Turkish Delight and how to store it
I know there are some purists out there that are going to freak out. Yes, this recipe I'm giving you has gelatine. A traditional Turkish Delight recipe doesn't use gelatine. But since we're all busy these days, gelatine will eliminate the extra precision and time you'll need to make it right.
Because this recipe uses gelatin, you'll be able to bypass the technical sugar temperature step. But you know, there are other issues many people have run into, so read my tips to get on top of that. My tips are below the recipe. While this recipe isn't traditional, it comes out tasting just like the exact thing - most people won't be able to tell!
This recipe for Turkish Delight is quick, easy, and tastes brilliant. The internet is littered with "why is my Turkish Delight melting?", so I will also show you how to store it through my tips below.
Cheats Turkish Delight
Ingredients
- 250g icing sugar, sifted
- 80g corn flour (I use proper corn, not wheaten. Trust me, it's a thing - check the label of yours)
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 pinch salt (I prefer flaked salt)
- 750g water
- 440g sugar (Caster sugar works best for this)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 60g gelatine (I use powdered here because leaf gelatine is super expensive in this quantity. Don't smell it before you add your flavour!)
- 1 tablespoon rosewater (Depending on how strong you want it. You can add more but be careful - it's potent stuff)
- A few drops of pink food colouring (I used Americolour electric pink)
For the powder coating
- 60g corn flour for storing (This may be more than you need but it will depend on what you're storing it in)
Instructions
- Prepare your mould. I used a silicone one here because it is so easy to remove from the mould once set. But you could use a lightly oiled tin, lined with good quality cling film for easy removal.
- Weigh the water, sugar, lemon juice, then gelatine into a small pot. Mix well to combine using a silicone or metal spoon. (Make sure your silicone utensil is heat resistant!)
- Pop the pot on the stove and bring to boil. Cook until all the sugar grains have dissolved, then stop and remove it from the heat.
- Weigh out the icing, corn flour, cream of tartar, and pinch of salt into a small bowl. Mix then sift into the pot while constantly stirring.
- Pop the pot back on the stove and cook out the corn flour. Keep gently stirring until the mix changes from opaque to a slightly transparent mixture. Don't let the mix catch on the bottom of the pan and don't mix too vigorously here or you'll create too many bubbles.
- Pour the mix into your mould. Skim off any foam that may be present. Allow to set for 3 – 4 hours in the fridge or overnight until firm.
- Once fully set, lightly dust it with corn flour. Most recipes on the net will tell you to coat it in icing sugar, but this will only leave you with a sticky mess! See my tips below*.
- Cut the Turkish Delight into desired shapes; I got 48 pieces. Dust your knife between each cut liberally with the corn flour to prevent the blade from dragging too much.
- Sit the squares in an airtight container dusted with corn flour.
Bec's Tips
- The internet is filled with Turkish Delight recipes many of them don't rate well. The most frequent complaints are of their Turkish Delight turning out wet. I'm pretty sure it's got nothing to do with the actual recipe, it's all about how they're stored. You'll need to cut out the icing sugar and store it only with corn flour to prevent a damp mess.
- Sugar is a humectant. Under the right conditions, it will draw moisture from whatever's around. So if you dust icing sugar on your soft, moist Turkish Delight, the icing sugar will melt and puddle. The icing sugar will draw the moisture from your Turkish Delight and turn it to syrup.
- You can lightly shake the corn flour off any pieces before serving if you like, but I find if it's just a light dusting it's okay. You can also dust with a little icing sugar just before serving. But remember those bits won't keep well if they don't get eaten there and then!
- What's good quality clingfilm? One that's not too thin, is BPA-free, but microwaveable.
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