Why does the caramel topping on sticky buns sometimes come out smooth and other times it is crystalized?

Answer 1

It means your temperature was too hot. This sort of recipe is touchy and one needs to follow the directions to the letter.

Marcy

• You could also replace a spoonful or so of the granulated sugar with light corn syrup. This will not affect flavour or texture but it does provide some protection against crystallizing when you make sugar syrups.

i beg to differ,

its all about how you stir it

did you stir it to much you ask yourself?

No i haven't, okay, so it will come out sparkly.

- I'm assuming you're making this caramel topping stove-top the old fashioned way. One of my jobs is a pastry chef, and it's happened to even me so don't feel bad. One thing you need to remember to do when you're making caramel is to have a bowl of very warm water w/a pastry brush on hand. As the caramel is cooking, brush the sides of the pan down with very warm water. The reason being crystals have a tendency of forming along the sides of the pan. And sugar crystals also have a tendency to spread like a spot of mold on bread! The brush trick dissolves the crystals, thus preventing them from spreading. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice also prevents crystalization without adversely affecting the flavor, if you care to try that instead. Just wipe the sides of the pan with a damp (not sopping wet) pastry brush and keep it on low heat and whisk until all of the crystals have dissolved. It'll take some time, but it'll happen.

P.S. I abhor corn syrup and use it as little as possible. If you use the brush trick, you can avoid having to add that nasty goop known as corn syrup!