How to Pull Taffy

Old-fashioned salt water taffy is a staple of candy shops, which often feature taffy being repeatedly pulled on a large metal machine in the window. Salt water taffy does not contain ocean water and can be made at home. In order for it to achieve its light, chewy texture, taffy must be aerated, a process of incorporating air bubbles throughout the candy. You can make taffy at home and pull it with your hands to achieve the correct taste. This article will show you how to pull taffy to the perfect consistency.

Steps

1
Make your taffy. Here is a simple recipe you can follow:
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 cup (191.6 g) of sugar, 1/4 cup (59 ml) of light corn syrup, 2/3 cup (157.7 ml) of water, 2 tbsp. (28.7 g) of butter, 1 tbsp. (9.46 g) of cornstarch and 1 tsp. (5 g) of salt. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Heat without stirring until the mixture achieves 250 degrees Fahrenheit (120 degrees Celsius). Measure this using a candy thermometer for best results.
- Remove the saucepan from heat. Stir in 1 tsp. (9g) of vanilla extract, 2 tsp. (18g) of almond extract and 10 drops of a food coloring of your choice. You can split your batch between 2 saucepans and use 5 drops of different colors of food coloring in each, if you want to have more than 1 color. After the color is well mixed, pour onto buttered baking sheets, 1 for each color.
2
Let the taffy stand until it is cool enough throughout to touch with your fingers.

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3
Wash your hands thoroughly, then butter them. Pick up the taffy with 2 hands. Form the taffy into a ball.
4
Pull your right and left hands away from each other sideways in front of your body. (You will be pulling taffy for quite a while, so find a comfortable position or friends to help).
5
Double the taffy on itself by bringing the ends together on the left side and pulling the middle with your right hand.
- If you plan on making a lot of taffy, invest in a taffy hook. They are available through online kitchen stores. Install this large metal hook on your wall, clean it, and then hook the taffy around the middle, and pull. Double the taffy on the hook. Pull and repeat. This allows you to pull back and use momentum to help you, making it less exhausting.
- Grease your hands with butter again as needed throughout the process of pulling.
6
Pull the taffy until it is light in color and stiff. This will indicate there are enough air bubbles inside to make it fluffy. Pulling taffy can take 15 to 60 minutes, depending upon the number of people you have pulling and the amount of taffy you are working with.
7
Pull hard on 1 end of the taffy so that it is stretched into a thin rope. You may need to take it between your 2 palms and rotate your hands back and forth to keep the round rope shape. Cut the taffy with clean, greased scissors and wrap the taffy in wax paper.
8
Twist together ropes of different colors and flavors to form a striped candy. Cut with greased scissors and wrap in wax paper squares.

Community Q&A

Question

Where do I find a taffy hook?

Michele

Top Answerer

You can find them for sale at a couple of places online, but they're not cheap. Worth it if you plan on making a lot and often.
Question

Do I have to use the almond and vanilla extract?

Community Answer

The almond and vanilla extract are not required, so you can replace them if you want a different flavor.

Warnings

Pulling taffy is physically exhausting. Be sure to find a comfortable position or people to help you, if you do not think you can pull for at least 30 minutes.

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