What you need:

• 1 1⁄2 cups caster sugar
• 1/3 cup golden syrup
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 teaspoons bicarbonate soda
• melted chocolate to serve

What to do:

1. Line a deep sided baking tray with baking paper and place it close by the stove.
2. Combine sugar, honey, syrup and water in a large heavy based saucepan (make sure there is room for the mixture to double in size).
3. Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Use a wet pastry brush to push down any sugar crystals on the sides of the saucepan. Once dissolved, turn up heat and don’t stir until mix has reached “hard crack” stage, just under 150°C (or drip a little mixture into a glass of cold water – if it forms shards that can be cracked, then it’s ready).
4. Remove from heat and place saucepan in a pan of cold water. Wait for the syrup to settle a little.
5. Add the bicarb and stir vigorously to mix it through.
6. Transfer the bubbly mixture to paper lined tray to cool.
7. Melt some chocolate while the mixture sets.
8. Break the solidified honeycomb into chunks and dip them in some melted chocolate, placing them on a paper lined tray to set.
9. Enjoy!

Safety note:

Be very careful with the hot caramel syrup.

What’s happening?

Bicarbonate decomposes when it gets above about 80°C. This releases carbon dioxide gas that forms the bubbles in the honeycomb. The bubbles are trapped when the syrup cools and solidifies.

carbonate + heat –> salt + water + carbon dioxide

2NaHCO₃ –> Na₂CO₃ + H₂O + CO₂