Post by hautechocolate on Oct 2, 2009 10:09:01 GMT -5
I've been trying to temper my first batch of chocolate - 4 attempts unsuccessful. I've tried various methods with different results, but none resulting in glossy, snappy, lucious chocolate! Please help me figure out what I'm doing wrong and I will take any suggestions you can offer.
I made the 40% goat milk chocolate from John's website. The chocolate is good, but I'm trying to make it into bars.
Attempt 1: I put the chocolate in a pyrex glass bowl. I heated the chocolate to 120F using double-boiler method. I stirred it practically the whole time. Then I cooled it off using an ice bath to 88F, stirring the whole time. Then I poured it out into the polycarbonate moulds. I put them in the fridge to set up. Afterwards, the chocolate was shiney on the outside, very very soft to the touch (melted easily), and sort of crystal-ly in the middle. There was no bloom, but the crystal-ly texture was less than appealing.
Attempt 2: Same as attempt 1 except I cooled to 80F then brought it up to 88F before pouring. And at each temperature stage (120F, 80F, 88F) I stirred it for 10 minutes keeping it at that temperature. This time the set up chocolate was not very glossy, had little bloom spots, and the texture was sort of chalky - lots of "honeycombing" and very weird mouthfeel.
Attempt 3: "Turbo tempering" I melted the chocolate in the microwave at 50% power until 120F. Stirred it a bunch, then put it in the freezer, checking and stirring every 3-5 min. until about 78F. (one time it seized on me because I think I got it too cold. I started over with the warming up to 120F) I warmed it up slowly in the microwave until the infared thermometer read 88.9F. It still looked really cold and stiff to me, but I poured out some in moulds anyway. I let that sit out on the counter to set up. This time it was very shiney, better snap and mouthfeel, but there was SO MUCH BLOOM! The whole bar of chocolate looked white/ashy.
Attempt 4: Same as attempt 3 only after taking the chocolate to 78F I warmed it back up to 91F. It looked a little less viscous than attempt 3 when I poured it into moulds. I let this sit on the counter to set up. Same results as attempt 3 - shiney, snappy, but comletely white/ashy.
I know that milk chocolate is harder to temper than dark, but I didn't think it would be such a complicated process. I thought for sure I had it at attempts 3&4! I was totally bummed when the set chocolate was so bloomy.
Please help. What am I doing wrong? What should I try instead?
I made the 40% goat milk chocolate from John's website. The chocolate is good, but I'm trying to make it into bars.
Attempt 1: I put the chocolate in a pyrex glass bowl. I heated the chocolate to 120F using double-boiler method. I stirred it practically the whole time. Then I cooled it off using an ice bath to 88F, stirring the whole time. Then I poured it out into the polycarbonate moulds. I put them in the fridge to set up. Afterwards, the chocolate was shiney on the outside, very very soft to the touch (melted easily), and sort of crystal-ly in the middle. There was no bloom, but the crystal-ly texture was less than appealing.
Attempt 2: Same as attempt 1 except I cooled to 80F then brought it up to 88F before pouring. And at each temperature stage (120F, 80F, 88F) I stirred it for 10 minutes keeping it at that temperature. This time the set up chocolate was not very glossy, had little bloom spots, and the texture was sort of chalky - lots of "honeycombing" and very weird mouthfeel.
Attempt 3: "Turbo tempering" I melted the chocolate in the microwave at 50% power until 120F. Stirred it a bunch, then put it in the freezer, checking and stirring every 3-5 min. until about 78F. (one time it seized on me because I think I got it too cold. I started over with the warming up to 120F) I warmed it up slowly in the microwave until the infared thermometer read 88.9F. It still looked really cold and stiff to me, but I poured out some in moulds anyway. I let that sit out on the counter to set up. This time it was very shiney, better snap and mouthfeel, but there was SO MUCH BLOOM! The whole bar of chocolate looked white/ashy.
Attempt 4: Same as attempt 3 only after taking the chocolate to 78F I warmed it back up to 91F. It looked a little less viscous than attempt 3 when I poured it into moulds. I let this sit on the counter to set up. Same results as attempt 3 - shiney, snappy, but comletely white/ashy.
I know that milk chocolate is harder to temper than dark, but I didn't think it would be such a complicated process. I thought for sure I had it at attempts 3&4! I was totally bummed when the set chocolate was so bloomy.
Please help. What am I doing wrong? What should I try instead?