30 Baumé syrup

[Cahoot]

What is the actual ratio of sugar:water for 30° Baumé syrup? The textbook Advanced Bread and Pastry by Michel Suas says: "Like simple syrup, 30 baumé syrup is an essential ingredient for the pastry chef. The difference between simple syrup and 30 baumé syrup is in the ratio between sugar and water. 30 baumé syrup calls for 137 percent sugar to 100 percent water." When I google for 30° Baumé recipes, they all show 135% sugar to water, so very similar to the Suas formula. 

 

However, in the Suas Baumé:Brix conversion table, it shows 30° Baumé = 54° Brix. As Brix is essentially the density of sugar, this would actually mean 117.4% sugar to water (which the very same table also shows). Bo Friberg's The Advanced Pastry Chef 's Baumé:Brix conversion table shows 30° Baumé = 55.2° Brix, which implies 123% sugar to water. Paula Figoni's How Baking Works has a formula for an approximate conversion between the two: Brix = Baumé/0.55. Using this gives 30° Baumé = 54.54° Brix, which implies 120% sugar to water. 

 

So my question is, why is there such an inconsistency between the actual recipes for 30° Baumé syrup that you find, and what you'd think the ratio should be from using Baumé to Brix conversions? 

[minas6907]

I do understand your frustration, it seems like there shouldn't be any inconsistency with these large pastry books. I looked in Grewelings Chocolates and Confections, and his chart says that a 55° brix syrup is 29.90 baume. I'm inclined believe that what Greweling has in print is pretty accurate. I really think this is just a matter of books rounding the numbers. I use a refractometer on a pretty regular basis, and can tell you that the difference between 55.2° brix and 54.54° brix is what I would consider insignificant. I think you could use any of those recipes to make your syrup and you'll be fine with the application. You can get a syrup density meter or a refractometer to measure the density and make any adjustment you need to with your syrup. I'd recommend getting a refractometer, it'll be more accurate and has advantages like not being delicate glass tube. Hope that helps.