# How to make creamed honey?



## Clayton (Dec 8, 2000)

Hi all,

Just to kick things off on this forum, how do YOU produce creamed honey? What type o honey (s) do you think lend well to the process as far as flavor and granulation?

Clay - who already has an opinion


----------



## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

I just did my first batch and I think it turned out good







!!! I took 10pounds of raw honey and mixed in 1 pound of seed and mixed it for 10-15 min. I botteled it and put in a frige for 5 days and It looks good.


----------



## WineMan (May 16, 2003)

Heat one barrel with 1/3 locust, 1/3 basswood and 1/3 thistle to eliminate all granulation. Cool below 75 degrees and seed with 5 gallons starter. Allow to sit until fairly well granulated about 2 weeks and then bottle.


----------



## Clayton (Dec 8, 2000)

What floral types of honey do other like to use for spun honey (creamed)? I like aster (a naturally granulating honey) and clover or basswood.


----------



## BEEn Stung (May 17, 2003)

What is this "seed" you refer to?
Where does it come from??
What does it do ??


------------------
Erwin


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Anytime you add crystalized (granulated) honey to regular honey (seeding it) you set off more granulation. If the crystals are smaller than normal then the granulation is finer and more "creamy" hence the name creamed honey. You can buy seed (fine crystalized honey) for creamed honey from some bee equipment suppliers. Of course you can just buy creamed honey in the grocery store and use it for seed.


----------



## BEEn Stung (May 17, 2003)

That is interesting. I have never even tasted creamed hopney. 
I can buy some, tast it, and if I like it use what is left for seed. Sounds like a winner to me.









------------------
Erwin


----------



## WineMan (May 16, 2003)

to me granulated honey is the best tasting.


----------



## Steve Hamilton (Sep 23, 2002)

I have been eating peanut butter and spun honey sandwiches for lunch almost every day for the last 20 years. I think it tastes better, it spreads easier, and it doesnt the bread all soggy. Unfortunately I am using store bought, hopefully I can make my own some day.


----------



## The Honey House (May 10, 2000)

Since I take honey off only once a year, all the extrated honey kind of gets mixed together so I don't have a particular type.
So I'd call I wildflower.
I take 40 pounds and heat it 110 degrees
I let it go for about 24 hours.
Then I cool it to 75 and add 4 or 5 pounds
of starter. Mix well, bottom up as to not introduce too much air. Let sit over night
to let any air in there to escape then bottle into 1 pounds short fat glass jars.
Then it go into a modified frig that is set to 57 degrees. I keep it there and only take it out to replenish the stand when needed. Some years it's great some years it's better.


----------



## ChellesBees (Apr 1, 2003)

Here is the recipe I use for creamed honey. The beekeeper I got it from hands it out all the time, and also has received blue ribbons at the state fair with it. 
1. Pour 12 lbs honey into a large pot.
2. Warm on stove at Med-high setting to 140 degrees F to remove all natural crystals, stir with rubber spatula during the warming process. 
3. After 140 degrees F is reached, remove from heat and allow to cool to 90-95 degrees F, then skim off all bubbles and foam. 
4. While honey is still at 90-95 degrees F, add 1 Lb Sue Bee premium Clover Spun Honey (a MN Brand I think), or equivalent, as seed honey to start the smooth granulation process. Make sure whatever you use is pure honey. 
5. Mix until thoroughly blended, cover an let stand a mimimum of 12 hours to allow bubbles to rise. 
6. Again skim off all bubbles. 
7. Pour or ladle into containers of your choice. 
8. Let stand at 58 Degrees F, after 5-7 days honey should be creamy and firm. 

OPTIONS
To speed the process up, you can use 2 Lbs of seed honey.
Flavorings such as cinnamon or peach can be added after step 3.
Cinnamon spice works well, I use approximatly 1/8 cup for a single batch. Liquid cinnamon flavor makes it taste more like red hot candies. 
If I am not flavoring it, the stronger honeys work well. If I want to add a delicate flavor like peach, the milder honeys are a better choice.


----------



## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

i think me creamed honey worked but on top of the creamed honey it is white and if you take your finger under the white it is the same color as honey the white and honey color tast like creamed honey is there somthing wrong?


----------



## WineMan (May 16, 2003)

swarmtrapper

thats the air bubbles that rose to the top and made foam...thats one reason one of the other comments above was to let it sit overnight. i have also heard to turn the jar upside and let the bubbles rise to the bottom and then when it is turned right side up it is too thick for them to rise again.


some other comments......

if you are aiming for a very smooth texture...it is a good idea to heat to the 140 degree range to get rid of as much contaminating granulation as possible. additionally, if you do big batches you will want to be able to grind your seed on a regular basis to maintain a smooth texture....(Stollers/Barkman, who sets the standard for creamed honey, grinds on a frequent basis)

if you can tolerate a more gritty texture, a lower temp down around 110 works nice and grinding isnt such an issue. it has a more natural texture and deeper/bolder taste too.

one word of caution, i wouldnt add any seed at 90-95 degrees...it may destroy the seed. 70-75 degrees is the preferred temp to add it.


----------



## ChellesBees (Apr 1, 2003)

I have done half a dozen batches this way, my concern would be at a lower temp, getting the seed to disperse evenly in the batch. It can take up to a week for it to set up, but I think this helps keep the crystals small.


----------



## Jane _nu_B (Oct 11, 2002)

Tasted cream honey for the first time this week,never even heard of it before getting into bees, it is absolulty delecious!! Someday hope to make it myself.


----------



## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

what color is creamed honey. does it need to be refrigerated after it has setup.


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

The color depends some on the original color. It tends to be a lot more opaque which makes it look more white than the honey you made it with. It does not need to be refrigerated. It's just that it crystalized better at a cool temp in the 50's F. Once it's crystalized it doesn't matter.


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I guess I didn't say, you don't want it to get up in the 100s F or it may liquify.


----------



## ChellesBees (Apr 1, 2003)

When I flavor my creamed honey, I usually add a little food coloring to it. Real cinnamon gives it a brown color, (similar to apple butter)


----------



## Clayton (Dec 8, 2000)

I make my creamed honey same process as The Honey House does. With one exception I stir in seed. Then use mixer (large SS mixer type from betterbee)to stir by hand for a few days at room temp. Then into tubs, bottles, ect. Cool till crystalized.......


----------



## BEEn Stung (May 17, 2003)

With the help of info from this post I made some creamed honey.
You all are right , It is good. I can stack it "this" high on buttered bread and none drips off.
Ijust made a small batch. When this is gone I will try some flavor in the next batch. Probably cinemon.

Thanks to all of you for the information.

------------------
Erwin


----------



## dickm (May 19, 2002)

I'm looking for inexpensive additives. The cinnamon sounds good. Obviously one can't add real fruit... it would add water to the honey. Has anyone bought simply dried fruit, like apricot, blended it and made a batch? I know freeze dried fruits are available bt they cost a lot. I will try pecans ground up. 

Dickm


----------



## clintonbemrose (Oct 23, 2001)

I have one customer that comes over to help and she mixes granola in with the honey before it granulates. She makes about 30 pounds of the stuff and she uses homade granola with rasins and other dried fruit and makes it quit thick. Her family realy enjoys it. She gets all her honey from me and makes the granola honey 4 times a year.
Clint

------------------
Clinton Bemrose
just South of Lansing Michigan


----------



## ChellesBees (Apr 1, 2003)

LorAnn (sp) sells a very concentrated flavoring oil. The small bottles are only a couple bucks, sometimes they are even at Wal-Mart, in the craft section with the candy and cake decorating supplies. With these, a little goes a long way.


----------



## BEEn Stung (May 17, 2003)

I keept my creamed honey in the frig for a week or so. It got very stiff. Now I have had it at room temp and it is still too stiff to spread on bread without tearing the bread. How so I get the creamed honey to be medium, like margarin, not hard like butter?

------------------
Erwin


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>I keept my creamed honey in the frig for a week or so. It got very stiff. Now I have had it at room temp and it is still too stiff to spread on bread without tearing the bread. How so I get the creamed honey to be medium, like margarin, not hard like butter?

What did you use for seed? You can warm it as little as necessary to stir some air into it so it's a little lighter. You can warm it some more and undo some of the crystalization.


----------



## BEEn Stung (May 17, 2003)

For seed I used creamed honey I bought at the grocery store. It was sort of runney.
What would short time in microwave do to my creamed honey? Like 30 seconds or so?


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

It depends on the amount of time. How about just putting it somewhere warm? Nobody bakes bread, or I'd say where ever you put the bread to raise.


----------



## BEEn Stung (May 17, 2003)

We bake bread but that is in a bread machine. NO place for honey. I could try the fireplace mantel.


----------



## BEEn Stung (May 17, 2003)

All is well with the creamed honey I made. We are now in Pharr south tesxas for the winter. Two 80 degree days and the creamed honey is just the right consitency. Minnesota is just too cold. Our pantry is on an outside wall.


----------



## dickm (May 19, 2002)

Honey House,
How did you modify the fridge to stay at 57%. I'm interested.

Dick Marron


----------



## The Honey House (May 10, 2000)

Dickm

I tore the thermostat apart and made some adjustment. Don't recall exactly the things I did but I do recall that there where some adjustments screws and I had to "tweek" on it over the course of several days. But now it's set and I have yet to move it again.


----------



## mattoleriver (Sep 20, 2003)

Dick,
you can find refrigerator temperature controllers in most homebrew beer supply catalogs. They are very precise and simple to install but they will disrupt the freezer compartment. Most are in the $50-$100 range.
George


----------



## Rick H (Jan 8, 2004)

I make my cream honey in 30 lb pails and fill them about half full with the honey and seed. When the honey is stiff I use a stainless paint mixer on a drill to work it. It takes a bit of work to get it all smooth but then you have the texture you want. Sort of like scraping your butter to soften it.


----------

