Leatherwood honeycomb
Honestly, you should feel like a wizard after making honeycomb.

Shatteringly crisp bubbles formed by the perfectly timed
addition of bicarbonate of soda into perfectly cooked dark
amber caramel – it’s seriously sweet sorcery! I’m not gonna lie to
you though – it has taken me a lot of burnt honeycomb to learn
how to get it right. This recipe is for my 18-year-old pastry chef
self, standing in front of a tray (after tray) of acrid failure.

You can make this with a standard honey, but try honey that has
interesting spicy, resiny or super floral notes, like leatherwood,
reflecting the bees’ nectaral noshings. Water, air and humidity
are honeycomb’s kryptonite, making it soften and melt, so the
freezer is the best and driest place to store it. Hot tip: read the
Caramel control notes (page 268) before making this. If you
understand caramel, you’ll feel confident with honeycomb.

Spray a 23 cm (9 in) shallow baking tray or cake tin with cooking oil
spray and line with a pie ce of baking paper. Don’t spray again.

Fat will break down and soften the caramel, so keep it away from oil, sprays
and butter while it sets.

Designate a spacious area close by the stove to mix later, and set up
your lined tray on a cooling rack. Weigh the bicarb into a small bowl
and crush any lumps with the back of a spoon. Grab a stiff plastic
spatula. Set both in your designated honeycomb area.

Apart from the bicarb, place all the remaining ingredients into a 20 cm
(8 in) wide saucepan.

Ensure your saucepan has enough room to contain the honeycomb when
the bicarb is added (it will fizz up like a volcano). An overflow of molten
honey caramel is messy at best, dangerously burning at worst. Eek!
The next steps will happen fast and go like this:
Keeps Up to 3 months frozen – it will
go sticky if kept at room temperature
or refrigerated.

Makes Around 190 g (6½ oz). Takes 10 minutes to cook,
30 minutes to cool.

cooking oil spray
6 g (⅛ oz) bicarbonate of soda
(baking soda)
110 g (4 oz) caster (superfine)
sugar
50 g (1 ¾ oz) liquid glucose
(glucose syrup)
60 g (2 oz) leatherwood honey
10 g/ml (¼ oz) cold water
5 g (⅛ oz/1¼ teaspoon) sea salt
flakes