Pull Candy Recipe - making candy the old fashioned way (2024)

FAQs

What does pulling do to candy? ›

Pulling the taffy on the hook helps it turn white and incorporates air into the candy making it lighter and easier to bite into.

Using hands, the batch is repeatedly pulled and put back for at least 30-60 minutes. This is necessary to help incorporate air bubbles into the batch. Aeration of the batch helps in making the candies lighter thus easy to chew. Pulling is done repeatedly until the batch turns white.

Stir white sugar, corn syrup, and water together in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until sugar dissolves, then bring to a boil. Without stirring, heat to 300 to 310 degrees F (149 to 154 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard, brittle threads.

Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Modified Corn Starch, Citric Acid, Tartaric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Lactic Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavours, Colour (with Tartrazine). May Contain Traces of Soy and/or Milk. May Contain Traces of Nuts and/or Other Seeds.

The incor- poration of air during the pulling action forms elongated “tubes” of air and thus addi- tional surfaces from which light can be reflected. This changes the outward appear- ance of the candy to that of a lighter or a whiter color.

Place sugar and water into a clean pot. Stir over low heat to dissolve sugar. Skim foam from the surface using a tea strainer or ladle (these are natural impurities that will cause the pulled sugar to be dull and streaky). Bring to a boil, then add corn syrup and cream of tartar mixture.

Grease your hands with butter or oil and keep pulling the taffy until it is has a gloss which is satiny and a color that is light. Doing the pulling with a friend will make this step go much more quickly. The more you pull, the softer and chewier the texture will be.

Not Controlling the Crystals

The main goal in candy making is to control the formation of sugar crystals. If you have a lot of sugar crystals forming on the sides of the pan, your candy will be too grainy. Always stir gently to avoid splashing the candy mixture onto the sides of the pan.

The purpose of pulling the taffy is to add air in to the candy. This allows for millions of air bubbles to form which is how a clear batch of cooked taffy all of a sudden begins to turn bright white. The added air into the product also adds volume, and turns the candy into a much larger piece.

The ancient Egyptians used honey to make candy by combining it with nuts, figs, dates, and spices. They used these candies as part of early religious services. Other ancient civilizations, including the ancient Romans, Greeks, and Chinese, also enjoyed candies.

What is the difference between hard crack and soft crack candy? ›

Soft Crack vs Hard Crack

The soft crack stage is used for semi-tough candies like taffy and butterscotch, while the hard crack stage can be used to make hard candies, such as lollipops and brittle.

Early confectioners, not having sugar, used honey as a sweetener and mixed it with various fruits, nuts, herbs, and spices. During the Middle Ages the Persians spread sugarcane cultivation, developed refining methods, and began to make a sugar-based candy.

Most sweet-tasting foods contain sugar. The top of the tongue has special sensors called “taste buds” that detect sugar and other things in foods. When any type of sugar touches the tongue, taste buds send a signal to the brain. Then the brain reacts in a way that we feel as pleasure.

This process adds air into the existing candy. With aerating, the candy expands with air pockets which will add a crunchy texture.

The pulling process aerates the taffy, incorporating tiny air pockets into the stiff candy mixture. The taffy is transformed into a light, fluffy, and easy-to-chew candy. It's a truly addicting candy that has stayed popular throughout the years!

Saliva contains special enzymes that help digest the starches in your food. An enzyme called amylase breaks down starches (complex carbohydrates) into sugars, which your body can more easily absorb. Saliva also contains an enzyme called lingual lipase, which breaks down fats.