Soft Set Honey – What is it & How is it Made?

Ever wondered what gives soft set honey its irresistible texture and unique flavors? In this blog, we’ll demystify the process behind this delectable delight, from the role of glucose and fructose sugars in natural granulation to the distinct nuances of spring set, summer set, and Ivy honey varieties. I’ll even tell you how to make your own!

It is often said that the Irish prefer clear, runny honey. While this may be true, many of us foreigners prefer granulated or soft set honey. It might be a cultural thing, influenced by the type of forage available and the cuisine of different parts of the world. However,  there is definitely a growing taste for ‘different’ honey here, including soft set honey. Soft set honey come in many guises and is available as spring set honey which usually includes a mixture of very sweet rapeseed honey and spring floral honeys, set summer honey which is more rare, and the very strong and delicious soft set Ivy honey.

Natural granulation

Honey is a super-saturated sugar solution, and most types of honey will granulate naturally. The size of the crystals that form during this process is determined largely by the composition of the glucose and fructose in the honey. As well as the temperature at which it granulated. The glucose sugars will crystallize and separate from the water, and the fructose remains liquid. Sometimes the honey will crystallize uniformly. Sometimes the granulation will occur at the bottom of the vessel in which it is stored. It will have a more liquid layer forming on top due to the separation of fructose and glucose. 

Rapid granulation, which is ideal for making soft set honey, occur at 13-15 degrees Celsius. Lower than that and granulation will slow down and eventually stop. Higher than that, the process will slow down and as the temperature increases the crystals will melt.

Rapeseed Honey

Some honey takes months to granulate whereas others such as rapeseed and ivy will set within a matter of weeks if not days. These honeys cannot be left in the hive waiting to be extracted at the end of the honey flow, as it will crystallize in the frames. Overwintered or autumn sown rapeseed will flower in the spring. It often yields a good crop of honey. 

Rapeseed honey, as well as honey from other brassicas, will granulate or crystallize very quickly. Therefore, it needs to be extracted as soon as the flowers are starting to go over. It is a very sweet honey without much other flavour.  As it sets quickly it is best turned into soft set honey immediately after extraction. (Provided no granulation has occurred or left to granulate in the bucket. ) It can then be warmed to clear and made into soft set honey at a later stage.

Ivy Honey

Ivy honey also sets very quickly. As the ivy flowers well after our honey flow, even after autumn Varroa treatment and feeding, many beekeepers will leave the ivy honey in the hives over winter. It will then often set into a rock-solid lump of very strong-smelling white honey. The bees will sometimes use up some of it over winter. However, very often there will still be frames of ivy honey left in the spring. There is a misconception that the bees will not use it. They do, but often not until later in the year when it becomes softer and easier to work due to the ambient heat. 

Ivy honey is pressed out of combs

Frames of ivy honey, if not harvested for its honey, can be uncapped and soaked in water and fed back to the bees or given to nucleus colonies during summer. Some beekeepers get a crop of ivy honey in the autumn. The honey is very strong, almost medicinal in aroma and flavour. It can be very hard to extract it from the frames. Hence, it is often warmed first and then pressed out of the comb. As it sets very hard and has a very strong flavour, it is best blended with a small amount of spring or summer honey to mellow the taste and made into soft set honey. There is a growing awareness about the beneficial properties of ivy honey. This has seen it becoming more popular on the shelves of health food shops.

What is soft set honey?

Soft set honey is, in essence, honey that has granulated, and where the crystals are very small. It is creamy in texture and is sometimes referred to as whipped or creamed honey. The terms creamed honey and whipped honey suggest that something has been added or manipulated. Thus, soft set honey is the correct phrase to use for this natural process.

Soft set honey can be obtained by two methods. Three if you count jarring honey and hoping that when it sets, it will set into a lovely, smooth, creamy honey all by itself. It seldom happens, but it happens none the less. To be more in control of the finished product, you can either stir it or seed it.

1. Stirring method

When honey is stirred in order to make soft set honey, it is kept at a certain temperature to encourage granulation. It is then stirred to break up the crystals at regular intervals until the right consistency has been reached. This can be done by hand but is usually done using a honey creamer.

2. Seeding method

Seeding honey to get soft set honey is somewhat easier. You will need a jar of seed honey, which is honey that has already set to the consistency required for your finished product. You can purchase a jar of soft set honey. Or you can make it yourself by taking a jar of granulated honey and crushing or pounding the honey in a pestle and mortar until it has reached optimum consistency. Seed can also be obtained by stirring honey as it sets as described above. You will also need either a stand mixer or a drill and a honey creamer attachment for the drill, available from bee supply shops.

Making soft set honey, step by step

1. Use 3-10% seed honey to make soft set honey. 
2. Use liquid, non-crystallized honey or blend of honeys. The honey that is to be seeded needs to be liquid, non-granulated honey, and at room temperature. You can use either one type of honey, such as rapeseed, ivy or summer. Or you can use a blend of different honeys. Some honey can be very strong and may be blended with another honey to make it more palatable or smooth. Such as the strong ivy with the blander rapeseed. Mixed together and soft set they create a rather delicious honey.
3. Put the seed honey into the bucket of liquid honey and mix for a couple of minutes. Keep mixing until all the honey has the same colour and there are no lumps of seed honey left.
4. Place cool, 14 degrees Celsius is ideal, for 12 hours. 
5. After 12 hours, stir again for a couple of minutes and repeat for 1-4 days at 12-hour intervals. The amount of days this takes depends on the type of honey, amount of seed, temperature and how quickly it starts to set. As the honey begins to granulate you may need to place the bucket in room temperature for a while before stirring to get it soft enough to stir.
6. The honey is ready to jar when crystals have begun forming, and the honey has thickened considerably. You need to ensure that it is not too thick to pour so make sure you do not leave it for too long.   
7. After stirring/mixing the last time, leave to settle for a couple of hours. This allows any bubbles to rise to the top. Then skim off any foam or bubbles, and jar. 
8. Place jars at 14 degrees for up to two weeks until the honey has set.

Making your own Soft Set honey?

Although making soft set honey is a relatively simple process, there are lots and lots of things that can go wrong. Here is a list of them if you need to troubleshoot or if you just want to prepare yourself before you attempt to make a batch. Here is a list of all the things that can go wrong, how to deal with it and how to prevent it from happening:

Soft set not setting

Reason 1: Low glucose/high fructose sugars in honey. Nectar or honey from different sources contain different sugars. High glucose honeys such as ivy and rapeseed (OSR) granulate rapidly, whereas high fructose honeys granulate or set more slowly and sometimes not at all.

Solution 1: Abort mission and turn into run honey instead.

Solution 2: Add more high glucose honey.

Prevention: Make soft set honey using at least some high glucose honey. A mixture of honeys is usually good. Also make sure honey has relatively low moisture content.

Reason 2: Temperature too high.

Solution & prevention: Optimum temperature for granulation to occur is 13-15 degrees Celsius. Place at this temperature to speed up granulation. It can be a good idea to make soft set in the winter when it’s easier to find a cool spot for your bucket or jars.

Soft set honey not pouring or slow to pour

Reason: Honey has set in the bucket. Honey has been left stand for too long before jarring.

Solution 1: Gently warm the honey so that it becomes soft and can be poured. Make sure not to heat it too much or the crystals will melt and spoil all your work. About 30 degrees Celsius should suffice.

Solution 2: Mix in more liquid honey. This will soften the honey.  Allow to stand for bubbles to rise, then pour.

Prevention: Be vigilant when making soft set honey. Check it several times a day to make sure that it does not go hard in the bucket. Have jars ready so that when the honey is ready you can pour without delay.

Seeded soft set honey is grainy/has crystals which are too large in it

Reason 1: The seed honey had large granules in it.

Reason 2: The honey was not completely liquid. In this case there could have been crystals already in the honey. Hence, when the honey starts to set, some of it will take on the shape of these crystals.

Reason 3: The seeded honey has not been stirred often enough. Stirring seeded honey frequently before jarring is essential to distribute the seed. If this is not done properly, the honey can start to granulate naturally, especially if the temperature is conducive to granulation.    

Reason 4: The honey has not been stirred thoroughly.

Solution: Liquify honey and start again.

Prevention: Check that the seed honey is appropriately smooth. You can make your own seed by pounding crystallised honey until it has obtained the desired consistency. Ensure honey to be seeded is completely liquid, free of granules or crystals. Stir at least twice daily, preferably every few hours. Stir thoroughly, making sure to get all the way down to the bottom and around the inside of the bucket. 

Layering

Reason: Layering sometimes occurs in soft set honey as well as granulated honey. It usually happens after some time in storage. What happens when honey layers is that the glucose sugars crystallise and separate from the water, and the fructose remains liquid. The top layer can have a higher moisture content than the honey at the bottom of the jar and thus would be at risk of fermenting.

Solution: Honey can be stirred to mix the two layers. However, it is likely that the layering will reappear. Store cool.

Prevention: Make sure to include high glucose honey when making soft set honey. Also make sure honey has relatively low moisture content. Once jarred, store soft set honey cool.

Layering in soft set honey

Bubbles at the top

Reason 1: Honey did not settle in the bucket/tank before pouring. Bubbles rising to the top as honey settles.

Solution 1: Leave as is.

Solution 2: Gently heat the jars until the honey becomes soft but not liquid. Using a spoon, gently scoop up any bubbles from the surface. Stir the rest of the honey gently (without adding air) then leave to set.

Prevention: Settle honey for 12 hours after the last stir before jarring.

Reason 2: Long distance between honey-gate/valve and jar when jarring. Honey can pick up air as it falls from the valve.

Solution: As above

Prevention: Minimise the distance between honey gate and jar.

Pour soft set honey like this to minimise bubbles and frosting

Frosting

Reason 1: Long distance between honey-gate/valve and jar. Honey can pick up air as it falls from the valve. This can lead to frosting where the air forms a bloom on the inside of the jar.

Solution: Deal with this by gently heating the jars until the honey becomes soft but not liquid. Using a spoon stir the honey making sure to scrape the frosting away from the inside of the glass. Let set.

Prevention: Minimize the distance between honey gate and jar.

Reason 2: Low moisture content in honey.

Solution 1: The easiest thing here is to do nothing. After all, there is nothing wrong with the honey, it is just unsightly. However, if you want to remedy without having to redo the batch, then heat and stir as described above. It will get rid of the frosting for some time, although it may reappear at a later stage.

Solution 2: If it is too unsightly, you may need to redo the batch and add some run honey into it. To do this, soften the honey without melting the crystals, pour into a bucket and mix in honey with 18-20 percent moisture content.

Prevention: If using rapeseed honey (or other low moisture honey) to make soft set, mix it first with some honey with higher moisture content.  

Granulated or set honey is releasing from glass

Reason: Moisture content of honey is low. This often happens with rapeseed honey which typically has a low moisture content.

Solution: Should not need to be remedied.

Prevention: If using rapeseed honey (or other low moisture honey) to make soft set, mix it first with some honey with higher moisture content. 

Hanna Bäckmo

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