How To Avoid Burning Honey While Baking

Honey might not be the first ingredient that comes to mind when you're about to begin baking, but it's a natural sweetener that can bring a rich, floral complexity to baked goods. As a natural humectant, it also attracts and retains moisture (perfect for muffins and cakes). But honey can be oh-so-tricky to work with in the oven. 

Thanks to its higher sugar content and chemical makeup, honey begins to caramelize quickly, which isn't always a good thing. Honey can, and will, burn easily; leaving behind a bitter, unpleasant flavor. Nevertheless, baking with honey can be a golden, delicious delight provided you follow the rules and listen to expert advice. Chef Sofia Schlieben, corporate pastry chef for JF Restaurants in New York, has plenty of advice when it comes to using honey in baked goods. 

Schlieben warns to never treat honey like regular white sugar. "Honey has a lower smoke point and caramelization temperature than sugar, meaning it burns at a lower heat," Schlieben told The Takeout. With a little know-how, a baker can actually use this trait to their advantage. One way to do this is by incorporating honey into your caramel sauce. "Honey... makes a beautiful, simple caramel sauce — you can create a quick honey caramel by cooking it gently, then deglazing with coconut milk or heavy cream." Deglazing caramel sauce is similar to how you'd deglaze a juicy pork chop.

When it comes to baking temperatures and honey, you'll want to be extra careful. "If you're substituting honey for sugar in a recipe, it's best to lower the baking temperature by about 25 degrees Fahrenheit," said Schlieben. "Honey caramelizes and burns at a lower temperature than granulated sugar, so reducing the heat helps prevent over-browning or burning before the rest of the ingredients are fully cooked." This small adjustment prevents ugly scorching, a surefire way to ruin your baked goods.

If you want to use honey as a glaze or drizzle, blend it with other liquids to slow down caramelization. Remember that honey can be two or even three times sweeter than white sugar, so don't worry about losing any flavor with this method. Try blending it with a bit of warm water, melted butter, or cream to keep it from cooking too fast. 

And while you're patiently watching your honey cake bake into a golden delight, keep a roll of aluminum foil close by. If your baked goods start browning too quickly, you can loosely cover them with foil to keep the top from burning while allowing the inside to cook. If you're finishing a dish under the broiler (you daredevil, you), use low heat and short intervals. Honey can go from beautifully caramelized to burnt goo in mere seconds.