We all know that honey is a wonderfully pure and natural sweetener that many people enjoy in their tea, on top of buttered toast, or drizzled over goat cheese for a sweet and savory delight. But did you know that there are over 300 different classifications of honey in the United States alone?

White honey is one of these forms of honey. This rare honey is characterized by a creamy texture and milky white or water-white color, and is prized for its use in baking and pure sweet flavor. The National Honey Board says that lighter colored honeys taste sweeter and more delicate. Some honey enthusiasts even claim that white honey is the best honey in the world.

How White Honey is Formed

The flavor, texture, and color of honey is determined by the sort of nectar that the bees collect. Most people are familiar with clover honey, which is made from nectar that the bees collect from clover plants, but bees also feed off a wide variety of plants, ranging from the eucalyptus to orange blossoms. White honey can be clover honey, but it can also be made from other plant nectar. Though white rare honey made from the Kiawe flower is found exclusively on the Pacific islands, white honey is not usually judged by its source, but by its degree of lightness. Because beekeeping involves some variables that may be hard to control, such as which flowers the bees choose to frequent, beekeepers may not set out to make a particular kind of honey. Rather, when it is time to sell the fresh honey, it will then be graded on flavor and color and sold accordingly.

White Honey For Baking

White honey is a great ingredient for baking because it has a sweet, delicate flower that won’t overpower recipes. But because this rare honey is often much more expensive than ordinary honey from the supermarket, many people may only be able to splurge on this sweet treat every once and a while. When using honey as a substitute for sugar or stevia in baked good recipes, it is important to remember that honey is sweeter than sugar. This means you should substitue 3/4 cup honey for 1 cup sugar.

If you are looking for a new way to sweeten up your baking routine, why not try out white honey for your next important recipe? The amazing flavor and texture might be just the thing you are looking for.

Sources:

• “What is Honey?”, National Honey Board
• “20 Unusual Uses for Honey”, Huffington Post

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