Molasses is a liquid sweet syrup that is often used in confectionery. The beauty and main difference between molasses and sugar is that the syrup does not crystallize and therefore products with it remain fresh and soft longer. In addition, baked goods prepared using molasses acquire a special taste.
You can’t buy this ingredient in every store, so it’s easier to prepare molasses at home.
How to prepare molasses?
Ingredients:
- sugar – 350 g;
- water – 150 ml;
- citric acid – 2 g;
- baking soda – 1.5 g.
Preparation
Boil water in a saucepan as it needs to be hot for the recipe. Dissolve sugar in it and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Then add citric acid to the syrup, cover the pan with a lid and cook over low heat for 45 minutes. Cool the finished syrup a little. Add a little water to the baking soda, stir, then transfer the mixture to the cooled liquid and mix everything again.
The mixture will begin to foam strongly, leave it to infuse for 10-15 minutes. Once the foaming has stopped, your molasses is ready to use. If a little foam remains on the surface, simply remove it with a spoon. The finished syrup can be stored in a glass container in the refrigerator.
Sweet molasses
Most often, molasses is made from brown or black sugar (molasses), which is why it is also called dark molasses. According to the recipe we have proposed, you will need no more than 10 minutes to prepare it.
Ingredients:
- brown sugar or molasses - 5 tbsp. spoon;
- water – 1-2 tbsp. spoons.
Preparation
Place brown sugar in a saucepan, add water and cook the syrup over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has completely melted. After this, bring the liquid to a boil, let it simmer for 3-5 minutes and remove from heat. Leave the molasses to cool at room temperature and then use for baking.
Light molasses at home
Some recipes contain an ingredient such as light molasses, which, like dark molasses, can be prepared at home. We will tell you how to make light molasses, for which you will need regular white sugar instead of brown sugar.
Ingredients:
- regular sugar - 7 tbsp. spoon;
- water – 3 tbsp. spoons.
Preparation
Pour sugar into a saucepan or bowl, add water and heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Place the syrup on the stove and let it simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, let the syrup cool and then use as directed.
Honey molasses
Making honey molasses at home is not a big problem, and the syrup turns out quite thick and viscous.
Ingredients:
- brown sugar - 3 tbsp. spoons;
- honey - 3 tbsp. spoons;
- water – 1 tbsp. spoon.
Preparation
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and simmer over low heat until the sugar melts. Then bring the syrup to a boil and let it simmer for about 5-7 minutes. Remove the honey molasses from the heat and let it cool.
Fruit molasses
The syrup recipe we offer uses grapes, but if desired, they can be replaced with other berries that contain a lot of sugar, the result will not be worse.
Take the ripest bunches of grapes you can find, rinse them in cold water and squeeze out the juice. Strain the resulting mass through cheesecloth, pour the juice into a saucepan and simmer over low heat until it becomes thick. Be sure to stir the juice periodically with a wooden spatula. The finished molasses should be dark yellow in color.
Source: womanadvice.ru
Although molasses is sweet, it is not a solution of sugar (sucrose). You can buy molasses if you look for it, or you can make it at home. Homemade molasses will help us prepare healthy Russian homemade kvass. Molasses is a semi-finished product in the production of sugar and starch at sugar and starch factories, a semi-liquid mass, similar in consistency to young liquid honey. There are white (starch) and black molasses (sugar beet). Molasses is used as an essential component in the production of gingerbread, as well as some types of bread...” - excerpt from V.V. Pokhlebkin’s “Culinary Dictionary”. In terms of its chemical composition, white (starch) molasses is a mixture of polymers that are formed during incomplete breakdown of starch: dextrin, maltose, glucose (may or may not be present). In terms of their monomer composition, starch, dextrin and maltose are glucose.
There's a catch here because technically, molasses is not sugar.
This fact allows molasses-based products to be labeled as “sugar-free.” But in fact, when dextrins enter the body, they are easily broken down into monomers - glucose. At the same time, the concentration of glucose in the blood increases sharply, which leads to the release of insulin and loads the pancreas. That is, molasses-based food products are subject to the same restrictions as sugar-containing products. Use with caution for people suffering from diabetes and obesity. Do not abuse. After all, excess glucose is stored as fat in adipose tissue. Do not underestimate the beneficial properties of molasses for our body. Molasses contains such important microelements for our body as potassium (needed by the heart), phosphorus (needed by bones, teeth and to ensure normal metabolism), sodium (needed by nerves), calcium (needed by teeth, bones, muscles), magnesium (needed by for normal metabolism), iron (needed for breathing). The benefits of molasses are also enormous for the food industry. Its use gives the products the following properties: shelf life increases, solubility of added ingredients (sugar, for example) improves, e.g. slot). To increase the naturalness of the product, we use an enzymatic method. For this we will use barley malt as it contains enzymes to break down starch. So, the recipe for homemade white molasses : 1. In a saucepan (preferably thick-walled), heat 4 liters of water to 40C (so that your hand can be lowered). And add crushed barley malt. 2. Dilute 1 kg of starch (potato or corn) with warm water. 3. Pour the starch solution into the pan with the malt solution in a thin stream, kneading well. Next is the most technically difficult step: you need to keep the resulting mass at a temperature of 60C and no higher for 7-8 hours. The options may be different: using an oven, convection oven, stove, etc. 4. Strain and boil to the desired thickness. So it turned out to be molasses. May have a malty taste. In order to remove it, bone meal is introduced into the manufacturing process. To prepare black molasses at home, take the squeezed juice of any sweet fruit, berries or beets (preferably sugar beets) and boil to the desired thickness.
Good luck! Source: www.zdravnso.ru
Composition of the product
Molasses is a by-product that is obtained through the process of incomplete hydrolysis of starch (a by-product of sugar production). It contains maltose, glucose and dextrin in varying proportions. Musales is the name given to sugar syrup made from grapes by the peoples of the Caucasus.
The product has gained high popularity among chefs not only for its sweetness. Its benefits include a large amount of vitamin B and beneficial microelements. The harm lies in the large amount of sugar in the composition and calorie content. Therefore, consumption of the product should be in limited quantities, and people with diabetes or obesity should exclude this sweetness from the diet altogether, as it can trigger a peak in blood sugar levels.
Features of bait production depending on the weather and time of day
In cold weather, when the water becomes noticeably colder, fish begin to react worse to bait mixtures with a pronounced sweet aroma. In hot weather, on the contrary, carp prefers sweet compounds and responds well to fruit and caramel aroma, while it is recommended to add an activator even to rich store-bought food.
In the daytime, with good lighting, carp can easily notice even complementary food that blends in with the color of the soil. At night, the fish have to rely only on their sense of smell, so it is recommended to add bright particles made from millet or barley colored with food dyes to the bait intended for fishing in the dark.
Read: The Best Winter Lures for Perch
Varieties of molasses
Molasses, as a secondary product of sugar production, differs not only in color - black and light. Its type directly depends on the production raw materials. When processing sugar cane or beets, black molasses (beet molasses) is obtained. Light syrup is made from starchy products. There are several varieties of the latter:
- wheat;
- barley;
- corn;
- rye;
- potato;
- tapioca;
- sorghum
Nowadays you can find maltose, glucose, high-sugar or low-sugar molasses on sale.
Caramel
The most popular used in the culinary industry. Caramel molasses is the first type of light starch molasses that began to be produced in the Russian food industry. It consists of more than 50% polysaccharides. It also contains a small amount of maltose and glucose. In appearance it is a viscous, transparent, sometimes yellowish liquid. It is produced mainly from barley malt or corn. The scope of application in cooking is wide - candies, ice cream, creams and glazes, gingerbread cookies, desserts, lollipops. It is also used in alcohol production.
Advantages of this variety:
- regulation of the process of formation of sugar crystals;
- preserving the taste of products for a long time;
- combination with milk protein gives the product a wonderful color and taste.
Maltose
Its main component is maltose, the glucose content in it is no more than 10%. It comes in 2 colors - black and light . The first is used in baking white bread and buns, the second - in the preparation of gingerbread, cookies and some types of sweets. Light maltose syrup has a viscous transparent liquid consistency.
Black - has a brown tint and lower density. Its use in baking production helps prevent the rapid staleness of bread and increases the fluffiness of the product. Before replacing maltose molasses, you need to inquire about the percentage of glucose in the substitute product. It should be close to maltose.
Highly sugared and low sugared
Highly sugared molasses is a product with a high sugar content; it contains more than 40% glucose. It found application in baking biscuits and varieties of black custard bread. It is also used in canning and production of ice cream, ketchup, sauces, jams and beer.
The presence of glucose in low-sugar syrup does not exceed 8%. It has a very viscous consistency. Its properties allow the product to keep its shape and prevent crystallization of sucrose. It is used not only in the confectionery business, but also in the construction and metallurgical industries.
Thus, in industrial culinary production, almost all confectionery products and bread are prepared with the addition of molasses.
- It adds sweetness, interesting color and taste.
- Molasses carbohydrates are better absorbed by the body.
- The cost of producing products with natural sweeteners is noticeably lower.
- The shelf life of products increases.
Molasses
Molasses differs from previous types of molasses in the method of its production (from beets and cane), syrupy mass and peculiar smell. Black molasses is used as syrup in cooking, and also as a natural sweetener, rich in vitamins, microelements and inorganic calcium.
Molasses - what is it?
Molasses is a syrup, initially colorless, obtained by saccharification of starch. There are two types of molasses: white and black. The difference lies in the use of different types of starch. For black - beet sugar, for white - corn, starch or potato. Its appearance only resembles extracted honey. The composition of molasses is as follows:
- deistrin - from 0% to 70%;
- maltose - from 20% to 85%;
- glucose - from 0% to 50%.
Application, composition, production of molasses
Used in baking, can be used as a sweetener. When added, it turns the color of the dish brown. Thanks to the addition of molasses to different types of breads, as well as other baked goods, the products are more fluffy and porous. At the same time, it acts as an anti-crystallizer when cooking caramel, jam, and producing various juices.
This product consists of three components: glucose, dextrin, oligosaccharides
.
As a result of a chemical reaction, starch syrup is obtained. The calorie content of the product is about 300–320 kcal per 100 grams
. Of them:
- Proteins - 0 g
- Fats - 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates - 78.3 g
To prepare honey syrup you will need about 0.5 kg of honey, 0.5 kg of white sugar, 200 ml of water.
You need to mix all the ingredients in a container and leave on low heat until the sugar has completely melted. From time to time the contents of the pan must be stirred.
After boiling, wait about 6 minutes. After this, remove from heat and cool.
Starch syrup, corn syrup, sugar syrup
It looks clear, colorless, very viscous, sweet liquid, odorless - all these are signs of starch syrup. High density. Due to the very low amount of reducing substances (about 40%), starch syrup stabilizes confectionery products - marshmallows and bizet. Having a low percentage of glucose in the product (about 15 - 20%), it allows you to retain a significant amount of moisture, which is important when preparing marmalade or other gelled products.
Due to the long washout time with water, this natural concentrate is used in conjunction with components for the preparation of fish bait. The low sweetness of molasses allows people with diabetes or on a diet to add this product to their diet; it does not pose a danger to children.
The syrup resulting from the hydrolysis of corn is an almost ideal substitute for homemade white sugar.
.
It looks like liquid honey. Calorie content - 316 kcal per 100 grams
of product.
Contains vitamins A, B, E, H, PP
.
And also trace elements: zinc, copper, chromium, fluorine, cobalt, nickel, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, calcium, selenium
. The presence of fast carbohydrates makes this product indispensable for people involved in sports and for those who want to lose weight.
In the culinary field, it can be used during the preparation of bread and sweet products. It is corn syrup concentrate that tends to caramelize, so it is often added to marmalade, pie fillings and jams. Together they act as a natural preservative, allowing food to be stored longer. One of the important differences is the price - it is much less than sugar and its production. We can safely say that corn syrup is much cheaper and more profitable than sugar.
The most widely used type of raw material. It has a light brown color and a sweet taste. It is still used in confectionery and brewing. Due to the fact that the sugar concentrate does not contain chemical acids and catalysts, it remains liquid and viscous for a long time. Low density.
Selection and storage
When buying molasses, you should pay attention to the taste; if it is too sweet, you should not buy this product, this means that it has not been processed. To use molasses in its pure form, it is best to choose white molasses; for baking, black molasses. It is recommended to store such a product in a cool place, out of direct sunlight. Can be used for up to two years.
Benefits and harms
This syrup in the form of molasses is definitely beneficial for the human body due to a wide range of microelements, vitamins and minerals. Pregnant women will only benefit from consumption; the sweetness will also be appreciated by women during menopause. Doctors recommend consuming molasses for patients with ulcers. With regular use, the functioning of the central nervous system improves, the productivity of brain activity increases, and a person feels great without fatigue or pain in the body. It is very useful for children as the body grows, as it has a high amount of iron and calcium. Due to the high content of magnesium and potassium, the functioning of the cardiovascular system improves.
Like all products, molasses can become an allergen or cause allergies. If abused, there may be a risk of diabetes mellitus or similar diseases. There is a danger of obesity and excessive weight gain.
Syrup
is a product of fermented starch.
Any type of starch, for example, potato or corn, can be used as the final raw material. Another name is also common among people, for example, artificial honey or syrup. Molasses can be considered a semi-finished product that is obtained in the production of sugar and starch.
The result is a semi-liquid mass that has a consistency like young honey (see photo). The taste of the product is slightly sweeter compared to sugar.
Molasses is used in the confectionery industry to improve the taste and variety of color of the product. Molasses is also used in making ice cream, as it reduces the freezing limit. In addition to sweets, molasses is used in the production of beer, soft drinks, jam, etc.
According to GOST, certain types of molasses are distinguished, for example, caramel, maltose, malt, highly sugared, etc. It has achieved popularity due to the following properties:
- increases sugar solubility;
- retains moisture, which allows baked goods to not go stale for a long time;
- acts as a preservative;
- reduces the freezing limit of dairy drinks;
- improves the taste and aroma of the product.
How to select and store?
When choosing molasses, if possible, be sure to try it; if the product has not been processed, its taste will be very sweet. If you just want to eat molasses like syrup, then choose the white version, but for baking, black molasses is better. It is necessary to store molasses in a tightly closed container, away from sunlight in a cool place. The shelf life is no more than 2 years.
Beneficial features
The benefits of molasses are due to the presence of vitamins and minerals. It is recommended to use it during pregnancy. The product helps improve well-being during menopause.
Molasses is recommended to be consumed during the treatment of ulcers. With regular consumption, the product has a positive effect on brain activity and improves the functioning of the nervous system, which in turn helps to cope with headaches, fatigue, insomnia and stress. Molasses is an excellent source of iron and calcium, minerals that are important for normal growth and development. It contains magnesium and potassium, which are necessary for the cardiovascular system.
Use in cooking
Molasses is used in the manufacture of various sweets. It is included in some types of bread, as well as gingerbread and other baked goods. Molasses can act as a syrup for various desserts and can also be used to make sauces.
Secrets of making molasses at home
The question of making molasses with your own hands at home very often worries housewives who have begun to prepare some kind of dessert, because molasses is often used in recipes for making sweets, but you can’t find it in the store. However, creating such a product yourself will not be difficult. You can find the most common recipes for making molasses at home in the table below.
Type of molasses | Recipe Ingredients | Preparation |
Watermelon | watermelons – 5-6 pcs. | Making watermelon molasses at home is not a labor-intensive task, but quite time-consuming. So, watermelons need to be washed and then divided into halves. Using a spoon, remove the pulp from each half and place it in a copper bowl. Then the pulp must be crushed with a puree masher, after which it must be passed through 2-3 layers of gauze. Next, the watermelon juice is brought to a boil over high heat; it should boil for no more than two minutes. At the end of the announced time, the fire is turned off, and the future molasses is left to cool for 10 minutes. Then it is again passed through cheesecloth and boiled over low heat until the desired thickness. The watermelon molasses needs to be stirred periodically to prevent it from burning. The specified number of watermelons yields only one half-liter jar. |
White sugar (refined) molasses | refined sugar – 350 grams; water – 150 ml; citric acid – 2 grams; baking soda – 1.5 grams | The specified amount of water must be boiled on the stove, and then refined sugar should be dissolved in it. After the future molasses boils, add citric acid to it. Then cover the container with molasses with a lid and keep on low heat for 45 minutes. Afterwards, turn off the heat and cool the sweet syrup a little, and then add one and a half grams of baking soda, diluted in a small amount of warm water. After this manipulation, the sweet sugar molasses will begin to foam, and it will be ready a quarter of an hour after the end of foaming. |
From grapes | grapes – 1 kg | Grape molasses at home is prepared according to the same principle as watermelon molasses. So, the washed grapes are squeezed through a juicer and then placed in a saucepan. Boil this molasses in a water bath until one third of its volume remains of the mass. |
apples – 4 kg | Apple molasses, like any other fruit molasses, is prepared using the same pattern. The fruits are squeezed through a juicer, and then the resulting juice is boiled over low heat until the required thickness. | |
Fruity | any sweet juicy fruit | Making this type of molasses with your own hands is similar to making apple molasses. |
Black molasses molasses or cane honey molasses | cane sugar – 3 tbsp; natural bee honey – 3 tbsp; water – 1 tbsp. | Pour the specified amount of cane sugar with water and place on the stove. Keep the cane molasses on the stove until the sugar is completely dissolved in it, then let the sweet liquid simmer for another 5-6 minutes. Leave the molasses to cool, and when it is warm, dissolve the honey in it. Once cooled, the black cane molasses will be ready for further use. |
And finally, a few secrets in working with molasses:
- If you need to measure a certain amount of molasses when preparing a dish, spray the measuring cup with a special cooking spray or grease it with vegetable oil in advance. This way you can pour out every last drop of molasses.
- To get rid of the acidity of molasses, use baking soda.
Homemade molasses
Making sweetener at home is easy. It is enough to maintain the exact dosage of the products.
There are 2 recipes for making white molasses:
- 50 g sugar, water - 150 ml. Mix sugar with water in a container. Cook at low temperature until sugar dissolves. Let simmer over moderate heat for five minutes.
- Granulated sugar - 350 g, water - 150 ml, citric acid - 2 g, soda - 0.5 tsp. Put sugar into boiling water. Let it boil. Add citric acid. Cover the container with a lid and cook the mixture for ¾ hours over moderate heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Cool the glucose syrup and pour in soda diluted in water. The mixture will begin to foam, it must be stirred well. Leave for 15 minutes. Remove any remaining foam from the surface.
- To make beetroot you will need: peeled sugar beets - 700 g, granulated sugar - 6 tbsp. spoons Extract the juice from the vegetable using a juicer. Add sugar to the container with juice. Place the mixture on the burner and let it boil. Reduce the temperature and cook until the amount of product is reduced by 3 times. The finished product has a liquid consistency, dark, brown color and a burnt sugar taste.
You can make fruit or berry syrup in the same way.
Sweet syrup must be stored in the refrigerator, otherwise the product will become moldy and become unfit for consumption.
Source: chebo.pro
Molasses - recipes and preparation
Making molasses at home is not difficult; it is more difficult to buy it in a store.
Prepare molasses from granulated sugar, this is the main ingredient.
Molasses is used to prepare confectionery products.
I bring to your attention recipes for making molasses.
Recipe No. 1
- granulated sugar – 350 g;
- water – 150 ml;
- citric acid – 2 g;
- baking soda – 1.5 g;
How to prepare molasses:
- To prepare molasses, you need to boil water, dissolve granulated sugar in water, and bring the syrup to a boil. As soon as it boils, add citric acid, cover the pan with a lid and boil everything for 45 minutes.
- After some time, the molasses is ready; you need to cool it a little and add baking soda diluted with a small amount of water. The molasses must be mixed thoroughly; it will begin to foam strongly. The molasses will be ready after 15 minutes, as soon as the foaming stops.
- If foam remains on the surface, it must be removed with a spoon. The molasses can be poured into a glass container and stored in the refrigerator.
Recipe #2: Brown Molasses
- brown sugar – 5 tbsp. l.;
- water – 1-2 tbsp. l.;
How to make brown molasses:
- I put a small saucepan on the fire, pour in brown sugar and add water, stirring until the sugar dissolves. The molasses must be stirred constantly so that it does not burn.
- I boil the molasses for 3-5 minutes, remove from the heat and leave to cool. After the molasses has cooled, it can be used to add to gingerbread or shortcakes.
Recipe No. 3: Honey Molasses
- brown sugar - 3 tbsp. l.;
- honey - 3 tbsp. l.;
- water – 1 tbsp. l.;
How to make honey molasses:
- I place all the ingredients in a saucepan and start cooking over low heat until the sugar dissolves.
- I boil the molasses for 5-7 minutes and cool them at room temperature, the molasses will turn out very thick and viscous.
Recipe No. 4: Light Molasses
- granulated sugar – 7 tbsp. l.;
- water – 3 tbsp. l.;
How to make light molasses:
- Pour granulated sugar into a saucepan, add water and place on low heat until the granulated sugar is completely dissolved.
- I boil the syrup over low heat for 5 minutes, remove the syrup from the heat, cool and use it for baking.
Recipe No. 5: Grape molasses
- grapes – 500 g;
How to make grape molasses:
- I squeeze the juice out of ripe grapes; for this you can use gauze, put the grapes in it, and simply squeeze the juice into the pan.
- I put the pan on low heat and boil until the molasses becomes thick, while the grape molasses must be stirred constantly to avoid burning. The finished molasses should be dark yellow in color.
What it is?
The product is a semi-finished product that can be considered a by-product of the starch and sugar production process. It looks like a semi-liquid mass, the consistency is a little like fresh honey.
This syrup is widely used for preparing various products, since sweet molasses can easily replace sugar and honey. Mainly used on an industrial scale in the production of bread: rye, Karelian and some others, gingerbread, sauces, sweets, beer. When added, it imparts flavor and a characteristic brownish color to the finished product. In addition, sugar molasses increases viscosity, making the finished baked goods more dense and porous.
The composition of molasses is as follows - in fact, the product is a mixture of three components dissolved in water: glucose, dextrin, oligosaccharides. Only starch syrup is obtained as a by-product. The remaining types of this sweet transparent syrup are made specifically for further use in the food industry.
Kinds
There are several most common options used in cooking. The most common is starch, but it is also divided into several types:
- Maltose molasses has a brown color and a sweet taste with malt notes (maltose is found in large quantities in sprouted grains of rye and barley). It is obtained through the process of saccharification of starch-containing raw materials, for example, corn, with special enzymes, after which the syrup is filtered and boiled to a viscosity. Today it is used not only in the confectionery industry, but also in brewing. Due to the fact that no chemical acids or catalysts are used in the production process, maltose syrup does not crystallize for a long time and remains liquid and viscous. Mainly used for marmalade, canning, baking, being a cheaper sugar substitute.
- Caramel molasses is obtained by processing corn, sugar beets or cane. That is why it is divided into several types: beet molasses, cane molasses. It is this dark molasses that is most often used at home, as it is optimal for creating baked goods and desserts.
- Black molasses is slightly different from other types of products, it has a darker color and a specific smell. The syrup is made from cane and sugar beets; molasses and molasses are rarely used in cooking in North America. The composition contains about half of sucrose and some impurities that make its use for food purposes impossible. The main place of use is the production of animal feed, brewing, and some industries.
- Corn syrup is used in the food industry as a sweetener. It can be made in industrial conditions by softening an ear of corn in boiling water, after which a solution of sulfur oxide is added to the mass, which intensifies the process of formation of lactobacilli. After this, the solution is washed, dehydrated, diluted with acid, during which the starch turns into sugar. Corn syrup is several times sweeter than regular sugar and also has a viscous consistency, which is why it is used in confectionery and bakery production.
- Watermelon molasses is also called nardek. This product is mainly sold in areas where melons are abundant. During the production process, the watermelon pulp is crushed, the juice is squeezed out, and it is boiled until thick for about a day. The resulting syrup has a very thick consistency, dark color, almost black, and a slight bitterness.
Today, preparation is put on industrial “rails,” but preparing molasses at home is also not difficult. As a substitute for molasses, you can use ordinary honey, sugar, thick sugar syrup, but it must be taken into account that only molasses product has the sweetest taste.
What to replace molasses with?
When baking at home, molasses can be replaced with sugar. In this case, a certain proportion must be observed: 1 kg of molasses is replaced by 0.75 kg of sugar. This product is also replaced with invert syrup.
It is not difficult to prepare molasses at home, and it can be used in the preparation of various baked goods. In addition, the product is useful due to the vitamins and microelements included in its composition. The main thing is to remember that you need to use it in moderation!
Molasses is a sugar syrup that is widely used in the confectionery industry. When making gingerbread, it adds the necessary viscosity to the dough, and when baking bread, it adds aroma and a special color. Buying molasses can sometimes be problematic, since it can only be found in large stores or special confectionery shops. It's easier to learn how to cook it at home.
The consistency of molasses is similar to honey, but its color will depend on what products it is made from. If you use white sugar, which is familiar to us, you will get a light product. Dark molasses is formed from brown or black sugar, commonly called molasses. You can make sugar syrup from honey or fruit.
Is molasses good for you?
When using molasses, the benefits and harms of this product must be taken into account, since syrup cannot be used for certain diseases, including diabetes. Full list of contraindications:
- obesity or excessive body weight;
- diabetes mellitus type 1 or 2;
- allergy to components of glucose syrup;
- individual intolerance.
However, confectionery syrup also has beneficial properties. These include:
- improvement of well-being during menopause in women;
- complex therapy of ulcers and other gastrointestinal diseases;
- to improve the functioning of the nervous system and brain;
- to saturate the body with calcium and iron;
- to stimulate the activity of the cardiovascular system thanks to potassium and magnesium.
In addition, regular or fruit is not in vain used in the production of confectionery and bread. Potato dough becomes more porous, elastic, and it gives gingerbread a characteristic shade and flavor. Without it, it is impossible to prepare some types of confectionery products, for example, marmalade, soft toffee, marshmallows, marshmallows, and some types of sweets. Starch, caramel and other molasses are widely used in the production of biscuits, where it acts as a leavening agent and gives the dough viscosity and juiciness. Any variety increases the moisture-holding characteristics of baked goods, slows down their hardening and allows the product to remain soft longer.
How to cook it yourself?
Despite the relative cheapness and prevalence of the product, it is very difficult to find it in stores. Therefore, housewives often face the question of how to prepare molasses themselves or what can replace molasses in baked goods or sweets.
There are no exotic ingredients in the recipe, so you can make your own baking syrup. The simplest option is sugar-based. For it you will need:
- 150 milliliters of water;
- 350 grams of regular sugar (you can use cane sugar, in which case the syrup will be darker and thicker);
- 2 grams of citric acid;
- 1.5 grams of soda.
Make your own beet syrup using this recipe as follows:
- Pour water into a saucepan and boil, reduce heat.
- Add sugar, stir until there are no crystals, bring to a boil again and reduce heat
- Add citric acid and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the mixture from burning. The fire should be small.
- Now the refined molasses should cool down a little, add a pinch of soda to it and stir. If foam appears on the surface, remove it periodically with a spoon.
Any molasses at home should be stored in a glass container, tightly sealed with a lid, in the refrigerator.
Storing molasses is not difficult; if prepared correctly, it can be stored for quite a long time without being candied in the cold. Fruit varieties of the product have a shorter shelf life, so it is better to prepare the syrup 1-2 times.
Syrup can be made from any product that contains a lot of glucose. This could be grapes, sweet varieties of apples, melons, watermelons, and so on. Fruit options can have different shades. For example, banana syrup has a milky white color, while maltose molasses is very transparent, like fresh honey.
If you don’t know how to replace the syrup found in a recipe for baked goods, sauce or other dish, prepare it yourself or use regular sugar syrup or honey. When cooking molasses, we offer a recipe for its preparation, you can use regular or brown sugar, honey, fruit juice and other sweet ingredients.
It is impossible to exactly repeat the process of industrial syrup production in your own kitchen, since toxic acids are used on an industrial scale. Invert syrup, which is almost identical in characteristics and also has viscosity and thickness, can be considered a full-fledged substitute. It is widely used in baking homemade bread and biscuits, extends shelf life, gives a special structure to the dough, is stored in the refrigerator for a long time and can be used gradually.
Source: tortydoma.ru
How to make molasses
In the section Desserts, Sweets, Baking, the question is how to make molasses at home? asked by the author of Eurovision, the best answer is Generally, there are 2 ways to prepare molasses and sugar: 1) You can use oil of vitriol and turn any starch into sugar.
In this case, it does not matter what kind of starch is taken - potato, wheat or some other. All the same, any starch will produce sugar syrup or molasses of the same quality. 2) Molasses is also obtained by boiling the juice of berries, vegetables or fruits that contain a lot of sugary substances. In both cases, molasses is initially obtained, that is, a thick juice-syrup, and only then craftsmen extract sugar from the molasses. According to the first method, molasses is most often obtained from potato starch, because it is cheaper than others and is pure enough to produce molasses without an unpleasant aftertaste. You shouldn’t focus on potato; you can use the same method to prepare molasses from other types of starch. As for the second method, molasses can be prepared from various fruits and berries. Thus, the production of raw materials from apples and pears in the Crimea prepares two types of molasses: 1. ekshi - the most liquid molasses; 2. bekmez - thicker. So there is another type of molasses that is made from grapes in the Caucasus - musales. Finally, molasses can be made from all kinds of juicy berries. Particularly suitable for this are: currants, gooseberries, cloudberries and others. Fruit molasses is prepared as follows: - ripe fruits or berries are crushed in a large container as finely as possible; - the resulting mass is put into a bag and placed under a press or otherwise squeezed out all the juice; — to the juice it is necessary to add freshly slaked lime dissolved in water in such an amount that all the acid disappears from the juice. It is better to do this in the evening and leave the juice and lime until the morning. In the morning, carefully drain the clear juice from the sediment, which should not have any traces of acid; - the juice is filtered through cheesecloth, poured into a boiling container and boiled for 3-6 hours over low heat, skimming off the foam. During boiling, the juice is filtered another 2-3 times through bone char to remove any turbidity. I mean, of course, each time the boiling has to be interrupted for a short time.
If you boil the juice 2-3 times, that is, so that out of 3 bottles of juice there are 1-1.5 bottles left, you will get a liquid syrup - ekshi, which can be used for making berry jams. If you boil the juice 4-5 times, you get thick brown molasses - bekmez, which can replace sugar and is well preserved in barrels. By the way, pear bekmez is tastier and more valuable than apple bekmez. Source: 22oa.ru
Molasses: composition
Molasses is a mixture of glucose, dextrins and oligosaccharides dissolved in water; its dry matter content reaches almost 80 percent. Pure molasses is almost colorless and transparent. It has the ability to increase the solubility of sucrose by delaying its crystallization, which is the main reason for its widespread use in cooking.
Beet molasses or molasses is a waste product from beet sugar production and contains sucrose - approximately 50 percent, as well as some impurities that make it unsuitable for food use. It is used as a raw material in yeast and alcohol factories to produce yeast and alcohol.
The sugars in molasses consist of equal parts fructose and glucose.
Properties of molasses
Molasses is a product that results from the production of sugar. It is a fairly thick and viscous mass of brown color with a sweet taste. It has long been used as feed for horses and other animals. It is also called beet molasses. Sports fishermen began adding molasses to their bait about 15 years ago.
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If we compare regular molasses for animals, which is sold in large tanks, and the one sold in fishing stores, then apart from the difference in price and aroma, we will not find anything different.
The composition of molasses is almost the same. It's like vodka, which has the same formula and elements. Molasses consists of 60% carbohydrates, 10% ash, 20% water and 10% nitrogen compounds. The content of a large amount of carbohydrates makes molasses a very high-calorie product. Ash acts as a laxative. It turns out that the fish eats up the bait and quickly gets rid of it in a natural way.
Molasses: benefits and harms
From a medical point of view, the benefit of molasses lies in the content of some important microelements, for example, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium and iron. All of them are necessary in order to replenish the body's energy reserves. Molasses also contains B vitamins.
Its main harm, proven by experts, is individual intolerance to the product and its components. It is not recommended to abuse it by people with high blood sugar levels. By the way, those who are allergic to natural honey can replace it with molasses, because their appearance and taste are almost identical.
Preparation:
- Boil water in a saucepan.
- Then you need to dissolve the sugar in it and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil.
- Now you should add citric acid, cover the pan with a lid and cook over low heat for 45 minutes.
- The finished syrup needs to be cooled slightly.
- Mix baking soda with a little water, place the resulting mixture in the syrup and mix everything well again.
- After this, the mass will foam a lot; it should be left to infuse for 15 minutes.
- After the mixture stops foaming, the molasses is ready for use.
- If there is foam left on the surface, you just need to remove it with a spoon.
- Store the finished molasses in the refrigerator in a glass container.
Molasses - recipe
Molasses is a liquid sweet syrup that is often used in confectionery. The beauty and main difference between molasses and sugar is that the syrup does not crystallize and therefore products with it remain fresh and soft longer. In addition, baked goods prepared using molasses acquire a special taste.
You can’t buy this ingredient in every store, so it’s easier to prepare molasses at home.
How to prepare molasses?
- sugar – 350 g;
- water – 150 ml;
- citric acid – 2 g;
- baking soda – 1.5 g.
Boil water in a saucepan as it needs to be hot for the recipe. Dissolve sugar in it and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Then add citric acid to the syrup, cover the pan with a lid and cook over low heat for 45 minutes. Cool the finished syrup a little. Add a little water to the baking soda, stir, then transfer the mixture to the cooled liquid and mix everything again.
The mixture will begin to foam strongly, leave it to infuse for 10-15 minutes. Once the foaming has stopped, your molasses is ready to use. If a little foam remains on the surface, simply remove it with a spoon. The finished syrup can be stored in a glass container in the refrigerator.
Sweet molasses
Most often, molasses is made from brown or black sugar (molasses), which is why it is also called dark molasses. According to the recipe we have proposed, you will need no more than 10 minutes to prepare it.
- brown sugar or molasses - 5 tbsp. spoon;
- water – 1-2 tbsp. spoons.
Place brown sugar in a saucepan, add water and cook the syrup over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has completely melted. After this, bring the liquid to a boil, let it simmer for 3-5 minutes and remove from heat. Leave the molasses to cool at room temperature and then use for baking.
Light molasses at home
Some recipes contain an ingredient such as light molasses, which, like dark molasses, can be prepared at home. We will tell you how to make light molasses, for which you will need regular white sugar instead of brown sugar.
- regular sugar - 7 tbsp. spoon;
- water – 3 tbsp. spoons.
Pour sugar into a saucepan or bowl, add water and heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Place the syrup on the stove and let it simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, let the syrup cool and then use as directed.
Honey molasses
Making honey molasses at home is not a big problem, and the syrup turns out quite thick and viscous.
- brown sugar - 3 tbsp. spoons;
- honey - 3 tbsp. spoons;
- water – 1 tbsp. spoon.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and simmer over low heat until the sugar melts. Then bring the syrup to a boil and let it simmer for about 5-7 minutes. Remove the honey molasses from the heat and let it cool.