The Right Chocolate For Your Baking Products

We already knew that there are many types of chocolate with different level of sweetness and texture but who knows the different types of chocolate can make your baking products different too? If you are a baker lovers you have to choose the right chocolate for the right product to get the best result. Educating yourself on the different types of chocolate will help improve your baking, and ensuring delicious result everytime. So now I'm going to explain the types of chocolate one by one. 

RAW CHOCOLATE


WHAT IS IT?

It may come in a bar, but you wouldn't want to take a big bite : there's no sugar in this stuff. You may also know it is as "unsweetened chocolate" or "bitter chocolate". Basically, it's the essence of chocolate : solidified 100% chocolate liquor (the center of cocoa beans ground to a liquid) without the added sweeteners, flavors, and emulsifier that make chocolate an eating out of hand delight.

These days, it can be confusing because baking chocolate is available in a number of different types, including semi-sweet chocolate and milk chocolate bar varieties offered in similar packaging. Unless one of this types is specifically called for in a recipe, use the unsweetened kind in your baking.

HOW TO USE IT?

Because it's not such a hot stand alone treat, baking chocolate's primary use is as an ingredients in recipes, such as brownies, fudge icing, or cakes. This recipes will typically call for sugar which will bring out the flavor of the chocolate, giving it that pleasing flavor that we look forward to in baked goods.

Using this unsweetened chocolate allows chemical reactions to occur in your baking by controlling the amount of sweetener added. If you were to add semisweet morsels in the same quantity, for instance, you'd be adding too much sugar to your recipe which might make your cookies burn or your cake sink in the center.

CONSIDERATIONS

Don't use this type of chocolate in recipes where there isn't also sugar in the recipe to bring out the flavor. For instance, you wouldn't want to use this as a candy coating, or you wouldn't want to chop it for use as chocolate chip. Oh, and it probably goes without saying, but you probably wouldn't consider a square of baking chocolate to be huge treat.

DARK CHOCOLATE


WHAT IT IS?

Dark chocolate is chocolate liquor which can as been fancied up a but with extra cocoa butter, sugar, emulsifiers, and flavorings. It retains a high percentage of cacao, 65% to as high 99%. The higher the precentage, the less sweet the chocolate.

Within the umbrella of dark chocolate, there are several types which are used in baking. They have different ratios of sugar to cocoa, but neither containts milk solids. This means that they are often suitable for vegan baking

Semisweet and Bittersweet Chocolate

Both semisweet and bittersweet chocolate contain at least 35% chocolate liquor. Bittersweet chocolate usually contains more cacao than semisweet; it's this difference in sugar to cacao ratio that differentiates the two. Because of it's sweeter flavor, semi-sweet is more favored in baking, and is typically the type of chocolate used in chocolate chips cookies.

HOW TO USE IT?

Dark chocolate can be eaten out of hand, or used in recipes. It's a good choise for making a rich ganache, and can be used chopped for cookies. It is well employed as an ingredients in icing and glazes. Some dark chocolate can be quite expensive; reserve the really good stuff for recipes where the flavor will really shine. Refer to your recipe to know which type of dark chocolate is the best; many recipes will give an indication.

MILK CHOCOLATE


WHAT IT IS?

Unlike dark chocolate, milk chocolate does contain dairy. While you might think it is infused with liquid milk, it's more commonly made by adding dry milk solids (think: powdered milk). At around 55% sugar and 20% cocoa butter, this creamy variety of chocolate is mild and quite sweet.

HOW TO USE IT?

It's high sugar content makes it decidedly sensitive to heat, so it may burn if you try to subtitute it in recipes which call for semisweet chocolate. Milk chocolate is melts easily, which is great when you're making a sweet treat like s'mores. Milk chocolate can be used when called for in a recipe, but is easiest to handle in no bake recipes such as sauces, as a topping for already baked treats, or fillings or icings.

WHITE CHOCOLATE


WHAT IT IS?

Sugar, milk, and cocoa butter, but without the cocoa solids. Its ratios of cocoa butter, milk solids, and sugar are actually quite close to milk chocolate, but without the cocoa solids it has a creamy ivory hue.

HOW TO USE IT?

White chocolate's sweetness makes it a lovely addition to baked goods. Typically, if a baked good containts melted white chocolate, it'll contain less sugar to make up for the sweetness. White chocolate is wonderful as a candy coating or as a component of icings. It can even be used in ganache.

CONSIDERATIONS

While chocolate shouldn't be substituted for dark or baking chocolate in recipes, as it has a different sensitivity to heat and may burn more rapidly. This post details the process of properly melting white chocolate

COUVERTURE


WHAT IT IS?

This is a type of chocolate which contains extra cocoa butter, to be labeled couverture, contain no less than 31%. The higher precentage of cocoa butter, when properly tempered, gives this chocolate a rich sheen and pleasing "snap". While traditionally couverture was dark chocolate, today it is available in milk and white chocolate varities.

HOW TO USE IT?

Couverture's ability to attain high gloss makes it well suited to uses where it will be seen. It's ideal for candy coating and enrobing, and creating decorations which can be employed in cake decorating or a garnish. But it have to be melting it down before used. Tempering is the process of slowly melting, then cooling the chocolate so it keeps shiny texture. Without tempering couverture chocolate the chocolate will bloom, which is when your chocolate turns white. If its tempered correctly, it sets up a glossy shine, has a snap and melts in your mouth.

Couverture chocolate is perfect for baking. It contains high amount of cocoa butter so it adds an extra dimension of texture and flavor when baking brownies and cakes.

HOW TO TEMPERED CHOCOLATE?



  • First, take small pieces of chocolate (chocolate wafers) and place the into a stainless-steel bowl over a saucepan of water heated to a maximum of 105 F.
  • Allow the chocolate to melt while stirring carefully. Remove the bowl and set over a pot of cold water.
  • Stir gently, while making sure that no bubbles are introduced, till a small amount of the couverture begins to set at the bottom of the bowl.
  • Return the bowl to the top of a saucepan of room temperature water.
  • Stir continually until cooled, slightly solidified couverture has melted and is thoroughly dispersed don't exceed the working temperatures below
  • Use the chocolate
The ideal working temperatures for these types of chocolate
  • Dark - 89 F (32 C)
  • Milk - 87 F (31 C)
  • White - 86 F (30 C)
MORSELS

WHAT ARE THEY?

These are the little "chocolate kiss" shaped morsels which you stir into cookies. Dark, milk, and white chocolate (as well as a number of other flavors) can be purchased as morsels. Morsels usually called "Chocolate chips" too. 

HOW TO USE THEM?

Morsels are not meant to melt entirely, they are meant to hold some shape so that they form chips in your cookies. This is often attained by treating the chocolate in some way. Because of this, chocolate morsels may not melt smoothly, and this should not be considered their primary use. They will fare much better when folded into batter or used as topping.


CONSIDERATIONS

Though morsels can retain their shape despite heat, store them in a sealed container in a cool, dry, and dark area of your kitchen to prevent the from going rancid. Use before the "Best Before" date on the package, as the oils in the chocolate morsels can turn bad if you store them for too long.

CANDY BARS


WHAT THEY ARE?

The pre-wrapped bars you'd buy at the grocery store checkout.

HOW TO USE THEM?

While the primary intent of candy bars is to be eaten as is, they can also be used in your baking. Sliced candy bars can be mixed into cake batter for "surprise inside" cupcakes or sweet granish; they can be melted into decadent ice cream sauce,or they can be cut into pieces and used for filings. They can also be used as a fanciful decoration

COCOA POWDER


WHAT IT IS?

 A substance made from ground cocoa solids from which cocoa butter has been removed. There are two key types of cocoa used in baking:

Cocoa Powder

Ground chocolate solids. The mixture can be sweetened (which is used to make hot cocoa) or unsweetened (the kind more frequently used in baking).

Because the acid has not been neutralized as in Dutch process version, this cocoa reacts wilh alkali ingredients such as baking soda, which creates a reaction during baking. It helps with a lift in baked goods, and lends a milder flavor and warmer color.

Dutch Process Cocoa

While being ground, the nibs are treated with an alkaline solution to neutralize the acidity in the mixture. This process darkens the color, and makes the flavor more mild. It may be sold as "dutched", "alkalized" or "Dutch process" cocoa.

HOW THEY ARE USED?

Cocoa Powder can provide added leavening and flavorin in baked goods. Be sure to use the type of cocoa called for in a recipe for best results.

HOW TO STORE THE GOODS?

No metter which one you choose and i'll help you decided that soon. Chocolate should be kept in a cool place, like a cabinet away from the stovetop and oven. There's no need to keep it in the fridge or freezer if it's wrapped well. If using just a portion of the chocolate, re-wrap it with the original packaging and add a taut layer of plastic wrap. Chocolate will "bloom" (exhibit lighter colored spots on the surface) if exposed to moisture, so avoid dampness. If your chocolate does bloom, it's still edible. The chocolate that's not going to be melted (as in the case of, say, chocolate chunck cookies)

Sources:
https://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/11/what-is-the-type-of-chocolate-for-baking/
http://blog.wholesalemeltingchocolate.com/difference-between-chocolate-compound-or-couverture/
http://blog.gygi.com/blog/2011/11/07/faqs-compound-vs-couverture/
https://www.santabarbarachocolate.com/blog/all-you-need-to-know-about-couverture-chocolates/
http://living.thebump.com/can-substitute-semi-sweet-morsels-semi-sweet-baking-squares-7963.html
http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/types-of-baking-chocolate


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