How to Turn Hard Brown Sugar Soft Again

Do y'all wonder what to do with that large lump of hard brown carbohydrate? These easy tips for softening brown sugar volition have information technology soft and usable in no time at all.

Here are 6 of my best tips to make chocolate-brown carbohydrate soft again, and suggestions for how to store information technology for a longer shelf life.

I am sure that many of united states has had the experience of taking out a container of brown sugar to make a recipe only to discover that it is stone hard.

Don't panic! There are several elementary nutrient hacks to soften chocolate-brown carbohydrate so that it is equally soft as a package fresh saccharide from the store.

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Why does brown saccharide become hard?

Brown sugar is coated in molasses. When the carbohydrate is fresh, the molasses coating allows the carbohydrate crystals to move easily over each other and the saccharide will exist soft and easy to piece of work with.

When brown carbohydrate is exposed to air, the moisture in the molasses starts to evaporate. This causes the particles of carbohydrate to stick to each other as the coating dries out.

Once this happens, the brown saccharide will harden into a solid mass of saccharide.

Tips for softening dark-brown sugar

There are several like shooting fish in a barrel ways to get that brownish sugar soft again. The trick in most cases is playing with moisture to go it back into the brown sugar.

All of the solutions provide a means of returning moisture back to the hard sugar.

Read on to find out how to soften brown sugar apace.

Softening brownish sugar with staff of life

Add a piece of bread to the container of brown sugar. Within about eight hours (longer if it is really hard), the dark-brown sugar will become soft and ready to apply over again.

Why does the bread work to soften brownish carbohydrate? Bread contains moisture that will evaporate if it is exposed to air. However, if the only air is in a sealed container with dried out brown carbohydrate, the h2o vapor molecules will stick to the sugar crystals.

This causes them to be surrounded by a thin layer of h2o, so the sugar softens and crumbles.

It is not just breadstuff that will help to add together wet back to hardened brown sugar. You can besides use apple or pear slices to do the same thing.

This brownish sugar softening trick takes a fiddling while to piece of work but information technology does the job, every time. It can accept 8 to 24 hours for this trick to work.

One matter may happen when utilize this method to soften the brownish sugar. The top layer of sugar may go lighter in color since the breadstuff will blot some of the molasses blanket. It is even so fine to utilize but won't have quite the aforementioned rich flavor.

Using the microwave to soften brown sugar

The quickest way to soften brown sugar that has gone rock-hard is to use your microwave. Identify the hard chocolate-brown sugar in a microwave safe bowl and place a damp newspaper towel over the top of the bowl.

Heat on 30 second intervals at a half power setting. Check the softness between each heating interval. When it is about soft, reduce the cooking time to xv seconds until the brown carbohydrate is soft enough to utilise.

It may exist necessary to employ a fork now an and so to break upwardly any lumps in the dark-brown sugar.

Be careful not to heat it too long, or the sugar will commencement to melt. Information technology's also important to use the saccharide fairly quickly after letting information technology absurd and so that it doesn't get difficult again.

This method is perfect for those times that you want your brown saccharide softened very speedily.

Softening chocolate-brown sugar with marshmallows

Those fluffy and MOIST nuggets are not simply for making due south'mores! If you have a container of brown sugar that is hard, add two or three plump marshmallows to the sealed container.

Seal tightly and bank check in a couple of days to brand sure that the saccharide has absorbed the moisture and is soft again.

Work the carbohydrate with a knife to remove whatever clumps and tightly reseal the container. The sugar should remain soft.

Use a clammy towel to make brown carbohydrate soft

Take a kitchen towel and dampen it well. Wring out the towel as that you have removed as much of the backlog water as possible.

Place hardened brownish sugar in a bowl and place the dampened towel over it and then that the tiptop of the bowl is completely covered but the towel does not touch the brown saccharide.

Allow the covered brown sugar to sit on the counter over night and the brown saccharide will be soft in the forenoon.

This also works if y'all shop your dark-brown sugar in canisters with air tight lids. In this case, cover the top surface of the container with plastic wrap and the add the dampened towel over the top of the wrap. Leave it over night to soften.

How to soften brown sugar in the oven

Heating the brown sugar in the microwave is the fastest way to soften information technology merely your oven will likewise work quickly. To soften the brown sugar in a conventional oven, wrap it in aluminum foil and place it in an oven gear up to 250°F.

This method works all-time if you use a baking sheet under the foil in case any of it leaks out.

Check the brown carbohydrate to see how soft it is every 5 minutes or so. Information technology will be very hot! Allow the brown sugar to cool earlier using information technology in your recipe.

How to soften brown sugar with a terracotta deejay

Ah, the wonders of marketing! Did y'all know that there is a kitchen tool made especially for softening chocolate-brown sugar? Terracotta disks are made especially for utilise with hard brown sugar to brand information technology soft.

These brown sugar disks will too work to keep dried fruit, popcorn, marshmallows and spices fresh.

If you don't have one of these disks, a piece of terra cotta from a broken institute pot (sterilized and cleaned before utilise) will work. I broke a small terra cotta pot and polished the edges with a pumice rock, then soaked it. It works great!

Soak the terra cotta disk or piece in h2o for about 30 minutes, dry off the excess water , and identify it with your brown sugar in an airtight container.

Leave the container tightly sealed overnight and check in the morning time to make certain that it is soft plenty.

How to proceed brown sugar soft

All of these tricks will help with softening brown carbohydrate that has gone hard. How exercise you keep this from happening in the beginning identify?

Air is what causes the sweet molasses-coated crystals to dry out out, then airtight containers are what'south needed for effective storage.

The terra cotta disks mentioned above volition assistance to keep your sugar soft for a few months. Simply leave the disk in the container to aid keep your dark-brown sugar soft. If you practise this, y'all will need to repeat the soaking process in a few months.

Keeping carrot peels, or saltine crackers in the chocolate-brown sugar container also helps to keep it from hardening.

For long term storage, the apply a double storage closed environment. Place the brown sugar in a cipher top bag. Roll up the handbag to squeeze out any excess air and seal the purse.

Place this bag into a container with a tight lid and information technology will continue the saccharide moist for -12 months.

Think that the quality of chocolate-brown sugar is best when consumed within 6 months of purchase and opening. Don't store brown sugar in the fridge.

Freezing brown sugar

With the worry of having your chocolate-brown saccharide going hard, you lot may not be inclined to take reward of sales of information technology at the store. Don't laissez passer those sales by!

Brown sugar can be frozen! Double bagging it will help to continue ice crystals away from the saccharide.

Subsequently freezing, employ a fork to split clumps in the sugar earlier using it. If any water ice crystals have formed, stir frequently as it thaws to make sure the sugar is not affected by the backlog wet.

Thaw frozen sugar and use a fork to separate clumps earlier using. If water ice crystals form after long freezer storage, frequently stir the sugar every bit it thaws to prevent the sugar from existence affected past pockets of moisture.

If you keep in heed these tips for storing and softening chocolate-brown sugar, you'll accept soft dark-brown sugar whenever your recipe calls for it.

What methods = accept you used to soften brown sugar? Please go out your comments below.

Pivot these tips for softening chocolate-brown sugar for after

Would you lot like a reminder of these vi ways to soften brown carbohydrate? Just pin this paradigm to 1 of your cooking boards on Pinterest then that you can easily discover it later.

Admin note: This post first appeared on the web log in May of 2013. I have updated the mail service to add all new images, more than tips for softening chocolate-brown carbohydrate, a project card to print out and a video for you to enjoy.

Active Time v minutes

Additional Time 8 minutes

Total Time 13 minutes

Difficulty easy

Estimated Cost $5-$25

Tools

Brown Carbohydrate
Air tight container
Nil lock baggies
Bread
Tea Towel
Bowl
Aluminum foil
Brown sugar savers or terra cotta pots

Instructions

These tips are listed from the quickest method to those that take the longest fourth dimension.

Use dark-brown sugar savers in your brown sugar canister. They should keep the saccharide soft indefinitely every bit long every bit yous soak them every few months. Pieces of terra cotta also work well.
Cover the dark-brown sugar with a damp towel in a microwave safe basin and heat it in the microwave in 20 second intervals. Check frequently for softness.
Wrap brown carbohydrate in foil and heat information technology in a 250 °F oven for 5 minutes and check for softness.
Add a damp material over a bowl of hard chocolate-brown carbohydrate. Go out it over night. It should be soft in the morning.
Add a piece of bread in the air tight container of chocolate-brown carbohydrate. Cheque in about 8-24 hours for softness.
Add marshmallows to your container of dark-brown carbohydrate. The carbohydrate should exist soft in 24 hours.

Notes

To store brown sugar so that it doesn't get difficult, double shop it. Identify a goose egg lock handbag of brown sugar within the air tight canister.

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Source: https://thegardeningcook.com/soften-brown-sugar/