Candy & Cooking Stages

Pynade vs Payne Ragoun

There are 2 similar candies, one sounds like it is a candy at the soft ball state and the other sounds like it is at the hard crack state. Medieval cooks had no idea about what heat was chemically doing to their sugars, but they did have a clear indication of what it looked like when it was stretched or added to water. And it is this appearance that gives us a clue as to what they were doing.

Payne Ragoun and Cryfpes appear to be softer candies. Pynade appears to be a hard candy.

See recipes for Payne Ragoun
See recipes for Pynade

Cryfpes:

Take hony and sugur cipre and clarifie it togydre, and boile it withesy fyre, and kepe it wel fro brennyng. And wha it hath yboiled a while, take up a drope perof wip py fyngur and do in a litel water, and loke it if hong togydre; and take it fro the fyre and do perto pynes the thriddendele & powdour gyngever, and stere it togyder til it bygynne to thik, and cast it on a wete table; lesh it and serve forth with fryed mete, on flessh dayes or on fyssshe dayes.

There is a clear indication of checking for sugar state. I think I am going to try the Firm ball state. 245° F–250° F sugar concentration: 87%. Drop a little of this syrup in cold water and it will form a firm ball, one that won’t flatten when you take it out of the water, but remains malleable and will flatten when squeezed. Most likely a mediaval caramel type thing.

Pynade:

Pynade. Take Hony & gode pouder Gyngere, & Galyngale, & Canelle, Pouder pepir, & graynys of parys, & boyle y-fere; than take kyrnelys of Pynotys & caste ther-to; & take chyconys y-sothe, & hew hem in grece, & caste ther-to, & lat sethe y-fere; & then lat droppe ther-of on a knyf; & if it cleuyth & wexyth hard, it ys y-now; & then putte it on a chargere tyl it be cold, & mace lechys, & serue with other metys; & if thou wolt make it in spycery, then putte non chykonys ther-to.

Also an indication of checking state. I am going to try Hard-Crack Stage 300° F–310° F Sugar concentration: 99%. The hard-crack stage is the highest temperature you are likely to see specified in a candy recipe. At these temperatures, there is almost no water left in the syrup. Drop a little of the molten syrup in cold water and it will form hard, brittle threads that break when bent.