The HONEYCOMB CHALLENGE!!!!
The nights are drawing in this month and we’re thinking bonfires, warmth, fireworks and autumn colours …
And about how we need SUGAR!! Right? Because this autumn is a tad unusual and there aren’t a LOT of high points coming at us. So we need fun and yummy things and supplies as we hunker down in our spaces to sit this stuff out until brighter days.
And THAT’s why this month the Headstrong Challenge is to all about HONEYCOMB!!
Ok, you might call it cinder toffee, or even hokey (we don’t actually know anyone who calls it that but the wonderful intraweb tells us some people do?! Feel free to message us if that’s you!) but basically this is the inside of a crunchy bar, but SO MUCH BIGGER and it is also the MOST FUN YOU CAN HAVE WITH SUGAR at home. Seriously. I mean it actually is.
So join us - the Headstrong team are sticky, sugar hyped and feeling that warm glow already. You’ll see some of our photos and experiences on our insta page - and hey - send us your own photos, vids, anything - we’d love to put them up too!
Things You Will Need
(seriously, find them now before you start)
Enough time (this may not be a problem esp if you are isolating!) This takes longer than you think so don't start with only half an hour or you'll end up with a pan of hot half cooked stuff that will then set solid and take some dissolving to clean. We're speaking from experience here...
A 'Heavy Bottomed Pan'.... we’re not totally sure what one of these is but the most important thing is do not use the best pan in the house and avoid non-stick as you are going to need to stir this like mad so might risk scraping the coating off it and that never goes down well with whoever the cook is in your household.
A wooden spoon. This is to stir with. You are not gonna want to use metal or plastic, this gets properly HOT. If you don't know why go ask your science teacher.
A sugar thermometer. Ok this is the most complicated thing. You might need to borrow one of these. Got a Granny you can ask? Or old person? Secret Bake Off fanatic?? Or get your Mum/Dad/Aunt/Uncle/whoever to put an ask out on facebook, you'll be surprised who has these knocking around somewhere in the bottom of a drawer.
A baking tin, something like 24cm square. We used one of those clever floppy silicone non-stick ones.But in theory a metal one will do.
ok time for an IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE!!! ⏩
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE!!!
This will get SUPER, SCALDINGLY HOT. This is a fun recipe but you do need to BE CAREFUL. Check with whoever owns the kitchen before you start and take care.
HEre’s some helpful hints:
1 - Wear an apron.
Seriously. You don’t want to wreck your favourite top.
2 - Stir carefully
No splashing red hot sugar around, it’s not a good idea
3 - DO NOT LICK THE SPOON MID PROCEDURE.
Honestly, that caramel is gonna smell great, but lick it and you will take off the surface of your tongue.
4 - prepare your tin before you start
This is so you have somewhere to pour your molten, erupting sugar!!! Do not skip this step.
You need to GREASE your tin REALLY WELL with butter. Literally smear butter all over it, use your fingers (wash your hands first people) or a bit of kitchen roll. Get into the corners etc and do this really well.
General advice is DON'T use baking parchment to line it or you’ll spend the next week trying to pick bits of paper out of your honeycomb.
But if you do have a non stick or silicone tin, defo use that!
Ok - next, onto the Ingredients ... ⏩
Ingredients
You need 330g of sugar. Now - this could be equal parts demerara and caster - so 165g of each. But to be honest we tried, (well I, Kate, tried) and we (again, I, Kate) couldn’t get this to dissolve, so in the end we (I, after having to deal with my first pan which ended up full of set solid sugary mess) went for about 80g demerara and 250g caster sugar (which dissolves a lot more easily).
But you can also use granulated sugar for some of this - just be aware caster sugar dissolves the easiest, so should be the majority of your sugar heap.
Add this to 60ml golden syrup (licking the spoon is pretty much compulsory), 15g of butter and 4 tablespoons of water.
Next - METHOD ... ⏩
METHOD - Step one
Heat the mixture VERY SLOWLY at first and stir until the sugar has dissolved. You might need to check it has dissolved: to do this put a tiny bit of the mixture onto a cold plate and let it cool for a min, then scrape it off and eat (mmmm). If it tastes crunchy your sugar is not dissolved yet. You might need to check this several times. If only to have an excuse to taste the mix more than once. Or is that just us?
METHOD - Step two
Once the sugar is dissolved, you need to continue to heat it gently, monitoring the temperature with your thermometer until it gets to about 138C. Yes, really. I know, that is HOT. And takes a while. Watch some of our videos whilst you are waiting but keep an eye on it and stir gently or sometimes it bubbles up and over the pan and that makes a VERY STICKY MESS so trust us you don’t want that.
METHOD - Step three (aka the fun part)
Whilst it is heating measure one tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda into a small dish. Find a small whisk that will fit in your pan. Once you’ve got to the temperature take it off the heat, shoot in the bicarb and then BEAT LIKE CRAZY!! Have your tin next to you because when this starts to erupt you’ll need to pour it in quickly so it doesn’t go everywhere!!!
Want to know what to expect? Check out our video …. ⏩
METHOD - Step four
Pour it into the tin! But don't leave it on a surface that is heat sensitive. This is HOT HOT HOT. So use a heat proof matt, or put it on the hob top. or on a board or something.
Then go away! Leave it! No! You have to wait till it is cool!!!
And then ... ⏩
YOU'RE DONE!! (or are you up for the final bonus challenge?)
Once cooled, turn out of the tin and bash it into smaller pieces with a rolling pin or something.
If you want to you can dip them in melted chocolate … or the smaller combs are SO GOOD used as a topping sprinkled on chocolate cake or flapjack or basically anything with a chocolate topping.
YUM!!
The big question is ... are you up for the final BONUS CHALLENGE?... ⏩
BONUS CHALLENGE - SHARE THE LOVE!
Once you’ve made your honeycomb think about whether there are some people who might like some?
Connection is so tricky at the moment, having something like this to share is SUCH a great way to say hi to someone - think of it as a kind of really sugary fist bump!
So if your local restrictions allow you could drop some off with someone, or just leave it on a doorstep when out for your exercise. Or you could take a bag into school to share? If you are not able to leave the house you could leave it on the doorstep for someone to collect? Or post it out?
And TELL US what you do - we want to see photos and hear how you get on!!! Share on our Instagram @beheadstronguk or email us hello@beheadstrong.uk :)
