Sometimes called whipped honey, this delicious spread isn't whipped at all and contains no cream either! Go figure. It is pure honey that has been forced to crystallize in a very specific way. If you have ever eaten honey that has crystallized you will remember the gritty unpleasant texture that it develops. Creamed or whipped honey consists of tiny smooth crystals and has a smooth, creamy texture that is easy to spread on toast or muffins. It doesn't drip as quickly as liquid honey so kids love it. If you introduce a seed or starter of these small smooth crystals to your honey before it begins to form the large rough ones, you can give the honey a blueprint to follow. Sort of like how you make yogurt or sourdough, just with sugar crystals instead or bacteria or yeast.
This is what you need to make your own. First you need some seed creamed honey, raw honey and a little math skills (very little).
I got my seed cream honey at Krogers. Once you make it the first time, you can use your own cream honey as seed for your next batch. For 5 cups of finished product I needed 1/2 cup of the cream honey. This tub had enough to have made 15 cups but I didn't need that much! Your ratio of creamed honey seed to finished product is 10 percent. Now set your 1/2 cup of seed honey aside to add later.
Heat about 5 cups of raw honey to 150 degrees. This will pasteurize the honey, removing the yeast that could later cause your honey to ferment. Not good. Once honey reaches 150, pour it through fine mesh to remove any impurities that could affect the finished product. Allow to begin to cool. You might have foam develop on the surface of the honey. Don't fret, it is just air bubbles rising that are unable to break the surface tension. If this happens, use a sheet of plastic wrap to remove it. Lay the plastic wrap on the surface of the honey, allow to set for a few moments and then carefully lift the plastic, taking the foam with it. You might have to repeat, depending on how much foam you have develop. Allow honey to drop to 75 degrees and then add the seed honey. Stir well and then pour into containers.
Now you just have to put your honey in a cool place, about 57 degrees, for at least one week. I am putting it in my basement food storage area. If the temp isn't cool enough, it will just take longer to crystallize. How will you know it is ready? It will have a light creamy color and texture, with no liquid honey in sight. If you see any liquid honey, just stick it back on the shelf for a bit longer. Hope this helps all you honey lovers have another way to enjoy your bee's bounty! Diana
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