BBx Caramel Bread Puddin’ Recipe!! Try it today if you want to be popular.

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Making bread pudding is like cheating at culinary skills!  It’s SO easy and SO satisfying.  We created a super simple caramel-inspired recipe that anyone can master on the first try.  Promise.  Impress your friends with amazing cooking skills you never knew you had!  You’ll be the most popular kid in the book club (or whatever club)!  We won’t tell anyone how easy it was if you won’t…
The recipe instructions are in the text below but check out this video for the step-by-step…

Quick notes:



We highly recommend you use a “Good” sugar!  You know, an organic one that isn’t over processed so you get all the nutrients and enzymes your body needs to digest it well.  For example: coconut palm nectar, evaporated cane juice, honey, brown rice syrup, agave, etc. Keep in mind, depending on the type of sugar you use, it may be more or less sweet.  You can change the quantity of the GRANULATED sugars in the recipe to your liking without affecting the way the dish turns out but be careful with the SYRUPs – they add more liquid.  If you substitute with one of the syrups, we recommend you use ~1 cup of syrup and use ½ c LESS of either cream or milk.

You can use ANY of our delicious caramel chews in this recipe.  Just remember, if you are using a variation with vanilla bean, chocolate, nuts and/or spices, you might want to omit one of those ingredients below.

Now, let’s do this thing!

Ingredients:
1 loaf fresh, soft bread (like brioche or challah) cut into ¾” – 1” cubes
3 Eggs
4 Egg yolks
¾  c. Sugar
3 c. Cream + 2 c. Milk (or 5 c. Whole Milk if you’re skimping on fat)
4 T. Sweet butter (aka unsalted), melted
¾ t. Salt
1 Vanilla Bean Pod, scraped (optional)
1 t. Ground Cinnamon (optional)
10-15 Salty Dog caramel chews cut into quarters
½ c. Chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
½ c. Chocolate chips (optional)
Lots of LOVE (Mom’s secret ingredient; works like magic.)

Equipment:
Small saucepan
Cutting board + knife
Baking sheet(s)
Medium mixing bowl
Large prep bowl
Electric beater or wire whisk
Greased 9×13 Baking Pan

Directions:
Gettings Started..
  1. Preheat oven to 325°.

  2. Spread your bread cubes out in a single layer on one or a couple of baking sheets.

  3. Bake for 15 minutes to dry them out a bit.

  4. Remove from oven and let cool.  Set aside in large prep bowl.

  5. In small saucepan, melt your sweet butter and set aside.

  6. Use small amount of melted butter to grease your baking pan and set aside.

  7. Scrape your Vanilla Bean!  Not sure how?  Watch Sugar demonstrate or just cut it open the long way and fold it out flat.  Then use the back part of your knife to scrape the tiny little “seeds” out and set them aside.  The skin is potent so don’t throw it away!  Add it to a jar or bag of sugar and in no time at all you’ll have yummy Vanilla Sugar.  No vanilla bean pods??  Substitute with 2 t. Vanilla Extract.

  8. Unwrap  your caramel pieces and cut them into smaller pieces by quartering them.  Set aside for later.

Now for the custard! 
  1. Separate  your eggs!  Not sure how??  Check out Sugar’s video demonstration or google it!  It’s easy.  You can save the remaining egg whites in the fridge for up to FOUR days to use in other things or just cook with a little salt and pepper for breakfast.

  2. In medium mixing bowl, beat egg, egg yolks and sugar until a little bit frothy, about 1 ½ to 2 minutes.

  3. Add in the cream and milk to your eggs as you mix.

  4. Add vanilla bean (or extract), salt and cinnamon and mix until combined. 

  5. (Just be nice to your custard and don’t over-beat it!)

The final pre-cookin’ steps!
  1. In your large prep bowl, drizzle melted butter over your bread cubes and toss with your hands to get them all good and coated.  You can do this in stages, drizzling a bit then tossing, then drizzling some more, and so on.

  2. Add caramel pieces, nuts and chocolate chips and continue tossing with your hands to coat as well.

  3. Transfer your bread and goodies to your baking pan, making sure the goodies don’t all fall to the bottom of the pan but are evenly dispersed throughout the bread.

  4. Pour your custard evenly over the top of the bread mixture, smooshing it in there nice and good with your hands.  The bread is going to act like a custard sponge so make sure they all soak plenty up!

  5. Cover and store in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or up to a day).

Cook it up!
  1. When you’re ready to cook it up, take your puddin’ out of the fridge while you preheat your oven to 350° and cook for 30-45 minutes or until it is cooked through (custard should be “set” or not runny) and golden brown on top.

  2. Serve warm!  You can even add a scoop of your favorite ice cream or any dessert sauce if that suits your fancy.

  3. Enjoy!  :)

What’s this moustachey-looking thing in my bag of Emperor Norton?

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To answer that question, first let’s talk about The Captain’s Secret ‘Stache. Captain Sugar Bugs, the mastermind behind our delicious caramels, likes to keep things exciting by whipping up a little special something here and there; something different from our standard offerings.

Two months ago we offered The Mother Lode. We used our lowest-glycemic, most nutritious Bold-Fashioned recipe as the base caramel and topped it with a big dose of raw, organic cocoa nibs. Widely considered to be a superfood, no less! We like to think it’s as close to a health food as you’ll get in a piece of candy. This caramel has been so popular that we made another tiny batch and still have some in stock (for now).
This past month, we created The Emperor Norton. Like the Emperor, himself, it’s pretty nutty! This yummy chew also uses our Bold-Fashioned caramel as the base and is infused with a touch of cinnamon and a lot of raw, California walnuts from a local family farm.
So, in honor of the Captain’s Secret ‘Stache, we’ve included a bonus “beerstache” in each and every bag! This is a versatile ‘stache that can be attached to the mouth of any bottle (water bottles, beer bottles, soda bottles, etc.) to add a touch of class to every sip, all compliments of yours truly, Captain Sugar Bugs!
Enjoy your ‘stache responsibly…

Have Your Candy and Eat It Too – How BBx is changing the face of candy-making

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We recently met the lovely and brilliant Alex Mart, a San Francisco-based Health Counselor who was so excited about our product that she offered to be our very first GUEST BLOGGER! Want to know more about how different types of sugar effect your body and why you should care? Read on, folks!



Have Your Candy and Eat It Too – How BBx is changing the face of candy-making

The general consensus that you seem to see and hear everywhere is that “Sugar is Sugar.” The Corn Grower’s Association, currently in the process of renaming High Fructose Corn Syrup to the harmless-sounding “Corn Sugar,” wants you to believe it. They are currently throwing a whole lot of money at that advertising campaign. However, the conclusion about sugar in the nutritional world is quite the opposite and has everything to do with quality.

The truth of the matter is that different sources of sugar have varying nutritional levels and our bodies respond to them in dramatically different ways. Likewise, the way a sugar is processed or not has a lot to do with its nutrition. The sugar cane plant goes through a staggering amount of processing, much of it chemical, to be turned into white sugar. The end result is an empty calorie, pure energy, with almost no trace of any nutrient. Lesser processed sugar cane products such as Rapadura, Sucanat, and Evaporated Cane Juice all contain trace minerals that make them easier for your body to digest. Refined carbohydrates, including white sugar, white flour and white rice, have all been stripped of their vitamins and minerals, which are necessary for digestion. Carbohydrates and starches are all converted into glucose in your body to be used for energy, and your body must pull from its own nutrient stores in order to process and use this energy if it isn’t naturally in the food source. Consuming too many processed carbohydrates and sugars on a regular basis can lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

This is why eating carbohydrates, including sugars, in their unprocessed whole food forms is vital. Various vitamins, minerals, and enzymes are present that allow the sugars to be gradually broken down in your body, slowly releasing glucose into your bloodstream. When you eat refined carbs, glucose enters your blood almost immediately, causing a spike in you blood sugar. After a dramatic rise in blood sugar, you almost always experience a crash. When you eat refined carbs regularly, a cycle of high and low blood sugar can begin that results in a roller coaster of intense cravings and addiction, as the body constantly looks for more sugar to come back from its lows. Eating excess sugar wreaks havoc on the body and mind, toying with your energy level, mood, and ability to judge hunger, among other things.

Whole, unprocessed carbohydrates – foods including whole grains, beans, fruits and sugar – on the other hand, take longer to digest and thus release sugar much more gradually into the bloodstream. This allows your body to maintain a balanced blood sugar level and gives you sustained energy hours after having eaten.

The wonderful news is that you can now have your candy and eat it too! Yes, said by a Health Counselor. Barbary Brix uses minimally processed sugars in their caramels, so they will not spike your blood sugar. Did I mention they are tantalizingly buttery and smooth?

One of the amazing sugars Barbary Brix uses, organic coconut palm sugar, is a very low glycemic load sugar (meaning a serving of it has very little effect on your blood sugar levels), full of an amazing array of trace vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other macro-nutrients. On top of that, it’s considered by some to be the most sustainably produced sugar available.

It is important to mention glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL), since they provide another way of talking about the blood sugar phenomenon I just explained. Glycemic index is a measure of how quickly carbohydrates are broken down in the body, releasing glucose into the bloodstream. Carbohydrates that break down quickly, rapidly releasing sugar into the bloodstream have a high GI, while those that break down more slowly, releasing glucose into the bloodstream gradually, have a low GI. Glycemic load (GL) also takes the quantity of sugar released into the bloodstream into account, and is thus considered a more useful measurement. For instance, carrots have a high GI, but in the amount you consume them, have a low GL.

Another sugar used in BBx’s caramels is organic brown rice syrup, a mildly sweet syrup derived from brown rice, which is also full of nutrients like magnesium, manganese, and zinc. The other sugar they use is a sustainably farmed and fair-trade certified organic evaporated cane juice. Although cane sugar is not considered to have a low glycemic load, BBx uses it in small amounts. They also get the highest quality possible, meaning it is relatively unprocessed, still containing essential nutrients for digestion, and organic.

Organic certification, which all of their ingredients have (except for the kosher salt), means that farms “integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity” (http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/NOP). This means healthy practices for the environment, farm workers, and consumers. Win-win-win for organic. Taking the extra step, BBx also looks for fair-trade sources for their sugar and cocoa ingredients, where available. Fair-trade certification ensures a fair price for farmers and workers, another win. Talk about responsible candy-making: environmentally, socially, healthily. If you thought you’d never hear a Health Counselor utter the words “good candy,” think again, because here it is.

I don’t advocate eating lots of sugar in any form, however, I do advocate for living a happy life and for treating yourself and others well. These caramels are a melt-in-your mouth, sumptuous, velvety treat for those special times. Please enjoy – with the all the joy, of course. Savor your sweets.

Sources and additional reading:

http://www.sweet-tree.biz/coconutpalmsugarnutritional.html#Glycemic_Index_and_Glycemic_Load

http://www.sweet-tree.biz/What_is_Coconut_Sugar_.html

http://www.certifiedorganicevaporatedcanejuice.com/

http://www.brownricesyrups.com/

http://www.foodmarketexchange.com/datacenter/product/sugar/detail/dc_pi_sugar_03_02.htm

http://www.natural-healing-health.com/glycemicload.html

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400579/Confused-by-the-Glycemic-Index.html

About our guest blogger:

Alex Mart is a certified Health Counselor and member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. Her training with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition taught her hundreds of different dietary theories and life coaching methods, which she uses to determine each person’s unique path to health and fulfillment. She works with people searching for energy, confidence, and balance in their bodies and lives. One conversation can change your life: schedule your free initial consultation with Alex today. www.alexmarthealth.org

TAKE A POLL! Also, what people are saying about Barbary Brix caramel…

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Well, it’s official. People seem to love these little guys! We knew our family and friends wouldn’t all be lying to us about how yummy they are but now that this product is getting out there to friends-of-friends and, well, perfect strangers alike, it has been exciting to hear the overwhelmingly positive feedback! Here’s some of the things people have been saying:

“Yum! Now all other caramel is ruined for me forever…”
“Woah.” [Taster scans frantically for a place to sit then plops down.]
“My dad, who hates sweets, destroyed the entire bag before my mom could get ONE.”
“Your caramels make my heart sing.”
“The Distinguished Gentleman saves lives.” [From a diabetic person who used a bag to avert a blood sugar crash.]
“These are the best caramel candies I’ve ever tasted!”
“This is so good that if [REDACTED]s tasted like this, I’d become a lesbian.”
“These are dangerously good!”
“Huh…I thought I hated caramel. Guess I was wrong.”
“Your candy is habit-forming!”
Some of the adjectives we hear a lot are: soft, buttery, amazing, melty, delicious, creamy, orgasmic.
Some of the expletives we hear a lot are: wow, whoa, mmmm, holy $*!#.
We LOVE the feedback and love that people are enjoying our caramel! It is humbling and exciting and keeps us going, knowing we have something to offer that is satisfying and enjoyable but also is better-for-you than other similar candy and more eco-friendly to boot!
In terms of popularity, our Salty Dog has prevailed as the most popular but the Eligible Heiress and the Distinguished Gentleman aren’t doing too shabby in the rankings. The devotees of the Bold-Fashioned and Madam Moxie are die hard and loyal. What’s your favorite?
Moving on to other important topics, another thing we’ve been consistently hearing is a desire for a Variety Bag! Well, we’re defo working on it but your feedback is super duper valuable, so help us out! Go on and vote on what combinations you’d like to see us offer!
Hugs,
Sug

Everybody’s workin’ for the weekend…

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Hey there ladies and gents!

Happy happy new year to you all!! It’s been a little while since we’ve made a post but we haven’t forgotten about you nor your tastebuds during this most frenetic time of the year.

This week I’ve been spending my days downtown doing an office temp gig 8-5, M-F. While I don’t feel like I’ve been out of the corporate grind for thaaaaat long, there’s lots of things I forgot about that go along with it, things both cool and not so cool. Such aaaaaaasssss:

  • Having an acute awareness of the actual day of the week at all times (i.e. Ugh, it’s Monday. Yay, Hump Day! Is it Friday yet??);
  • When your computer or technology goes berserk, you can call up a guy in this magical place called “Eye Tee” and he’ll come fix it;
  • Being on a routine daily schedule (my body is totally going to wake itself up at 600a tomorrow, isn’t it? Boo.);
  • There are a lot of people who go to offices every day who secretly – or not so secretly – LOATHE IT;
  • The exorbitant amount of money people spend on coffee (are we in the wrong business?);
  • And, maybe my favorite…the free food and all the sparkle water I can drink!
I suppose like anything, the life of the forty-hour-a-week office drone has its pros, like health insurance and paychecks, as well as cons, like having to ride MUNI every day, but I think for now I’ll try to stick primarily to Plan A: Build Better Candy Empire. (Fingers crossed Plan A starts to pay the bills around here sooner rather than later so I’m not doing temp gigs forever.)

On that note, we don’t want any of you adoring fans out there to think that BBx has gone dormant; not the case at all. It’s true that we had a whirlwind, exhausting and amazing holiday season and spent nearly every waking moment scurrying around like schizophrenic elves (or giants, as the case may be) cooking caramel and getting them out the door, but that doesn’t mean we’re burned out. In fact, we’re fired up. Why? Because the People love Barbary Brix caramel and we won’t rest until we give the People what they want! Which brings me to my next, very important point…

THANK YOU SO SOOOO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR HOLIDAY ORDERS AND SUPPORT!! We hope that you and yours are all a little bit fatter and happier as a result. Hehe.

All of that said, now that things have simmered down, we’ve been doing a bit of this thing called sleep, regrouping, patting ourselves on the back, eating meals at regular intervals, but not resting on our laurels. In fact, we’re getting deep into Phase II of our strategic plan: Increase Production Capacity. Once we accomplish this, we’ll be able to start distributing commercially (selling to stores who sell to the People), which we have always intended to be the main portion of our business. It’s sliiiiightly less cyclical than holiday gifts, no? (Read: sarcastic wit, or at least a lame attempt at sarcastic wit.) I mean, how extra-excited would you be to conveniently pick up Barbary Brix products in stores where you shop for things like toilet paper and breakfast cereal?! Extra, extra. We know… We’re on it. That long-term goal is still likely a long ways off but, to that end, we’re in a serious investigation, networking, and research mode, vetting our various options for increasing efficiency and volume. Wheeeeee!

In the meantime, you don’t have to be deprived of your favorite caramely treats! We are still filling online orders and have a number of events coming up where we’ll be sampling and selling. In fact, our next event is happening two weeks from today!

On Friday, January 21, 2011 from 600-1000 PM we’ll be posting up at the famous and historic Cotton Mill Studios (map) in Oakland for their upcoming art show and open studio event . There will be gallery displays by guest artists in addition to the artists and craftspeople who live there. Did I mention the apps, adult bevs, and music?

Check out these links for more info:
http://www.f3oakland.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/F3-at-the-Cotton-Mill/120253561362151?v=info

Hope to see you there!

Hugs,
Sugar

My packaging can beat up your packaging!

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Our new and improved candy wrappers have finally arrived!

If you’ve had Barbary Brix caramels up until now, you’ve been eating them out of a natural, recycled wax paper wrapper. We certainly don’t want to diss the lovely, and compostable little guys that have served us so well but they tend to seep a bit of oil, making things a smidge greasy. :(
The good news is that our Innovia Films, custom cut NatureFlex ™ wrappers have arrived! Innovia is a company that makes a fantastic, sustainably manufactured, compostable film similar to cellophane. It’s clear, so you can see the caramel better and it prevents that distracting oily film on the outside. Yay! As if that weren’t enough, they are, I’m trying to find a good description…uber-compostable. Basically, not only can you compost them in a municipal compost bin, they would even compost in your home compost in a mere 34 days! Really.
Incidentally, I heard that worms loooooove them. Even fancy worms that wear fancy worm top hats. (Don’t worry if you don’t follow, that was an Always Sunny reference for that crowd…)
Bet you’d like to, maybe, know whyyyy we are so excited about this? I’ll tell you.
Well, for starters, candy packaging is a big contributor to landfill waste. You might think those little wrappers can’t make much of a difference but the average American consumes a staggering 23.8 pounds of candy per year according to the US Department of Commerce! (2008, most recent data.) That’s a lot of packaging; it adds up, yo. In fact according to a, maybe outdated but interesting 1997 study (Ackerman), food packaging is about one third of municipal waste in the United States. Yikes.
Something else to think about is the environmental impact of manufacturing that packaging… How many food companies disclose that or are they even aware?
Theeeen, and probably more troubling, is the fact that food manufacturing is one of the more significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in the US, 20-30%. Whoa. Candy is a big part of that industry and you don’t hear much about sustainable food or confectionery manufacturing, now do you…
So, long story longer, as a small part of how we are trying to pay attention to and be responsible for our own environmental impact, we feel really good about using this environmentally low-impact wrapper as a part of our eco-friendlier packaging line-up!! Check back for other posts on the rest of our eco-friendly packaging later… :)
In summary, PLEASE REMEMBER TO COMPOST THESE WRAPPERS!!
Hugs,
Sugar
PS This is an interesting research report for your reading pleasure.

Last Week of Orders for 2010

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The BBx team has been busy as ever giving it our all to keep up with all the holiday orders.  We’re getting down to the last few days to get those orders in to guarantee holiday delivery.  So, if you’re waiting till the last minute to place your order, now is the time!

We’ve had a few people ask us about the number of caramels that come in each bag, so… Here’s a quick breakdown of the approximate number of chews that you will be getting in the different sizes.

1/4lb = 12 – 15 Caramels
1/2lb = 25 – 30 Caramels
1lb    = 50 – 60 Caramels

Last day to place orders is Friday, December 17th (Orders will be shipped on Monday, December 20th).

If you’re looking to check out our wares in person, you can also catch us this Sunday at the Indie Bazaar downtown on the second floor of the Metreon!

-Cap’n

Thank You!

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Just wanted to take a minute out of the hectic production schedule to thank everyone that came out to the party on Tuesday night. We are lucky to have so many friends and supporters that we can draw a full house all night on a Tuesday night!

We ended up selling out of everything that we brought with us, and have been steadily adding additional orders to our production queue. We are going to be taking orders through Friday, December 17th, so if you are looking for a last minute holiday gift, you have a little over a week left.

You can place orders here!

Also, if you have any questions, feel free to email and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Happy Holiday Party Season,

-Cap’n

Launch Party Tonight!

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That’s right, Kiddos!

Launch party is tonight, starts at 8pm at Sip Bar and Lounge . We’re going to have plenty of samples to go around as well as some product up for sale. If you can’t make the party, you can still get your hands on some of our delectables right here.
Come on out, try our wares, have some cocktails, and get into the holiday Spirit with Barbary Brix!
-Cap’n Rob