Many people, professional bakers included, do not know the amazing baking power of honey. The delicious substance provided to us by bees is one of the best ingredients a baker can throw into their next great creation. In this article, you will find a guide to choosing the best honey for baking.
Perhaps you can use this article as a sort of “to-do list.” Try each kind of honey in its own baked good until you find one you wish to repeat. The important thing is you continue to explore your options and experiment with as many flavors as possible. Working with honey will, over time, make you a better baker overall.
Watermelon Honey
If you can get your hands on locally sourced watermelon honey, you should count yourself lucky. Made by bees that pollinate only using watermelon blossoms, the honey tastes like delicious Swedish Fish candy and other sweets. Watermelon honey comes from the Midwest and other regions across the United States.
Manuka Honey
Manuka honey is a monofloral honey, meaning it comes from only one species of flower. In this instance, all the honey comes from the nectar of the manuka tree. This delicious, sweet honey is an ingredient in simple desserts with sweet cream. It goes especially well with mandarins.
For bakers looking to accentuate the sweetness with a new seasoning, manuka honey does a much better job than plain old sugar. Through manuka honey, you can give your guests floral notes that represent the changing of seasons. Also, it can be rippled with whipped cream and passion fruit ice cream to make a semifreddo.
Clover Honey
With a flowery aroma and a mild, pleasant taste, clover honey is one of the most popular choices for tabletop honey and baked goods. It is known for its sweet taste, which can add a great deal of flavor without overpowering the recipe.
One of the most popular uses for clover honey is honey cake. It can also be seen in banana bread, pecan pie bars, and butter and honey fudge. The next time you need a reliable, uncomplicated honey to create a delectable baked good, clover honey may be your key ingredient.
Clover honey is an ideal sweetener. While it stands out on its own for its scrumptious taste, it does not overcrowd other ingredients. It goes great with homemade honey syrup. You can use it to top off your sunflower seed parfait dessert.
Amber Honey
Compared to clover honey, amber honey is a little darker. It has more caramel notes, which makes it the ideal honey for spreading on bread. For baking purposes, you can use it to make Parker House rolls.
Orange Blossom Honey
When you close your eyes and taste orange blossom honey, you feel transported to beautiful orange groves. It is a thick honey with a light amber color, though some may look whiter. In most instances, people use orange blossom honey as a spread for English muffins, pancakes, and French toast. However, you can also use it to add sweetness to baked goods and replace sugar as a sweetener for tea or coffee.
Avocado Honey
Avocado honey contains a darker profile than most kinds of honey. Its deep, robust flavor reminds one of molasses, though with less bitterness. It is less sweet than most honey sold today, so it comes with a lot of flavor without any cloying quality.
When used for purposes outside of baking, one can find avocado honey in roasted vegetables, rye and barley, or gamey meats. Its dessert applications include nut-forward cakes and roasted fruit cream. Regardless of how someone chooses to use avocado honey, it stands apart as one of the more interesting options on this guide to choosing the best honey for baking.
Buckwheat Honey
Bees produce dark, flavorful honey if they pollinate from buckwheat. The honey carries strong notes of malt. For that reason, buckwheat honey is a popular choice for baked goods and also barbecue sauces. Some people even use it instead of molasses.
How To Bake With Honey
There are no natural, unprocessed sweeteners like honey. Since it is sweeter than sugar, bakers know to use smaller portions when baking. Some important rules to follow when baking with honey in place of sugar include:
- For every cup of honey, use ¾ cup plus one tablespoon of honey
- Reduce the recipe’s liquid by ¼ cup
- For every cup of honey, add ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- Bring down your oven’s temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit
A vital reason why honey is exceptional when baking is because it is hygroscopic, or water-attracting, meaning it absorbs moisture from the air. This keeps your pastries delicious and moist for days.
Honey Storage
Among the many benefits of honey is it is very shelf-stable when you store it in an air-tight jar. You may want to keep honey in the refrigerator if you eat it infrequently, as heat will cause it to degrade over time. You can reheat crystallized honey by leaving the jar in simmering water.
Recipes
Honey is an excellent ingredient for many savory and sweet applications. As you prepare to use honey for your next baking project, review here some of the different recipes you can try:
- Honey Bun Cake
- Honey Wheat Sandwich Rolls
- Honey Wheat Bread
- Honey Bran Muffins
Any one of these could make a delicious dessert or snack. Make sure you pair the right recipe with the right honey so you can maximize the flavor.
Summation
From orange blossom honey to clover honey, manuka honey to watermelon honey, there is no shortage of options to choose from when it comes to baking with the delicious substance created by bees. In this article, you hopefully found some sound advice on what kind of bulk raw honey can contribute to the overall best taste.
Whether you are a professional baker or just a hobbyist, honey is a fun and creative way to add some natural flavor to your recipes. Though honey comes in many different flavors and kinds, it always provides something new to its dish. Honey is definitely a substance worth your consideration. Be sure to explore all your options at Crystal’s Honey Inc.
