Pulled Sugar

Pulled Sugar

My compulsive nature has led me to learn how to make pulled sugar after seeing Tartlette's version on EpiCute.com (here).  Once I started pulling, I realized I had no idea what to do then.  Here's what happened.

Recipe:

• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 100 mL water
• 1 teaspoon acid (Tartlette used lemon juice, I used white vinegar)
• food coloring

After doing some preliminary research on pulled sugar, I determined that I needed to invest in silicone mats for various reasons.  The most relevant reason was that the melted sugar should be poured on to a surface that can withstand heat and be flexible so the sugar can be folded.  Other reasons included my hatred for baking with parchment paper that always seemed to curl and also to save some cleaning time on my poor dining table when I roll out fondant.  Bed, Bath, & Beyond sells 11"x16" mats for $14.99 (here) and 16 1/4"x24 1/4" for $29.99 (here).  At HEB I got some nice Playtex rubber gloves to protect my hands.

I put the silicone mat on top of a dish tower.  Here are my new purple gloves!

Regular old granulated white sugar melting with water.

Once boiling you can add the vinegar and food coloring.

Boil until 298 degrees Fahrenheit.

I accidentally burned the sugar and it started to caramelize.  

I lost my bright green coloring and was left with something close to snot.

It took a while for the sugar to cool enough to not be so viscous.

I was able to lift and fold the mat to kinda knead the sugar.

After it was cool enough to be handled, I started pulling.

I got a nice, kinda burnished gold color afterward.

With no idea what to do next, I'm left with bizarre abstract art that tasted like caramel.