Baking & Snack - June 2005 - 77

86° and 88°F (31°C). Then pull out the
tempered chunk of chocolate, and, voila,
you will have tempered chocolate," he
said.
If need be, chocolate can be re-tempered several times. Mr. Hoftberger said
that a good way to tell when chocolate
has reached a tempered state is to take a
knife blade or spatula and dip it into the
chocolate to create a think skin. In a room
at approximately 68°F (20°C), the chocolate should set up in six minutes or less.
"If it takes eight minutes, it's under tempered. If it takes longer, it's either poorly
tempered or not tempered at all," he said
If chocolate is not tempered, it will

bloom. Fat bloom is the result of cocoa
butter crystallizing in undesirable forms.
And bloom is not a good thing. When
chocolate blooms it begins to look bad
and feels slippery. The grayish discoloration on the surface of chocolate that has
undergone fat bloom is entirely made up
of cocoa butter that has resolidified on
the surface of the chocolate. This is what
causes it to feel slippery. It is still safe to
eat at that point, but the mouthfeel has
been dramatically changed. The chocolate will taste and feel waxy. And chocolate with fat bloom isn't just an aesthetic
problem. It presents processing issues,
too. When tempered, chocolate, like fine

wine, is easily stored. This is especially
true for dark chocolates, where the flavors round out, mellow and improve as
it ages, he said.
According to Mr. Urbanski, when held
under ideal conditions, milk chocolate
can be stored for up to one year; dark
chocolate from 18 months to two years;
white chocolate for up to nine months
and cocoa powder for much longer.

FOR BEST STORAGE
Most forms of chocolate will be best
stored at between 40° and 60°F (4°
and 15°C) with a relative humidity of
around 60%.
Storing melted chocolate is a whole
other beast. When volume users of chocolate receive melted shipments straight
from the manufacturer, it needs to be
kept at between 110° and 125°F (43° and
52°C) with minimal exposure to odors. It
should also be gently agitated at around
16 rpm, Mr. Hoftberger said.
"The shelf life of a product kept liquid
will be shorter than if it were kept at 60°F
(16°C) and solid," Mr. Johnson said.
For white and milk chocolate in liquid
form, high temperatures may cause the
dairy proteins to denature, which alters
the texture and flavor of the chocolate,
he added. In white chocolates, higher
temperatures will also increase the rate
of the Maillard reaction, which happens
between sugars and proteins, often
producing brown colors and unique
flavors. In chocolates, these flavors are
desirable, but in white chocolate, the
darkening color that accompanies the
reaction is undesirable, he added.
"Heated environments can hold
more moisture than cooler ones, and
as the relative humidity increases, the
chocolate tends to absorb moisture
from the environment, resulting in an
increase in viscosity," he said. Getting
even small amounts of water in chocolate makes it very viscous.

COATING CHOICES
Compound coating simulates chocolate
because it is flavored by cocoa powder.
But it will contain fats other than cocoa
butter and is therefore not chocolate,

ᮤ There are many options available
in chocolate inclusions; here are a
few of them.
ADM

82 / BAKING & SNACK / June 2005

Baking & Snack - June 2005

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