What Is Baking Chocolate?
Everyone is familiar with chocolate bar brands like Hershey’s. However, some home bakers may be unfamiliar with baking chocolate. It adds rich flavor to desserts which adds complexity to desserts that taste bland or too sweet.
Baking Chocolate Explained
So, what is baking chocolate? There are different kinds of baking chocolate. A prime example is cacao, which is chocolate without any additives. Bars of pure chocolate are sometimes known as 100% cacao. On its own, it has a bitter taste since no sugar or milk is added. After mixing it with brown sugar, caramel, or butter the flavor transforms into a luscious treat worth devouring.
Chocolate comes from cacao beans. From there, these beans turn into chocolate liquor, which is found in chocolate bars. The amount of cocoa butter and cocoa solids determines the cacao percentage. Established brands like Lindt or Ghirardelli place these percentages on the wrappers to guide bakers using baking chocolate in their recipes.
This unsweetened chocolate made from cacao beans provides bold flavors bound to make a statement.
Baking chocolate, or unsweetened chocolate, makes the most delicious cookies, cheesecakes, and truffles.Pure baking chocolate doesn’t contain any additives. However, milk chocolate is made with both milk and sugar.
For bakers, there are a lot of variables to consider when baking with this ingredient since it can be chopped, melted, or tempered. Historically, bakers experimented with chocolate in their recipes. As early as 1939, Ruth Wakefield invented the chocolate chip cookie after adding chocolate pieces to the cookie recipe.
Before bakers can add chocolate to their desserts, factories make it ready to use. Factories temper chocolate before turning it into a bar. Tempering is the process of heating and cooling. Tempering gives chocolate a snappy texture and stability.
The regions where cacao trees reside are vast. Pastry Chef Marissa Sertich Velie describes the various regions cacao grows in the world, “Major growing regions include Africa, South and Central America, and the islands of Indonesia and Malaysia” said Velie in an article from Serious Eats. Baking with various forms of chocolate is a trend that continues to change over time. Chocolate requires an understanding of its complexity to get the best results.
The Difference between Semisweet and Bittersweet
A recipe may call for a certain percentage of baking chocolate. Semisweet chocolate can be used in place of bittersweet chocolate. However, adjusting the sugar in the recipe is necessary to balance the flavor.
Semisweet chocolate is dark chocolate that contains around 50% sugar. It tastes sweeter than bittersweet chocolate. Just like the name suggests, bittersweet chocolate has less sugar. Semisweet and bittersweet chocolate are two different kinds of dark chocolate. The high percentage of cacao in bittersweet chocolate provides a bold chocolate flavor. Semisweet bars are perfect for desserts with a sweeter flavor profile.
Where to Buy Baking Chocolate
You can find baking chocolate at the supermarket. However, the baking aisle offers a small selection. Usually, the baking aisle has semisweet chocolate and 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate Baking Bars. The most common brands are Baker’s, Guittard, and Ghirardelli.
The location where the cocoa beans grow affects the flavor. Climate and soil have an impact on cocoa beans as well. For example, the beans can have a smoky or nutty flavor profile. Sometimes cocoa beans that grow in tropical areas have a distinct floral flavor.
Buying chocolate online gives you more options to choose from. For instance, Ghirardelli sells chocolate bars that range from 60% to 100% cacao.
How to Use Baking Chocolate
There are many ways to use baking chocolate. You can grate or chop chocolate. In addition, you can melt and chill chocolate to create chocolate shards. Use these shards to decorate layer cakes or a yule log cake. They’re perfect for creating an optical illusion of a tree.
Melt chocolate with caution. Remember to monitor the temperature when melting chocolate. It can overheat rapidly. First, finely chop the chocolate with a chef’s knife. The best practice for melting chocolate is microwaving it at 50% power in 15-second intervals. The second method requires a double boiler to melt the chocolate instead. The first method is the easiest. Stir occasionally to promote even heating.
Baking chocolate is recommended often in recipes because of its smooth, silky texture. It’s easy to incorporate into most baked goods and more versatile. To further explain, chocolate chips are more likely to seize when tempering or melting so baking chocolate is ideal.
Another way to use it is to make a ganache. The trend for covering cakes in white chocolate ganache is growing in popularity in areas with warmer climates. To make a ganache, you need chopped chocolate and cream. Ganache is perfect for pouring over a chocolate Bundt cake or spreading on top of pastries.
Essential Baking Tools
Lastly, there are a few tools that are great for working with chocolate.
A scale allows you to weigh the chocolate with accuracy. A chef’s knife is best for chopping chocolate. In addition, a silicon spatula is best for tempering. Small offset spatulas allow you to spread melted chocolate over desserts like tarts or cakes. Most importantly, an instant-read thermometer prevents chocolate from seizing by monitoring temperatures.
It’s important to note that most issues that stem from baking with this type of chocolate result from not understanding what baking chocolate is and how it works. With practice, you will get more comfortable working with it over time.
Baking Basics:
