How To Freeze Dry Apple Pie Filling
Jul 6, 2023
What we love about freeze-drying candy is how it totally adds enjoyment to a sweet treat. The texture instantly converts many people who dislike eating a particular candy into a fan. Here’s how to freeze dry Bit-O-Honey so you’ll enjoy the sweet, nutty taste minus the sticky chewiness of taffy.
Honey is one of the food items you can’t freeze dry. This is because it doesn’t easily freeze. When you put it under −44°F and −60°F (which is your freeze dryer’s freezing temp), it won’t freeze. Your next option would be to use eighter food-grade liquid nitrogen or dry ice to freeze it. Unfortunately, when you put it in the freeze dryer, it’s going to thaw a bit because it’s warmer than the frozen honey.
Fortunately, although Bit-O-Honey has “honey” in its name, most of its flavor comes from corn syrup. So, the name is actually true to the candy since it only has a bit of honey. The manufacturer used only a tiny amount of honey so freeze-drying Bit-O-Honey is easy for your Harvest Right freeze dryer.
To make it easy for you to freeze dry Bit-O-Honey, you’ll need:
Freeze-drying Bit-O-Honey is just like freeze-drying Salt Water Taffy. These candies will expand, so you need to cut them into bite-sized pieces to make eating fun and enjoyable.
You can use kitchen shears to cut them, which is easier for some and require less cleanup. For easy prep, you can cut them directly on your freeze-dryer trays lined with parchment paper. A kitchen knife will do just as well and can speed up the process. But remember to use a chopping board to keep things safe.
Space the candies apart about two inches away so they will have room to expand. Piling is not an option either, or you’ll be stuck with sticky Bit-O-Honey pieces that didn’t freeze dry well.
Just with other candies like Airheads and Snickers, pre-freezing is an option. But if you’ve got room in your deep freezer and your freeze dryer’s loaded, this can help.
When you pre-freeze your candy, it helps your freeze dryer come to a temperature better. As a result, you keep the chamber environment stable, and there’s less toll on your machine.
Should you decide to pre-freeze your candy, use the freeze-dryer tray. This will help maintain the temperature and keep the candy from thawing.
You can weigh the trays before you pre-freeze the trays of candies as well. Again, this is not a requirement, but it gives you objective data.
Freeze-drying Bit-O-Honey is so simple you can easily make this for your friends and family.
The freeze-drying can take 6-9 hours total, but it can also reach 18 hours. You can extend the drying time if you’ve got something to do and don’t have time to bag your freeze-dried candy.
The Bit-O-Honey is done freeze-drying when:
The best way to test the candies is to snap or cut a few random pieces. The center should be dry, airy and crunchy. If there are sticky, cool, and soft pieces, add 2-3 hours of extra dry time.
If you’re going to eat them for snacking within the day, an airtight container is good to use.
But if you want to store your freeze-dried Bit-O-Honey for long-term storage, Mylar bags are perfect. They’re designed to keep moisture and air out of the food, which are major causes of food spoilage. They are also ideal for taking with you for camping or on trips since they’re lightweight and durable.
If you are keeping some for occasional eating, then Mason jars are good. They’re sturdy and great for giving your freeze-dried treats as gifts.
If you’re not going to consume your Freeze Dried Bit-O-Honey within weeks or years, remember to use oxygen absorbers. About 1-2 of the 300cc packets are good for every gallon size of your container.
If you would rather buy freeze-dried Bit-O-Honey, here are some places to check it out.
You can get a 3oz freeze-dried Bit-O-Honey that’s crunchy and crispy to the bite. A bag is $8.99 and really good for snacking. You might want to order more because they’re confident you’ll be wiping out the bag in one sitting. They do offer Afterpay for orders above $45, so go ahead and splurge.
If you want a smaller size and want to try it out first, Candy Jan offers 2oz and 4oz freeze-dried Bit-O-Honey. Not a lot of reviews, but the company does ship pretty quickly. The 2oz pack Costs $3.50. while the 4oz pack costs $4.00.
The company claims that their freeze-dried Bit-O-Honey is nothing short of amazing. Which is probably true because they seem to be selling out fast. A 2.5 oz bag costs you $7.50, which is more expensive than Candy Jan, so you might want to think it through.
What do you want to do with your freeze-dried Bit-O-Honey? Let us know in the comment section.
Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel for freeze-drying videos and reviews.
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