Homemade Chocolate

You can make chocolate at home using traditional methods, although it’s can be a time consuming process. If you want to try 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 makingat home is a great hobby, so you should give it a try to see if it’s the right hobby for you.

Steps for making homemade chocolate:

1.Choosing the beans. Chocolate comes from cacao beans so when you first start  making chocolate the traditional way you should start with some good quality cacao beans. The better the beans, the better the 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 your oven if you are careful not to let them burn. You can also purchase a specialized cacao bean roaster for at home use if you decide to try traditional candy making as a hobby. The beans will need to 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. Getting the chocolate out. After roasting the beans, 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 lay 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 blow dryer on a low setting to blow the hulls  away from the chocolate. You can also use a juicer to accomplish the same goal. 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, agitate the chocolate slowly but constantly. This process could take up to 12 hours to get the chocolate to exactly the right consistency. Some experts recommend using a stand mixer on a low setting for this stage of the process.

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 procedure 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!