The main ingredient in chocolate is cacao or cocoa beans. When you open a bag of chocolate, the cacao beans are inside.
To process these beans at home, you must first determine their quality. What kind of chocolate you like depends on how finely chopped and solid the beans are.
Some chocolate brands use cheaper and less high-quality cacaos due to price sensitivity. If you like softer, more rounded chocolate bars, buy ones that are half the size! Buy from reputable brands too, they may be better quality overall.
The main downside to home-roasting your own cacaos is that you have to do it every time for every bar! This can become pricey and time consuming.
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Process cacao beans
If you are looking to try home processing cacao beans, now is the time!
As mentioned earlier, the powdery cacao we buy at stores is called cashew butter. But, if you look in your grocery store’s food aisles or health department’s bulk section, you will likely see cocoa powder and chocolate powder. You can use either of those if you do not have plain unroasted cocoa.
Both cocoa powder and chocolate can be costly if bought in bars or labeled high quality. If you prefer snacking style chocolate, then buying a small bar or two per day is what you should do. You can also mix some plain unroasted cocoa with some Easter-like chocolates to give yourself a special treat!
Making your own chocolate is an fun way to process beans at home.
Chill and dry cacao beans
When the cacao is ready, it is time to process it. Most people use a kitchen dehydrator or oven-to-asterisk method to dry the beans. This is a good way to save money as well!
There are two main things you do with the dried beans. The first is to break them up into small pieces and put them in a pot with water and stir until it comes together and all the water has dissapated. This is called “chilling” the beans.
The second thing you do is toast them. Toastable chocolate contains cocoa powder, so this is what you use when making chocolate chips or making some kind of solid chocolate like butter or milk substitute for baking.
Deheating the beans can be tricky though.
Grind cacao beans
Once your beans are roasted, the next step is to process them into cocoa powder. This can be done either by toasting the beans on a griddle or by cooking the cocoa powder on the stove.
Toasting the beans on a griddle means that you need to use aPod-high heat appliances such as fireplaces or toaster ovens. To prevent it from setting too hard, we recommend cooking it in the bottom of a pot instead of just placing it in one of those standard-shaped pots.
To prevent it from breaking down and being controversial, we suggest using only pure, unsweetened chocolate instead of cocoa butter or cocoa powder. Chocolate contains phenols that act as antioxidants and reduce the risk of certain chronic health conditions such as chronic bronking pneumonia (CBP).
Temper chocolate
If you love chocolate as much as we do here at The Bulletproof Bar, then you should try one of the few reliable ways to temper your chocolate.
Tempering adds an extended heat process to your chocolate, creating a more rounded flavor and texture. This can be helpful when making recipes that require a specific kind of chocolate such as an AFAB (tempered) or Cacao (untempered) variety.
Using a glass or ceramic dish, transfer the chocolate to the dish just enough to include some of the edges. Now make sure you use very hot water – maybe even stovetop heat — to temper the chocolate. Let it sit for a few minutes then take it out!
This process adds more complexity to your chocolate which can be fun to play with.
Store your chocolate for later use
Most people find that storing your cacao beans for later use allows them the freedom to mix and match different cocoa sources. This is most important if you are looking to make a recipe that includes chocolate.
Many recipes include cocoa beans as a main ingredient. For instance, chocolate chip cookies or chocolate chip pizza crusts are examples. Having the ability to mix and match the cocoa sources is very important in this system.
By putting them in the freezer at least one night, you can ensure that some of the moisture has properly frozen before thawing your chocolate in the next day. This also helps prevent any mold or watery looking beans from forming when baking.
This same idea goes for storing your cocoa powder. If you have trouble keeping it cold, you can also wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer bag with some ice until next day.
Know the difference between bitter and burnt chocolate
When it comes to chocolate, there are two main categories: bitter and burnt. Bitter chocolate contains caffeine and is often associated with energy boosters like cocoa.
Bitter chocolate is usually higher in sugar to make it more attractive and longer-lasting. This can affect your diet, as some of the sugar may be absorbed in your body.
We recommend having some of your bitter chocolate at home, as you can control the amount of sugar in your chocolate. You can also make more dark chocolate than milk or semi-sweet chocolate, which may help prevent any unnecessary weight gain.
You can also save the burnt parts of your beans if you have trouble roasting them yourself. If you do this, look for ones that are blackened rather than white due to the milk solids being consumed.
Use high-quality ingredients
While it is amazing what some people will mix and match with to create new foods and dishes, you should always use quality ingredients when cooking with cocoa beans.
You can buy them in the supermarket or if very important, you can find them in a cocoa bean factory. Many chocolate companies are located near a cocoa bean factory to get some of the higher quality beans.
However, even though the quality may be higher, the price may be less! Because chocolate is such a popular dish, people will usually cost it $5 or more in restaurants and cookbooks.
If you are looking to try chocolate, there are some rules that must be followed. First, we suggest using only sweet chocolate because of the caffeine content.
Know your sources for cacao beans itoutline
Cacao beans contain the majority of the minerals and vitamins found in other foods. As a result, it is important to know how to purchase your beans.
Regular old-fashioned milk is not the best source of cacao beans. Instead, try one of the many chocolate milks on the market. Some brands even contain cocoa butter as a topping!
If you find cocoa powder rather than milk, then you are doing something wrong. cocoa powder should be creamy and dark in color. If it is too thick, then use some milk to make it liquid enough to mix with your flat-leafed herb tea.
When brewing your herb tea, make sure that you do not boil the herb nor does it lose its flavor when cooled down.