Soft-Ball Stage Explained: The Soft-Ball Stage in Candy-Making

The soft-ball stage is part of the candy-making process. Candy-making involves boiling water and sugar together until the mixture reaches the desired temperature and texture. As the sugar syrup cooks, water evaporates, and the sugar concentration increases. As a result, the boiling point increases as well. At the soft-ball stage, sugar and water boil to 240–250 degrees Fahrenheit, and the sugar syrup contains about 90 percent sugar.

For some candies, the soft-ball stage is just one step in the candy-making process. For other sweets, such as fudge and pralines, the soft-ball stage produces the end result.

Long before digital candy thermometers, confectioners in the sixteenth century developed the water test, a method to measure sugar syrup's doneness. The cold water test involves removing a spoonful of the sugar syrup from the pan and observing how it behaves in cold water. If, for example, the syrup holds its shape when formed into a ball underwater but loses its shape when removed, it has reached the soft-ball stage.

The behavior of boiling sugar during the cold water test corresponds to a specific temperature range:

1. 1. Thread stage (215–235 degrees Fahrenheit): When you remove some syrup from the pan, it forms a thin thread in the air. The thread stage is for syrups and preserves.
2. 2. Soft-ball stage (235–240 degrees Fahrenheit): When you transfer a small amount of syrup to cold water, it forms a soft, pliable ball. Sugar at this stage is used for fondant, fudge, pralines, and Italian meringue.
3. 3. Firm-ball stage (245–250 degrees Fahrenheit): When syrup transfers to cold water, it forms a firm ball. This type of sugar is ideal for caramel candies.
4. 4. Hard-ball stage (240–265 degrees Fahrenheit): The hard-ball stage is for marshmallows and nougat. When you transfer a small amount of syrup to cold water, it forms a hard ball.
5. 5. Soft-crack stage (270–290 degrees Fahrenheit): When you add a small amount of syrup to cold water, it makes a soft cracking noise and forms pliable threads. The soft-crack stage is for candies such as taffy and butterscotch.
6. 6. Hard-crack stage (300 degrees Fahrenheit and above): A small amount of syrup added to cold water makes a loud cracking noise and separates into brittle threads. The hard-crack stage is for toffee and hard candies like lollipops. Above 330 degrees Fahrenheit, the sugar begins to caramelize and brown.

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