Brown sugar essentially does not go bad (unless contaminants have gotten mixed in), making it ideal for buying in bulk, if you do a lot of baking. Hardened sugar isn't bad. It's just in need of moisture. However, brown sugar will perform best if used within two years of purchase.
As mentioned, brown sugar doesn't expire. It has a shelf life of roughly two years but can last longer if you store it properly. If you have kept your brown sugar in the pantry for several years, you can still use it as long as there is no bug contamination, bad smells, or mold growing.
How To Tell If Brown Sugar Is Bad? Discard your brown sugar if you notice bugs or insects, any wet clumps or mold inside, or if it smells off. As already mentioned, dry lumps are perfectly safe, and you can get rid of them manually or by reintroducing a bit of moisture to the molasses that has dried out.
Brown sugar should be stored in a cool, moist area in a rustproof container with a tight-fitting lid. Brown sugar can also be stored in any type of re-sealable, moisture-proof plastic bag. The quality of brown sugar is best when consumed within six months of purchase and opening.
Even though the shelf life of brown sugar is indefinite, it's best to use it within two years of purchase for maximum flavor. Don't store brown sugar in the refrigerator. However, if you are in a very dry area or are going to keep it for a long time, you may want to freeze it.
Technically, sugar never spoils. While it's recommended that granulated sugar be discarded after two years, chances are it will still serve its baking purpose even beyond that. The same guidelines apply to brown sugar and confectioner's or powdered sugar.
It can be any color ranging from white to green, blue, or black. The mold can also spread to other food items stored near the contaminated brown sugar.
How To Soften Brown Sugar With Bread. Put a slice of fresh bread in an airtight container with the lumpy brown sugar. After about a day, the sugar will have absorbed enough moisture from the bread to become its soft and crumbly self again. Remove the bread so it doesn't mold.
Per Home Cook World, cool and dry means a room temperature ranging from 68 degrees Fahrenheit to 77. Conversely, a refrigerator is set to run below 40 degrees, which is low enough to harden brown sugar. The appliance's internal humidity is also a problem.
To quickly soften brown sugar: place the sugar in a microwave safe bowl and cover it with a damp paper towel for about 20 second, or use a food processor to loosen the brown sugar. If you aren't pressed for time, use a slice of bread or an apple in an airtight container with the brown sugar for 24 hours.
Brown sugar is made by coating white sugar with molasses. When brown sugar is soft, it is because the molasses is fresh and damp, allowing the sugar crystals to easily move against one another.
Therefore, brown sugar is the best sugar to use during fermentation.
Depending on how much molasses has been added, brown sugar can be light or dark. Light brown sugar has less molasses and will be a lighter color, while dark brown sugar has more molasses and will be a darker color.
Although their textures might change, sugar never completely expires and is safe to use well after its expiration date. Sweet!
Blackstrap molasses is simply the spent "mother liquor" remaining after the third cycle of boiling and cooling to produce sugar crystals. The smell of brown sugar thus comes primarily from molasses.
Commercial sugars (granular, syrup, and honey) have an indefinite shelf life due to their resistance to microbial growth. However, sugars have a best-if-used by date of approximately 2 years for quality concerns.
Just make sure the container is airtight. Next, put a marshmallow in the container. This will keep the brown sugar soft, owing to the moisture in the marshmallow. You can also use a slice of white bread, or a couple cut-up wedges of apple, both of which have enough moisture to do the job, too.
Freezer. Storing your brown sugar in a sealed bag in the freezer can help lock in moisture, some cooks say. Just be sure to let it come to room temperature at least 15 minutes before you plan to use it.
Remember that brown sugar, like a lot of other baking products, may not have any printed expiration date or it may have a best before date, but not an expiration date. Because of this, you may safely use it for your baking needs after a best before date has lapsed.
Over time, even in an airtight container, brown sugar can harden and/or start to turn white (as the sugar dries, some of the molasses separates. Creating a humid environment will allow the brown sugar to rehydrate to become pliable and brown.
There Are Bugs
If bugs or insects have taken residence in your brown sugar, it's time to toss it. You may see weevils, mites, and ants in your sugar, but in my experience, ants were the biggest culprits.
Crystal sugar products have a useful life in excess of 2 years and thus do not require a 'use by' date. The only potential change of significance over a long period is physical caking.
Psocids (or flour weevils) are tiny brown or black insects which live in dry foods, including flour and sugar. Packets of food that have been opened should be used up quickly and not pushed out of sight to the back of the cupboard. They could also be stored in air-tight containers.
Brown sugar (use the dark variety) can produce very tasty rum at far less expense than using pure molasses.