This easy three-ingredient recipe is all you need to makelemon marmaladefrom scratch. Although this recipe is simple, it does require hoursto complete, so make sure to plan ahead. Lemons, water, and sugar are cooked together to create this beloved British breakfast spread. Almost the whole fruit is used—minus the pith and the seeds—to create a transparent jam-like consistency that is both sweet and slightly bitter.
Although a little bitterness is typical, you want to be sure to remove all of the white pith from the rind so that the spread is not overwhelmingly so. Then plan for hours in the refrigerator and a few hours on the stovetop before canning. Enjoy this lemon marmalade with your breakfast toast but feel free to incorporate it into recipes calling for sweet lemon flavor as well.
This recipe comes from "Country Living Country Mornings Cookbook" by Lucy Wing (Hearst Books, 1989).
10 large lemons, washed
4 cups water
4 cups sugar
Gather the ingredients.
Using a vegetable peeler, remove the yellow part of the lemon peel in strips. Cut strips into 1 x 1/8-inch pieces.
With a knife, cut off any remaining white membrane, or pith, from peeled lemons.
Cut peeled lemons crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
In aheavy, non-aluminum 5-quartkettle or Dutch oven, combine lemon peel, sliced fruit, and water. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.
Place lemon mixture over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lemon mixture is soft, about 1hour.
Add sugar to lemon mixture and increase heat to medium-high; stir until sugar dissolves.
Heat to boiling and reduce heat just so mixture boils gently. Boil uncovered, stirring frequently, until a candy thermometer registers 220F, or 45 to 60 minutes have passed, and mixture has thickened.
Prepare 3 (1-pint) canning jars with their lids and bands for processing,following manufacturer's directions.
Spoon marmalade into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch space at the top of the jars.
Wipe jar rims clean. Seal with lids and bands.
Process jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Cool jars on a wire rack. Label and store in a cool, dry place.
Tips
- Because the entire lemon is used, it is best to buy organic, or if you're lucky enough, use homegrown. Commercially sold lemons can have a waxy coating and may have been sprayed with pesticides. At the very least, wash the lemons well before peeling.
- Although you may be tempted to reduce the amount of sugar, it's important that you use the full amount as the sugar assists in the consistency and prevents mold from forming.
- Be sure to use a large pot. When the sugar is added, the mixture will boil up and can overflow if the pot is too small.
The Decline of Marmalade Production
Learning to make homemade marmalade is a usefulskill, as sales of the spread have dipped. Some marmalade manufacturers have gone out of business, and in Britain, where the preserve is traditionally most popular, younger people don't eat it nearly as much as the over-45 crowd does. This trend is not only rooted in generational differences in taste but also that breakfast is no longer as widely eaten as it once was.
As breakfast declines in popularity, the jams and spreads served with it no longer have the same hold on culinary traditions as they did previously.One way manufacturers are trying to tap into the younger market is by offering marmalade in new flavors. (Orange marmalade is the flavor that has traditionally been served in the United States and the United Kingdom.)By learning to make your own marmalade, you can enjoy any flavor at any time.
How do I know when the marmalade is ready?
If you don't have a candy thermometer, there are a few ways to tell if the marmalade has set.
- The wrinkle plate test: Place a few small plates in the freezer. Put a dollop of marmalade on a cold plate and push it with your finger; if it wrinkles, the marmalade has set properly. If it is runny, it still needs time to cook.
- The appearance of the bubbles: While the marmalade is boiling at the beginning of the process, the bubbles should pop as soon as they hit the surface, but as it thickens, the bubbles will become more stable.
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) |
|---|
| 89 | Calories |
| 0g | Fat |
| 23g | Carbs |
| 0g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
×
| Nutrition Facts |
|---|
| Servings: 48 |
|---|
| Amount per serving |
| Calories | 89 |
| % Daily Value* |
| Total Fat 0g | 0% |
| Saturated Fat 0g | 0% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 2mg | 0% |
| Total Carbohydrate 23g | 8% |
| Dietary Fiber 1g | 4% |
| Total Sugars 20g |
| Protein 0g |
| Vitamin C 22mg | 112% |
| Calcium 10mg | 1% |
| Iron 0mg | 1% |
| Potassium 96mg | 2% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
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FAQs
Caster sugar is the one to avoid. The crystals are too fine, which is great for baking but they will dissolve too quickly when making marmalade. Granulated sugar is a good choice. The large crystals will dissolve quickly and cleanly, resulting in a clear, amber liquid that best shows off your perfectly floating peel.
How do you take the bitterness out of lemon marmalade? ›
Yes, you can certainly add more sugar if it's too bitter for you. You'll need to bring the marmalade back to a simmer to fully dissolve the sugar. You can also use Meyer lemons, which are sweeter and more fragrant than Eureka lemons (the type of sour and tart lemons you'll typically find at your grocery store).
Why do you soak fruit before making marmalade? ›
Leave to soak overnight. This helps to extract the maximum amount of pectin from the fruit pulp, which will give a better set. It also helps to soften the peel, which will reduce the amount of cooking needed.
How to make marmalade step by step? ›
How to Make Marmalade
- Step 1: Choosing the Fruit. ...
- Step 2: Washing Jars. ...
- Step 3: Peeling the Fruit. ...
- Step 4: Chopping the Peel. ...
- Step 5: Separating the Juice From the Pulp. ...
- Step 6: Boiling the Juice, Peel and Pulp. ...
- Step 7: Sterilising the Jars in the Oven. ...
- Step 8: Adding the Sugar.
The main secret in producing a sweet (instead of bitter) marmalade is to reduce the amount of white pith, seeds, and membranes.
Why did my lemon marmalade turn brown? ›
Don't let the marmalade turn brown: If the marmalade is turning brown while you are cooking it, you are likely overcooking it and the sugars are beginning to caramelize. Remove it from the heat immediately if this happens and then next time you make marmalade, aim for a lower setting temperature.
Why won't my lemon marmalade set? ›
If the proportions of fruit, acid, pectin, water and sugar in your pan are not balanced, the marmalade will be unlikely to set. Nine times out of ten, marmalade fails to set if the recipe does not have a precise weight of ingredients.
What happens if you boil marmalade too long? ›
If you cook it for too long at a high temperature, the natural pectin breaks down and no longer acts as a setting agent and the sugar polymerises into toffee. The way to make any set jam or marmalade is to simmer the fruit gently until it develops your desired level of softness.
What is the ratio of fruit to sugar for marmalade? ›
I typically use 4 cups of sugar for every 4 cups of fruit mixture, which produces a rather tart marmalade. Feel free to use more! Squeeze the pectin from the bag: Once your pectin bag has cooled to the point you can handle it, squeeze it like play-doh to extract extra pectin.
Do you stir marmalade while boiling? ›
4: Boiling Point
We think the best way to do it is to bring the mixture to a really high rolling boil once the sugar has dissolved. Set the heat as high as possible and keep stirring regularly. You should end up with a nice bright, clear marmalade that has a lovely thick consistency.
Many marmalade recipes will have you remove the peel, boil it once, twice, or three times, and then separate the tasty and colorful zest from the bitter white pith. However, you can also remove the pith at the start. Use a sharp peeler or paring knife to carefully cut off the zest from each piece of fruit.
Why put butter in marmalade? ›
To prevent scum forming on the top of your jam, add a knob of butter to your fruit at the same time as you add the sugar, we recommend 20 grams per 1 kilogram of fruit. Note: Scum is nothing sinister, it is only air bubbles that are created during the cooking process, they will not ruin your jam/marmalade if they form.
How much sugar does marmalade need? ›
What's the ratio of sugar to fruit in marmalade? Because of the tartness of a Seville orange, the ratio of sugar to fruit in marmalade is 2:1. This recipe calls for 2kg of sugar and 1kg of oranges but you can scale it down or up using that ratio.
Why add lemon juice to marmalade? ›
In fact the job of lemon juice in both marmalades and jams is to aid the breakdown of the fruit membranes and release the pectin. It also acts to create the correct ph to work with the pectin and sugar to gel. The ph of most preserves should be between 2.8 and 3.2 to make things 'set'.
Is brown or white sugar better for jam? ›
You certainly can! you won't find it in a commercial jam as it adds extra flavour, and the course white sugar they use sets firmer and clearer than brown, but in a blueberry jam, which sets very thick with whatever sugar you use so brown sugar is a great choice for a deeper flavour.
Can I use jam sugar instead of preserving sugar for marmalade? ›
If you can't get preserving sugar you can use white granulated sugar. I wouldn't make it with jam sugar. Save that for a fruit with low pectin like strawberry, raspberry or apricot.
Can I use granulated sugar instead of preserving sugar? ›
You definitely can, I do it all the time. I think preserving sugar is a British thing so if your recipe calls for preserving sugar it will change your outcome if you don't use it, it has pectin added to it.
What is the best sugar for making jam? ›
Coarse-grain white granulated sugar is best for jam-making as it ensures a good clear jam, but fine caster sugar can also be used. The coarse grains dissolve more slowly and evenly, giving a better result. Granulated sugar with added pectin is also available, but it shouldn't be necessary to use this.
