Glaze doesnt stay hard

[christina0830]

I use a simple powdered sugar glaze on a pumpkin bread I make. It has about 1 cup of powdered sugar, some cinnamon and allspice, and enough milk to thin to drizzle consistency. I drizzle it on the completely cooled bread, wait about 30 minutes for it to harden, then when it does, I store it under a cake dome. However, the glaze it's almost always soft and sticky the next day. I can't figure out if this is because I'm covering it, or I don't wait long enough for it to harden completely, or because I live in a high humidity environment. Any ideas?

 

[Norcalbaker59]

I use a simple powdered sugar glaze on a pumpkin bread I make. It has about 1 cup of powdered sugar, some cinnamon and allspice, and enough milk to thin to drizzle consistency. I drizzle it on the completely cooled bread, wait about 30 minutes for it to harden, then when it does, I store it under a cake dome. However, the glaze it's almost always soft and sticky the next day. I can't figure out if this is because I'm covering it, or I don't wait long enough for it to harden completely, or because I live in a high humidity environment. Any ideas?

Sugar is highly hygroscopic, meaning that it pulls water from its environment. Anything with sugar will soften. It doesn’t matter if it’s icing, piece of candy, un-iced cake, if it contains sugar, it will absorb water from the environment.

Commercial glazes contain thickeners like agar and cellulose gum to keep the glaze from deteriorating.

 

[Sharzi]

I use a simple powdered sugar glaze on a pumpkin bread I make. It has about 1 cup of powdered sugar, some cinnamon and allspice, and enough milk to thin to drizzle consistency. I drizzle it on the completely cooled bread, wait about 30 minutes for it to harden, then when it does, I store it under a cake dome. However, the glaze it's almost always soft and sticky the next day. I can't figure out if this is because I'm covering it, or I don't wait long enough for it to harden completely, or because I live in a high humidity environment. Any ideas?

Are you looking for a hard, brittle glaze? Or you just don't want it to be sticky? If the latter is the case, try using water instead, or try making it just a tad thicker in consistency and do a slower "pour" to drizzle it on.

 

[retired baker]

I use a simple powdered sugar glaze on a pumpkin bread I make. It has about 1 cup of powdered sugar, some cinnamon and allspice, and enough milk to thin to drizzle consistency. I drizzle it on the completely cooled bread, wait about 30 minutes for it to harden, then when it does, I store it under a cake dome. However, the glaze it's almost always soft and sticky the next day. I can't figure out if this is because I'm covering it, or I don't wait long enough for it to harden completely, or because I live in a high humidity environment. Any ideas?

You just need a cream cheese based glaze, formulated for this purpose..
The fat content will block the moisture from dissolving the glaze.

 

[Mona]

That's so frustrating! I've had similar issues with glazes getting soft. I think humidity definitely plays a role, but it could also be the ratio of sugar to liquid in your glaze. Have you tried using powdered sugar with clear vanilla extract instead of milk? It might help the glaze set harder. Also, maybe try letting the bread cool completely and the glaze harden for a longer period before covering.

 

[Sharzi]

If you're looking for a harder glaze, this is the recipe I use for decorated cookies. It hardens like Royal Icing, but tastes better.

6 c powdered sugar
1/4 c clear corn syrup
2 tsp flavoring of choice
1 tsp bright white gel coloring
1/4 c whole milk (add by teaspoonfuls until you get the consistency you want)

And because sugar stabilizes milk, it doesn't have to be refrigerated.