Homemade Chocolate
Making chocolate the traditional way can be done at home, although it’s can be a time consuming process. If you want to pursue making homemade chocolate as a hobby and you want the satisfaction of making your own chocolate you can do it. You will need to buy some specialized equipment but not a lot. Traditional chocolate makingfrom scratch is a great hobby, so you should give it a try to see if it’s the right choice for you.
Steps for making homemade chocolate:
1.Choosing the beans. Chocolate is made from cacao beans so when you begin making chocolate the old fashioned way you should begin with some good quality cacao beans. Good beans make good chocolate! There are many suppliers on the internet that sell different varieties of cacao beans in many different price ranges. If you are looking for whole cacao beans, it isn’t too hard to find them.
2. Roasting the beans. Cacao beans need to be roasted just like coffee beans. You can roast them on a cookie sheet in the oven if you are careful not to let them burn. You can also buy a specialized cacao bean roaster for at home use if you’re going to pursue traditional candy making as a hobby. The beans can be roasted for as few as five minutes or as many as 35 minutes depending on the type of bean and the flavor that you want to achieve.
3. Removing the chocolate out. After the beans are roasted, crack open the outer shell of the bean to get the chocolate out. There are several ways to do this at home. One way is to place the beans in a single layer on a counter or on a baking sheet and use a hammer to crack the shells open. Then use a hair dryer on a low setting to blow the hulls away from the chocolate. You can also use a juicer to extract the chocolate. Removing the chocolate can be very messy, so make sure that you have a mop and bucket and other cleaning supplies standing by.
4. Grinding and refining the chocolate. Now, you should grind the chocolate as fine as possible. Many expert chocolate makers recommend using a high quality juicer for this step. When the chocolate has been ground as finely as possible, you will add milk, sugar, preservatives, and the other ingredients that you’re planning on adding to the chocolate to enhance the flavor. Once everything is mixed together, the chocolate will need to be agitated slowly but constantly. This process could take up to 12 hours to get the chocolate to exactly the proper consistency. Some experts suggest using a stand mixer on a low setting to refine the chocolate.
5. Tempering the chocolate. Once the chocolate has been fully refined it needs to be tempered before you can use it. Tempering chocolate at home can be time consuming, but if you want to speed up the process you can use a microwave to temper your homemade chocolate. Once the chocolate is tempered and is smooth, hard, and shiny. Now, it’s ready to be eaten or used in your favorite chocolate recipes!
