I made honeycomb toffee today, but it's set in 'layers'. The top is crispy and bubbly, as it should be, but there's a layer on the bottom of chewy sticky toffee without bubbles. Can anyone tell me why this is and how I can stop it happening in the future? Google has turned up nothing.
You can see the definite layering in this photo:
It's normal for some layering in home made foamed sugar (hokey pokey, honeycomb etc.)
The problem is that you can't stir it quick enough to get an even distribution of acid to alkaline (the bubble making process) throughout the mixture before it cools to the point you can't stir it
Factories use fancy heated augur style stirrers to avoid this, and they don't make domestic sized machines like that
Mixing in the alkaline while the pan is still on the heat. Mix fast and carefully with a rubber spatula so you can get into the corners on the pan, and then scrape out with the same tool. Time is very short
Make sure you acidify the sugar (a tsp of white vinegar will do). Carefully sift the alkaline powder a few times, and make sure you add it to the pot evenly, not in one big lump
Also, adjust the recipe acid and alkaline quantities, you may have insufficient to fully react with the quantity of melted sugar?
