How To Soften Brown Sugar (Numerous Ways)
Last updated on July 27th, 2023 at 06:39 pm
There are so many ways to soften brown sugar back to its normal usable texture. There are fast and slow ways, lets look at some!
Fast ways to Soften and Loosen Brown Sugar
Here are a number of fast ways to soften brown sugar in a hurry.
How to soften the brown sugar in the Microwave
Put the brown sugar in a microwave safe bowl with a damp paper towel. Now turn on the microwave for 20 seconds. Then use a fork to break up the brown sugar, it will be a lot more sot but depending on how much brown sugar you have the center of it will likely still be hard. If needed set the microwave for another 20 seconds but be careful not to burn he brown sugar.
How to soften brown sugar using The Food Processor
Depending on how strong your food processor is, placing the lumpy brown sugar into it and giving it a few seconds on low will break up your brown sugar enough to be usable. When done this is the fastest way to break up hard brown sugar, but it won’t re hydrate it if you are going to store it again.
How to soften brown sugar using the Oven
Heat up the oven to 250° F (120 degrees C) Place hardened brown sugar in an oven safe bowl and warm it up in the oven. Check the brown sugar every few minutes, trying to break it up with a knife or fork to soften up the center of the brown sugar quickly. Be careful though the brown sugar will be quite hot.
How to soften brown sugar using water
Add the hardened brown sugar to a plastic bag, for every 1 1/2 cups (8 oz) of brown sugar add 3/4 of a teaspoon of water. Seal the bag and wait about 10 minutes as the brown sugar will absorb the water and soften. After the time has passed some of the thicker pieces of sugar will likely take some massaging to break up the softened outer shell to allow the moisture to reach the few hardened inner pieces.
Softening time: 10 minutes
Slow ways to Soften and Loosen Brown sugar
These tricks usually take 24 hours or longer, also some can even be a preventative measure in the brown sugar ever hardening up again for a long time.
Using bread to soften brown sugar
This one does take 24 hours but it works great. To do it you will need your hard brown sugar, a plastic bag and a piece of soft bread. First place the hardened brown sugar in the plastic bag then place the bread in as well. Close the plastic bag tightly and let it sit for 24 hours. The moisture from the bread will re hydrate the brown sugar. Remove the bread when it has softened the brown sugar as it will mold quickly in the brown sugar container.
Note: Some of the top layer of brown sugar will have a lighter than the rest just discard this as it has absorbed more moisture than the rest of the brown sugar. The rest of the batch will be perfectly fine to use in any recipe. Also the bread will absorb some of the molasses from the brown sugar.
Softening time: about 24 hours.
How to soften brown sugar using an Apple
This is similar to the bread method but instead of re hydrating the brown sugar with bread we will use a few apple slices. Put the hardened brown sugar in a plastic bag and a few apple slices in as well.
The nice thing about using apple slices is that they add their flavor to the brown sugar, This is perfect trick to add a hint of an apple flavor to any fall recipe. Just make sure you remove the apple after it has softened the brown sugar.
Softening Time: around 8-24 hours
How to soften brown sugar using Marshmallows
This is more preventative but it will work fine for softening hardened brown sugar, if you have a few days. If your brown sugar is hardening place it in an air tight container (a plastic bag etc) and place a few marshmallows inside the container as well. The marshmallows will dehydrate and re hydrate the brown sugar over time. This depends on how many you place in the container, but a few will make
Softening time: Around 24 hours
How to soften brown sugar Using a Terracotta
Another option is using a terracotta that was soaked for 20 minutes and dried with a towel. Placed in their brown sugar container and give it a day. The terracotta will slowly releases moisture back into the air around it softening and keeping the brown sugar soft and moist for 3 to 6 months.
Notes about hardened brown sugar
If you are curious about why brown sugar gets hard and other miscellaneous information, I have provided a bit more information about how to keep brown sugar soft and why it actually hardens.
Is hard brown sugar still good?
Yes, Brown sugar almost never goes bad (Unless contaminants are mixed in) However brown sugar is best used within two years of the buy date. This is why people buy brown sugar in bulk, if it is stored properly, it almost always still fine to use.
How to keep Brown Sugar from getting hard?
Brown sugar should be stored in an airtight sealed rust proof container in a cool and dry area. Or use a resealable plastic bag will work fine to store brown sugar. Some people even use mason jars.
Should I refrigerate brown sugar?
You should never refrigerate brown sugar, this will sap the moisture out of the brown sugar and will then harden it at the same time. The only time brown sugar should be store in the fridge is if you have an ant infestation, and only for a short time at most.
Why does brown sugar get hard?
Brown sugar has moisture that evaporates as time goes on, if properly stored this moisture stays inside the container and keeps the brown sugar soft. This is why it is so vital to have brown sugar in an air tight container in a cool and dry place.
