sugarmaker/Maple%20related%20pictures/making%20sugar%201-18-15/DSC03532.jpg

Hope this helps.
Regards,
Chris

[Jim Coleman]

Chris: Thanks for the reply. We will certainly give this a try. It looks pretty simple and the granulated sugar is so convenient for so many uses. The video made it pretty clear as well.

Maple trees, giving sap and sugar, shade and oxygen, coolness, homes for wildlife, heat for fire, beauty and protection. We are so blessed in this neck of the woods to have such a tree....

Jim

thanks

Jim

[Moser's Maple]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9F3vyHr-1U

From an expert. With a cool accent by the way...;)

I don't know if I would go as far calling me an expert. I just feel the need to try to return some of the knowledge I have gained from both maple forums.


Shut up! That was too easy! I've stayed away from making sugar because all I've read is that they blow out Kitchen-Aids and you really need a big Hobart to do it safely.

Thank you, General for sharing that video and thank you, Jake for making it!

What was the amount of syrup to start with? What was the yield in sugar?

I use maple sugar to make cotton candy. I prefer the more granular, less powdery sugar. Is that controlled during the temp, stirring, or sifting stage?

Sean

Sean this was a very small batch. maybe 1 quart at the very most, I just wanted to show the process of making sugar, and to show in real time the the transformation it makes. I maybe yielded 1 1/2 pounds of refined sugar in the video.
granulars can be controlled by boiling point, point of agitation, aggressiveness of agitation, and size of sift screen used.


I saw that vid too, fine and dandy if you've got the wrist strength. I'm hardly weak, but when I tried to do it that way last year I only got as far as the taffylike stage before I had to quit, and that was with a small quantity (like 500ml or less). I'm sticking with the KitchenAid!

Galena this video was a direct result of people wanting to see the sugar process. Mainly from some of small producing students, or house wives that wanted to convert their syrup to sugar. I by no means expect anybody to try this size batch and hand method to do any "mass" volumes of sugar. I just wanted to show that it is fairly easy to do, and for the person to not be intimidated by the idea of making sugar. In our scale production process do not rely on hand stirring, but take advantage of electricity.
I have also found out that some are interested in making sugar, but after attending a class especially with Steve Childs they are more intimidated. See in Steve's classes he wear full face mask, heavy rubber gloves, and a heavy duty apron as a safety (and liability) measure. All of these are very good practices, but as you can probably tell being new to confections this could come off as intimidating. I have also been made aware of that seeing videos of the big commerical equipment can seem a bit over whelming to the new person. This is why I just wanted to post up a video on sugar and show all you need is "a pan, and your hand"

[Galena]

Jake, I did find the video very well done, very instructional and understood what you were doing for illustrative purposes, but at a guess your wrists are 2x as large as mine - overall I am very strong for a woman, but even just 500ml (I think it's a quart, I can't remember....how much is a pint and a quart respectively, in cups?) tried my patience and wrists, I was getting some pain happening, and I just can't afford to torque em out. I certainly don't plan to do mass volumes of sugar by hand, that's why I dropped $150 CDN (about $50 USD lol) on a barely used KitchenAid. But thanks for getting back to me! :-)

ETA: Chris, great illustrations. So I need to stop when I get to the cookie-dough like stage by the looks of it...I made maple icing sugar last time! BTW what's creep? Leftover syrup in the bottom?

[Sunday Rock Maple]

"This is why I just wanted to post up a video on sugar and show all you need is "a pan, and your hand"

We just did a batch and it turned out great --thanks a bunch for posting it!

[unc23win]

Thanks for sharing guys. Excellent video Jake, nice step by step Chris, and thanks for sharing General and others. Maybe I will get some time to make some after I make cream thanks again to Jake.

[gmc8757]

Thanks for sharing, first time seeming sugar be made. I have made candy and covered almonds a bunch of times - one tip I found very useful was to take a piece of butter and run it across in a line about 1" below the top of the pan quick. I found this tip on here somewhere and its been very helpful to keeping the syrup from boiling over.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sugarmaker]

Galena,
Generally my sugar is finer and more consistent in grain size than in the last picture. Looks a little lumpy! The term creep is when you spoon a bunch of sugar into a pile and the exterior surface "creeps" down the slope of the sugar. It is a measure of moisture content. (crude) Too wet it clumps and wont move. Too dry and it doesn't pile up much. Jake may be able to add to that.
The key I have found is to get close or over 260 F. (and yes butter or defoamer around the top inside edge of the pan is a must) Seems to work best. If you made maple icing then you may not have boiled it long enough or your syrup is not going to make sugar crystals well to begin with.
Regards,
Chris

[Galena]

Thanks Sugarmaker, helps a lot! I made a couple more batches of sugar and much happier with the results. Another batch turned out darker and got clumpy, this was before I realized why you had to wipe down the underside of the mixer! I just used the KitchenAid to grind it down on very low speed to sprinkles size. Next batch, I took it what I call the 'cookie dough' stage, which I'd say is the second-last pic in your last post, then took it off. I sieved it through a large sieve using a wooden spoon, and shook it out onto a baking sheet and left it out to dry a little more. Looks consistent and great!

[canaanmaple]

well it's easter, so I am resurrecting an old thread instead of starting a new one :P

searching for reasons of getting very fine sugar crystals when making sugar.... for some reason, when I use a 30 quart hobart stand mixer, I end up getting very fine crystals. (with almost nothing to sift out which is good I suppose) So I have seen it say temp matters, and I get same results with 255 or 260. (my water boils at 207) And I saw it say in this thread that mixing too long can turn it to powder. However, I don't mix too much longer than after the steam finally stops pouring off.
I prefer a coarser granular myself.

I am curious about what other factors can dictate the size of the granules in the end product? Grade of syrup too light maybe? Temp still not high enough? I do 2 gallon batches at once, yielding at least 13lbs each. Maybe Tim knows this coveted answer? :) Thanks!

[Sugarmaker]

canaamaple,
Well maybe my next batch will not be good, but made some nice sugar with good creep a month ago using just about the method and equipment you describe too. I do a gallon of Amber boiled to 260, pour it into the Hobart and begin to mix. I usually dont finish the batch till the bottom of the outside of the bowl is warm but not hot. I have stirred too long and it has made fine grains. Interesting that you stir only a little longer than the steam comes off? I have to go a lot longer. What speed do you mix at?
Humm? All syrup is not create equal for sure.
Regards,
Chris

[GeneralStark]

I make over 1k pounds of sugar annually and I find that there are no hard fast rules. I typically use a blend of amber and dark syrup to get more flavor and personally like to cook to 265F. I have found that using my process this yields a better texture sugar for most of my customers. The end user and your process will dictate what texture or quality sugar you will want to end up with.

That said a few factors you can control are how you cook the syrup, like what type of pan and the depth of the syrup, how much quantity at once you are cooking, how long you stir, how you sift and then how long you dry to get good creep. I typically end up with finer sugar if I cook beyond 265, or if the sugar is getting burned in the pan while cooking it. Turning the heat down as the syrup temp. gets higher is important IMO.

Invert sugar levels in the syrup are an important variable and can be a factor in the texture of the resulting sugar. The temp you cook to will also relate to the invert variable.

So, hard to say exactly what you can do to adjust the texture of your sugar but certainly these may be a few things to consider.

[canaanmaple]

canaamaple,
Well maybe my next batch will not be good, but made some nice sugar with good creep a month ago using just about the method and equipment you describe too. I do a gallon of Amber boiled to 260, pour it into the Hobart and begin to mix. I usually dont finish the batch till the bottom of the outside of the bowl is warm but not hot. I have stirred too long and it has made fine grains. Interesting that you stir only a little longer than the steam comes off? I have to go a lot longer. What speed do you mix at?
Humm? All syrup is not create equal for sure.
Regards,
Chris

I mix at the lowest speed possible. I've read elsewhere some people recommend going to 270-275 so I guess thats worth a try also. At least it sells well no matter what size crystals :)