honey   Equivalents:  One pound = 1 1/3 cups  Notes:   This is a thick liquid sweetener that's produced by bees from the nectar of flowers.  There are over 300 kinds of honey, most of them named after the principal nectar source (e.g., clover honey, eucalyptus honey).  These varieties range in color from almost white to amber to dark brown. As a rule of thumb, the lighter the color of the honey, the milder the flavor.  Alfalfa honey is a very popular light and mild honey, great for baking or table use.  Basswood honey is light in color, but it has a fairly strong flavor. Buckwheat honey is very dark and bold-flavored, so it's not well suited to baking.  Clover honey is America's most popular honey, very mild and fine-flavored.  Eucalyptus honey, popular in Australia, has a somewhat bold and slightly medicinal flavor.  Orange blossom honey is an excellent, mild honey with a delicate flowery flavor. Sage honey is almost white in color, with a mild flavor.  Tulip poplar honey is dark, yet mild-tasting.  Tupelo honey is highly prized for its distinctive mild flavor; it's also relatively expensive.  Wildflower honey has a fairly strong flavor.

You shouldn't feed honey to babies younger than one year--it could cause infant botulism.  Store in a cool, dark place, where it will keep almost indefinitely.  If the honey crystallizes, heat it briefly in a pan of hot water or in the microwave.  For more information, visit the Illinois Cooperative Extension Service's Honey--Cooking Use page.  Because the production of honey exploits bees, many vegetarians and vegans refuse to eat it.   Substitutes:   barley malt syrup (Not as sweet as honey; use more.) OR maple syrup OR brown rice syrup (Not as sweet as honey; use more.) OR sorghum syrup OR sugar (About 2/3 as sweet as honey. If baking, for each cup of honey, substitute 1 1/2 cups of sugar, increase a liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup, and reduce the baking soda (if used) by 1/2 teaspoon.  Cookies made with honey will have a softer texture and won't be as crisp.) OR brown sugar (About 2/3 as sweet as honey. If baking, for each cup of honey, substitute 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar, increase a liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup, and reduce the baking soda by 1/2 teaspoon.) OR corn syrup OR molasses

Forms:

	comb honey  Notes:  Comb honey is honey that's sold in the (edible) wax comb just as the bees left it.  Cut comb honey = chunk-style honey contains chunks of honeycomb.
	liquid honey  Notes:   Liquid honey is the most popular form of honey.  It's extracted from the comb and is often pasteurized.

spun honey = whipped honey = crème honey = cream honey = creamed honey    Notes:  This is honey that's blended with pieces of the comb so that it spreads more easily.  It's more popular in Europe than in America.

 

 

 

---

Links

For information on using sweeteners in baked goods, visit the Functions of Baking Ingredients page. 

Copyright © 1996-2005 Lori Alden