Creamed honey refers to natural honey that has undergone processing to regulate crystallization, resulting in a smooth, creamy texture. It's also referred to as spun honey, churned honey, and whipped honey.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of fantastic honey products today, but creamed honey may be our favorite.
You can make creamed honey by whipping liquid honey until the honey crystals break up into tiny crystals.
Differences between Creamed Honey and Regular Honey
There are a number of structural and physical characteristics that make creamed honey different from raw honey. For instance.
- Creamed honey is pale white in color, while regular honey is golden.
- After crystallization, creamed honey forms small crystals while regular honey turns into large crystals.
- Creamed honey is soft and spreads easily.
- Creamed honey is thicker than regular honey.
- Regular honey drips off toast but creamed honey sticks perfectly.
Honey Crystallization
Honey crystallization refers to the formation and development of sugar crystals in honey. Since honey is a supersaturated sugar substance (composed of mainly glucose and fructose), it is inclined to natural crystallization.
Have you wondered why your honey seems to have lumps or looks firm like candy? Maybe there are tiny white flecks floating in the honey? If this is the case, don’t throw the honey out thinking it’s spoiled.
Your honey isn’t bad; it is just undergoing a perfectly natural process called honey crystallization. The tiny flecks in the honey are an indication that your honey is as natural as it can be.
Click here to learn how to prevent honey from crystallizing.
How Floral Source Affects Honey Crystallization
Honey bees jump from flower to flower, collecting nectar rich in fructose and glucose. This means that there are different types of honey, based on the source the bees are collecting nectar from.
After collecting the sugar-rich nectar, the bees deliver it to the beehive, where moisture is removed at it is turned into raw honey.
Click here to read more on the full honey production process.
Varying flowers have distinct ratios of fructose and glucose, and ultimately, the crystals in the honey reflect these different ratios.
For instance, honey from clovers or sunflowers usually crystallizes faster. Whereas honey from eucalyptus or maple crystallizes slower.
How Water Content Affects Creamed Honey
Apart from crystallization, fermentation is another process that affects the quality of creamed honey.
Honey with increased water quantities is easily prone to fermentation. Significant loss arising from fermentation occurs when the bees find it difficult to ripen their honey.
How to Make Creamed Honey
There are two main methods of making creamed honey.
- The Raw Method
- The Dyce Method
The Raw Method of Making Creamed Honey
Ingredients
- Raw, Unprocessed Honey
Instructions
This technique is all the rage with beekeepers for making creamed honey. In this case, pasteurization is unnecessary since unprocessed honey is used.
- Using a stand mixer with its whisk attachment, pour 1 cup of honey into the mixer.
- Mix on medium speed for 20 minutes.
- Once the honey has turned a light color with a creamy texture, turn off the mixer.
- Allow it to rest for 2 hours and then mix again at medium speed for 20 minutes
- Repeat 2-4 more times before storing in a jar or deli container.
The Dyce Method of Making Creamed Honey
Ingredients
- Liquid Honey (Raw)
- One lb. seed crystals, which can be a starter from a past creamed honey batch, or finely ground previously crystallized honey. If there’s no previous batch, you can buy them on Amazon or in grocery stores.
- Honey Cups
- Honey Pail
Instructions
The Dyce process is all about regulating the crystallization process through adhering to these steps:
- Blend your honey as per your preferred flavor, color, and moisture levels.
- Pasteurize the honey by heating it to 120°F or 48.9°C. Next, strain it to eliminate large particles, particularly beeswax particles.
- Heat the honey to 150°F or 65.6°C for about 15 minutes to dissolve any residual crystals and get rid of yeast cells. Then, strain the heated product through a fine mesh into the honey pail to eliminate minute impurities.
- In readiness for the seed crystal, cool the honey as fast as possible to 60-75 °F. Note that slow cooling results in an inferior product.
- Now you can introduce the starter/seed crystal to the honey at a ratio of 1:10 (crystals to pasteurized honey) as per the weight. After mixing the liquid honey with crystals thoroughly, pour into creamed honey containers. Then, seal them and put them in a cool room at 55 °F or 12.8°C undisturbed for 7-14 days.
Note: Avoid over-stirring as it can elevate the temperature and ruin the mixture.
Different Ways to Use Creamed Honey
There are exciting and mouth-watering ways you can use creamed honey to make your meals more delicious. Creamed honey is denser than regular honey, and its spreadable consistency makes it easier to use.
Check out these tantalizing honey recipes for spun honey:
- You can stir creamed honey into your cup of hot tea or coffee
- Melt the honey into your bowl of oatmeal or cereal of your choice
- Spread on toast, muffins, bagels, biscuits, and fresh rolls
- You can be more adventurous and make creamed honey and peanut butter sandwiches
- Spread over waffles or pancakes
- Dip your fresh apple slices into the creamed honey
- As a substitute for regular honey in baking
Ways to Flavor Creamed Honey
You can bring out your creative side and create your signature taste by adding choice flavors to your creamed honey. Most people prefer chocolate-flavored creamed honey, but other options include;
- Cinnamon
- Cocoa powder
- Vanilla
- Raspberry
- Dried fruits
To be on the safe side, stick with non-dry additives since dairy may raise the moisture content which can cause fermentation.
How to Store Creamed Honey
Storing your whipped honey is a piece of cake- you just have to keep it cool.
We highly recommend storing it in the refrigerator.
You can also store it like liquid honey, but only if you can keep it at or below room temperature. (Below 75° Fahrenheit, 23° Celsius).
Just be sure to prevent excess moisture in your creamed honey, as this will cause it to ferment.
Where To Find Creamed Honey
Okay, so you don’t want to make spun honey yourself? We get it.
Luckily creamed honey shouldn’t be difficult to come by at your local farmer’s market. Introduce yourself to your local bee farmers and see if they produce creamed honey on a regular basis. They may make some just for you!