4-Ingredient Classic Strawberry Jam Recipe with Pectin

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: With our 4-Ingredient Classic Strawberry Jam Recipe with Pectin, you can capture peak summer fruit flavor and enjoy it all year! Even if you’ve never canned before, I’ll lead you step-by-step through the process, and you’ll learn how simple (and satisfying!) it is to make your own delicious jam.

• No special equipment needed: Besides jam jars (which are available in most supermarkets) and canning lids, you don’t need special kitchen tools to make and can this jam. See the FAQs section for standard kitchen items you can use instead of specific canning supplies.
• Use pectin for professional results!: Pectin is a natural substance, a polysaccharide (a type of carbohydrate) found in fruit that is used as a thickener in jam recipes. Because it thickens jam so quickly, you don’t have to cook it long. This means the jam retains more fresh strawberry flavor and vibrant color.

Classic Strawberry Jam Recipe with Pectin is not only lovely spread on biscuits, toast or a scone (along with butter and freshly whipped cream, of course!), but it will elevate any of our desserts featuring jam, such as Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies, Butter and Jam Bread Pudding, Buttery Jam Thumbprint Cookies, Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts, and Microwave Jelly Donut in a Mug.

Table of Contents

• What is Classic Strawberry Jam with Pectin?
• Tools You Need
• Key Ingredients (Only 4!) and Why
• How to Make Classic Strawberry Jam with Pectin
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• Make Ahead & Storage Instructions
• FAQs
• More Strawberry Recipes

What is Classic Strawberry Jam with Pectin?

• Classic Strawberry Jam with Pectin is a canned jam made with berries, sugar, lemon juice, and pectin, a natural substance in fruit that forms a gel when combined with sugar and acid.
• Jam made with pectin has a more spreadable texture than preserves that contain only fruit and sugar. Although the thickening powders of apples and citrus fruits were known long before, the discovery of pectin specifically as the thickening agent was by Frenchman Henri Braconnot in 1825.
• Early forms of jam-making have existed since the ancient Greeks preserved fruit by cooking it with honey. Hot water canning was invented by French candy maker Nichols Appert in the early 1800s, and that paved the way for preserving jam and other foods for longer periods and making them shelf stable, and paved the way for commercially preserved jam.

Tools You Need

• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Kitchen scale (optional)
• Chopping board
• Chopping knife
• Steamer tray or canning rack
• Kitchen tongs
• Canning lids
• Potato masher
• 8-oz jam jars
• Large (8 qt) saucepan

Key Ingredients (Only Four!) and Why

Strawberries

• The natural sweet, subtly tart, bright, fresh taste of strawberries stars in this pure and simple jam.
• Use fully ripe, peak-season fresh strawberries for the most flavorful results.
• If you don’t have access to peak-season berries, use defrosted frozen strawberries. Because they’re picked in-season and flash-frozen, they have wonderful flavor.

Lemon juice

• Lemon juice contains pectin, which helps thicken the jam.
• Additionally, the acid in lemon juice helps preserve jam for a longer shelf life.
• Lemon juice helps prevent oxidation, keeping the jam’s color vibrant.
• Lemon juice balances the sweetness of the necessary sugar in jam, and also brings out the flavor of the fruit.
• Use bottled lemon juice in this recipe. Note that all bottled lemon juice has a standardized pH level (fresh lemon juice can have varying degrees of acidity), and this makes it the safest choice for water bath canning, where the correct acid level is important.

Powdered pectin

• Pectin is a starch derived entirely from fruits and vegetables. It’s used primarily as a gelling agent for jams and jellies.
• Use powdered pectin for this recipe. Liquid pectin is simply a reconstituted version of powdered pectin but the powdered and liquid versions are incorporated into jams in different amounts and at different times, so they can’t be used interchangeably. It is best to stick with what the recipe calls for.

Granulated sugar

• Sugar serves as a preservative in this recipe. It helps preserve the jam by binding with the water molecules in the fruit and inhibiting bacterial growth, giving it a longer shelf life.
• Sugar is particularly important when making a jam with pectin, because the sugar activates the pectin and helps create the correct consistency, preventing it from being runny.
• Additionally, added sugar ensures the jam has the necessary level of sweetness.
• Note that sugar-free sugar substitutes won’t work the same. 

How to Make 4-Ingredient Classic Strawberry Jam with Pectin

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• You can replace the strawberries in this recipe with any other berry or combination of berries of your choice. Use the same amount by weight.
• Don’t reduce the amount of sugar called for in this recipe. It may seem like a lot, but reducing it affects the jam’s ability to set.
• The scum (foam) that rises to the top of cooking jam is simply impurities in the fruit and sugar mixed with trapped air bubbles. The form is not dangerous to consume, but it will streak your clear-set jam with ribbons of cloudiness. Another issue with air bubbles is that they can cause an improper seal, which can lead to mold and bacteria growth.
• The foam can easily be removed from the surface with a metal spoon. Some people also place a round of wax paper directly on the foam and then carefully lift it off the jam.
• If you don’t have a steamer rack, you can create your own rack by lining the bottom of the stockpot with extra mason jar lid rings or even a tea towel to keep the jars from knocking around.
• If you don’t have a pot big enough to fit all of the jam jars, you can use smaller jars, process the jars one at a time or in batches of two, or skip the processing and freeze the jam for long-term storage.
• Canning Safety Tips
  • Remove the foam on the surface of the cooking jam.
  • Make sure your jars are warm before filling them with hot jam.
  • Use a small rubber spatula to remove air bubbles from the jam.
  • Make sure that you leave ¼-inch (6mm) of headspace between the top of the jam and the top of the lid.
  • Wipe the rims of the jars with water or vinegar before screwing on the lids.
  • Just screw on the lids to “fingertip tight.”
  • Only use fresh, unused lids for canning.
  • Start your processing ‘10 minute’ timer once the water has reached a full rolling boil.
  • Use a tea towel or small rack on your canning pot to ensure the bottles don’t bang around.
  • Never rest hot jars directly on a cold counter, or they can crack.
  • Check the seals before you store the jam and also check again before you open the jam to eat it.
  • If freshly made jam doesn’t seal, store the jam in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to eat it.
  • If the seal on the stored jam has failed, discard the jam.

Make Ahead & Storage Instructions

• How to store: Properly canned strawberry jam can be stored at room temperature for up to one year.

FAQs

• Do I need to sterilize the jars?

  • For traditional water bath canning, sterilization of jars is not necessary as long as the filled jars are processed in boiling water for a sufficient amount of time as the processing will also sterilize the jars. This time is as follows: four 12-oz jars must be processed for a minimum of 10 minutes, and 16 oz jars must be processed for a minimum of 15 minutes.
  • The above rules apply only to fruit jams and other high-acid foods. For canning of meats, vegetables and if you live at altitudes above 1000 feet, different rules apply. Please be safe, do your research and above all, follow the recipe guidelines for your specific recipe!

• Do I need special equipment for canning this homemade strawberry jam?

  • Jars specifically made for canning like mason jars with metal lids and lid rings (canning lids) are necessary as the glass is sturdy and can withstand the water bath process and the lids ensure a proper, airtight seal. You will also need a stock pot large enough to keep your canning jars fully submerged in water for the entire processing time.

• My jam is runny!

  • The jam may have been over or undercooked.
  • Too little heat/undercooking will cause the pectin not to activate, and cooking too long will break down the pectin and cause it not to jell as well.
  • Over-processing in the water bath may also cause the jam to overcook, and the pectin to break down. Pay careful attention to the tested cooking times in this recipe.

• My processed jars didn’t seal.

  • After filling the jars, be sure to press down on the jam to remove air bubbles and then wipe the rims clean. Both of these steps will ensure a proper seal.

More Strawberry Recipes

• Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Recipe
• Strawberry Cream Cheese Cobbler
• 10-Minute Berry Tiramisu
• Fresh Strawberry Pie Recipe
• No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe

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