Recipe: Lemon Lavender Marmalade (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you don't put enough sugar in marmalade? ›

Reducing the sugar in the recipe means a slacker, not set consistency and the marmalade could have a shorter shelf life.

Adjust the cooking time: The bitterness in marmalade can come from overcooking the citrus peel. Try reducing the cooking time, or using a lower heat setting to avoid overcooking the peel. Soak the citrus peel: Soaking the citrus peel in water overnight can help to reduce the bitterness.

What's the ratio of sugar to fruit in marmalade? Because of the tartness of a Seville orange, the ratio of sugar to fruit in marmalade is 2:1. This recipe calls for 2kg of sugar and 1kg of oranges but you can scale it down or up using that ratio.

Adding acid in the form of fresh lemon or lime juice is important for two reasons: First, it makes for a more well-balanced jam, returning some of the acidity lost with the addition of sugar. Second, pectin needs acid to properly activate, or firm up.

It sounds like you have over boiled it. If you cook it for too long at a high temperature, the natural pectin breaks down and no longer acts as a setting agent and the sugar polymerises into toffee. The way to make any set jam or marmalade is to simmer the fruit gently until it develops your desired level of softness.

Don't let the marmalade turn brown: If the marmalade is turning brown while you are cooking it, you are likely overcooking it and the sugars are beginning to caramelize. Remove it from the heat immediately if this happens and then next time you make marmalade, aim for a lower setting temperature.

Lady Claire Macdonald, food writer: While you're testing your marmalade to see if it's set, take it off the boil. Otherwise you risk boiling away the water content, and ending up with a dark, over-thick marmalade that's dry and rubbery.

Increase the heat and bring up to the boil but do not stir while the marmalade is boiling. After about 5 mins the marmalade will start to rise up the pan (it may drop back and then rise again) and larger bubbles will cover the surface.

To prevent scum forming on the top of your jam, add a knob of butter to your fruit at the same time as you add the sugar, we recommend 20 grams per 1 kilogram of fruit. Note: Scum is nothing sinister, it is only air bubbles that are created during the cooking process, they will not ruin your jam/marmalade if they form.

What sugar to use in marmalade? ›

Caster sugar is the one to avoid. The crystals are too fine, which is great for baking but they will dissolve too quickly when making marmalade. Granulated sugar is a good choice. The large crystals will dissolve quickly and cleanly, resulting in a clear, amber liquid that best shows off your perfectly floating peel.

Too much stirring can lead to a cloudy marmalade and it will reach setting point faster if left alone. Experienced marmalade makers know when the setting point has been reached by looking and listening, but newbies will need a thermometer.

It's Not Only About Pectin

There's another reason why lemon juice is added to most jam recipes: for safe canning and to prevent the growth of bacteria. Bringing the pH level down means jars can be sealed in a regular boiling water bath in a reasonable amount of time (sometimes as little as 10 minutes).

Generally, it's advised to add one tablespoon of lemon juice per pound of fruit. However, if you follow the jam recipe closely, you may wish to use bottled lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice has a standardized level of acidity, so there'll be no question whether you've added enough.

- Reducing or completely skipping the sugar in regular jam or jelly will result in a failed product. But today, there are many choices for making low-and no-sugar products using one of the many pectin products that are not dependent upon sugar for a proper set.

With the sugar binding much of the water in the fruit, the pectin can then form a gel with the proper strength to create the desired texture in the jam. If too much water is present, the pectin cannot form a strong enough gel which results in a runny texture.

Too little sugar: Much like pectin, some fruits are higher in natural sugar than others. Jams made from fruits with higher sugar content thicken on their own more easily than those with less sugar. A no-sugar or low-sugar recipe might not call for enough sugar to naturally thicken the jam, even at a rolling boil.

To make marmalade, the most common ratio of fruit to sugar is 1 part fruit to 1 part sugar, by weight. You may see a higher amount of sugar in marmalades containing more sour ingredients, like lemon or lime.