Honey can range in color from a very pale yellow to a dark amber, and each color has a different flavor, depending on the flowers visited by the bees. It can be used in baking, flavoring carrots and sweet potatoes or many vegetables and glazing barbecued meats.

If substituting honey for a cup of sugar in a baking recipe, use the same amount of honey but reduce the liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup.

In cakes it is necessary to substitute honey for only half of the sugar.

If a recipe calls for honey and none is available, use 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup of liquid to make it balance out.

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The Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook of the 1950s has a recipe with an amusing story of the origin of the name Anadama Bread.

It seems that the name comes from a New England fisherman whose lazy wife would always serve him corn meal mush for dinner.

One day he came home and found the same corn meal supper. Tired of it, he mixed it with flour and yeast and baked it as bread, saying "Anna... damn her."

Anadama Honey Corn Meal Bread

1 1/2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup yellow corn meal

1/3 cup honey

1 1/2 tablespoon shortening

1 cake compressed yeast or 1 envelope dry yeast

1/4 cup lukewarm milk

3 to 3 1/4 cups flour

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and stir in the salt and yellow corn meal. Stir in honey and shortening and cool to lukewarm. Crumble cake of yeast or envelope of dry yeast in the milk and let stand 5 minutes without stirring. Stir thoroughly before adding to liquid mixture, then blend into the corn meal mixture.

Add the flour, starting by adding small amounts and mixing with a wooden spoon, then with the hands. The dough will be sticky. Knead and let rise until double, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down and turn into a greased 9-by-5-by 3-inch loaf pan. Pat into a rounded shape. Let rise until double, about 1 hour. Bake in a 375 degree, quick moderate oven, for 40 to 45 minutes. To test doneness, take bread gently out of the pan and tap the bottom. It should sound hollow.

If not, bake a few minutes more. Place on wire cooling rack or across the top edges of two bread pans. Do not place in direct draft or crust will crack. For a soft-bright and tender crust, brush with soft butter and cover with a towel for a few minutes to soften the crust. For a crisp crust, do not grease the loaves and allow them to cool uncovered.

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This is another recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. It suggests to keep the dough as soft as possible, almost sticky, when handling it.

Honey Twist

2 cups lukewarm milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 cakes compressed yeast or 2 envelopes dry yeast

2 eggs

1/2 cup soft shortening

7 to 7 1/2 cups sifted flour

Mix together warm milk, sugar and salt. Crumble into mixture the compressed yeast and stir until dissolved. Stir in eggs, shortening and flour. Mix in flour in two additions, using the right amount necessary to make it easy to handle. When the dough begins to leave the sides of the bowl, turn out on a lightly floured board to knead until smooth and elastic and doesn't stick to the board.

Place in a greased bowl, turning once to bring greased side up. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until double, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down, thrusting fist into dough and pulling edges into the center and turning completely over in bowl. Let rise again until almost double in bulk, 30 to 45 minutes.

Roll dough with hands into a narrow roll, like a broom handle, 1 inch thick. Coil into a greased 10-inch round pan. The recipe calls for using a 10-inch skillet, but it would have to be one with an iron handle, not plastic or wood.

It should be coiled like a huge snail, twisting to fit into pan and leaving space between coils. Cover. Let rise until not quite double, 35 to 40 minutes. Spoon the following honey topping over coils but not on outer edges.

Honey Topping

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup soft butter

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup cut nut nuts

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

Note: If using dry yeast, use 1 1/2 cups milk and soak the two envelopes of dry yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water for 5 minutes and stir well before adding.

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Cookies come out soft and cushionny when using honey in the ingredients. This recipe is excellent for making Christmas cutouts, according to the Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Cutout Cookies

1/2 cup shortening

1/3 cup white sugar

1 egg

2/3 cup honey

2 3/4 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lemon extract or vanilla

Combine sugar, shortening, egg and honey thoroughly. Stir in flour and baking soda and then the flavoring. Combine and chill dough for an hour.

Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Place an inch apart on lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake until no imprint remains when touched lightly with finger. Remove from pan onto wire rack and cool completely. Frost and decorate as desired. Makes about five dozen.

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This is a famous old-time German honey cake using both honey and molasses.

Lebkuchen

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup molasses

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

2 3/4 cup sifted flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/3 cup candied fruit, such as used in fruit cakes

1/3 cup chopped nuts

Mix and bring to a boil the honey and molasses. Cool and stir in the brown sugar, egg, lemon juice and rind. Sift together and stir in the flour, soda and spices. Mix in the candied fruit and nuts. Chill dough overnight. Roll small amount at a time, keeping rest chilled. Roll to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into oblong, about 1 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches. Place an inch apart on greased baking sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes.Make glaze and brush over cookies the minute they are out of the oven. Quickly remove from baking sheet.

Glaze Icing

Boil together 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water until the first indication of a thread appears or 230 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and brush hot icing thinly over cookies. If icing gets sugary, reheat slightly, adding a little water until clear again. Makes six dozen.

(McCoy can be contacted at emccoy@heraldstaronline.com.)