Pearl sugar & snow sugar

Pearl sugar and snow sugar are the sugars you can see: one stays crunchy on top of a Sunday Zopf, the other settles over cakes and bakes like fresh snow. In this category you will find both, in several grain sizes and versions. What they share: they stay visible where ordinary sugar disappears.

Which pearl sugar and snow sugar do we stock?

• Medium pearl sugar, 300 g: for brioche, soft rolls and small bakes, where big nibs would be too dominant.
• Coarse pearl sugar, 250 g and 200 g: the generous nibs for Zopf and chouquettes.
• Snow sugar, 150 g, and sweet snow sugar, 150 g: decorative dusting sugar that stays white on moist cakes.

Tips from our kitchen

Pearl sugar: scatter it on before baking

Pearl sugar is made of hard, compressed sugar grains. It does not melt in the oven but stays as crisp white nibs on the bake. Brush your Zopf or brioche with egg first so the grains stick, then scatter generously. For chouquettes, the sugar goes straight onto the piped choux pastry before the tray goes in. Any nibs that do not stick can be shaken off after baking and used again.

Snow sugar: only on cooled bakes

Ordinary icing sugar quickly soaks into moist surfaces and turns translucent. Snow sugar stays white, even on fruit tarts, doughnuts or cream cakes. Dust it through a fine sieve over the fully cooled bake, ideally just before serving. With a stencil you can create patterns on a chocolate cake, too. A recipe to try: make your own Berliner doughnuts.

Frequently asked questions

Why does pearl sugar not melt in the oven?

The grains are large and very compact. At normal baking temperatures and times they stay whole and crunchy, while fine sugar would melt.

Can I use icing sugar instead of snow sugar?

On dry biscuits, yes. On moist cakes, fruit or cream, icing sugar disappears after a short while, and that is where snow sugar makes the difference.

Where can I learn to plait a beautiful Zopf?

In our Zopf course in Adliswil, you plait step by step with us. More sugars are waiting under sugars & sweeteners, such as glitter sugar & popping candy or speciality sugars like muscovado.