My first attempts at trying to work with dairy free chocolate failed dramatically. The chocolate would not melt or would form unsightly creamy lumps at the top of the chocolates! Then it occurred to me that normal methods would have to be altered slightly to achieve gorgeous, glossy tempered chocolate!
The method I adapted was the classic seeding technique. This is one of the easiest methods to temper chocolate to create that beautiful, glossy finish to all your chocolates. You can temper chocolate both over a double boiler or in the microwave, using 10 second blasts and a candy themometer for achieving the correct temperature! You will also need to include the temperature of the room you are working in to your speed, as if a cold room you will have to work quicker as the chocolate will cool faster. This method will work for any volume of chocolate you need to temper. The change in the method is quite simple, but will allow for a good temper when using specialized chocolate, at the beginning when you first melt the chocolate, melt at the lowest heat and for a long time. This means the chocolate can slowly destabilise and when cooled will reform to give a smooth sheen and when broken in half will have a snap to it that non tempered chocolate won't have.
Method:
1) Using 2/3rds of your volume of chocolate, using a candy themometer melt this chocolate until the chocolate temperature is 45 Degrees Fahrenheit.
2) Into the melted chocolate, add in the last 1/3rd of the chocolate and let this melt into the chocolate until the chocolate has cooled to 28 Degrees Fahrenheit.
3) When the chocolate reaches 28 Degrees, reapply heat to the melted chocolate until the chocolate reaches 32 Degrees Fahrenheit.
After you have tempered your chocolate, you can use the chocolate in a variety of ways. We have a recipe for chocolate moulding here!
We hope you have found this useful for any chocolate moulding or decorating you're undertaking in the future!
Happy Baking!
xoxox
xoxox
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