Baking chocolate
Baking chocolate, also referred to as bitter chocolate,[1] cooking chocolate[2] and unsweetened chocolate,[3] is a type of chocolate that is prepared or manufactured for baking.[1] It is used as an ingredient in desserts and in baked goods. It is typically prepared in unsweetened,[1] bitter-sweet[2] semi-sweet[4] and sweet varieties.[5] It may be prepared with chocolate liquor or cocoa solids. Recipes that include unsweetened baking chocolate typically use a significant amount of sugar.[5] Bittersweet baking chocolate "must contain 35 percent chocolate liquor or higher."[5] Most baking chocolates have at least a 50% cocoa content, with the remaining content usually being "almost all sugar."[1] Sweet varieties may be referred to as "sweet baking chocolate" or "sweet chocolate."[6] Sweet baking chocolate contains more sugar than bittersweet[5] and semi-sweet varieties, and semi-sweet varieties contain more sugar than bittersweet varieties.[6] Sweet and semi-sweet baking chocolate is prepared with a chocolate liquor content between 15 and 35 percent.[5]
Modern manufactured baking chocolate is typically formed from chocolate liquor into bars[1] and chocolate chips. Manufacturers may process the chocolate and then form it into bulk-sized ten-pound bars, which are then sold to confectioners and bakers.[2] Baking chocolate may be of a lower quality compared to other types of chocolate, and may have part of the cocoa butter replaced with other fats that do not require tempering.[7] This type of baking chocolate may be easier to handle compared to those that have not had their cocoa butter content lowered.[7] Lower quality baking chocolate may not be as flavorful compared to higher-quality chocolate, and may have a different mouthfeel.[7]
Varieties
The table below denotes the four primary varieties of baking chocolate.
| Type | Content | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Unsweetened | Contains no sugar, and contains 99% chocolate liquor or cocoa solids | [1][5][8] |
| Bittersweet | Usually has less sugar and more chocolate liquor compared to semi-sweet varieties. | [1][6][8][9] |
| Semi-sweet | Has less sugar than sweet varieties. In Europe, a regulation exists stating that semi-sweet varieties must contain more sugar and less chocolate liquor compared to bittersweet varieties. No such regulation exists in the United States, and due to this, semi-sweet and bittersweet varieties can vary in sweetness and chocolate liquor content. In the U.S., bittersweet varieties are even sometimes sweeter than semi-sweet varieties. | [1] |
| Sweet | Has the most sugar | [5] |
Manufacturers
Manufacturers of baking chocolate include Baker's Chocolate,[10] Callebaut, Ghirardelli, Guittard, Lindt, Menier, Scharffen Berger and Valrhona,[2] among others.
Baker's Chocolate
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Baker's Chocolate is an American brand of baking chocolate[10] that was first named Walter Baker & Company. It is considered to be the oldest chocolate manufacturer in the United States.[11] The company was established in 1765 in Dorchester, Massachusetts,[10][12] when a physician named Dr. James Baker met John Hannon. The original brand name was "Hannon’s Best Chocolate," which was "manufactured for almost fifteen years" and was sold with a money-back guarantee if the consumer was unsatisfied with the product.[12] The name was changed in 1780 after Hannon's wife, Elizabeth Gore Hannon, sold the company to Baker in 1780, after Hannon never returned from a 1779 sailing trip to the West Indies to purchase cocoa beans.[12] At the time, it was rumored that Hannon intended to leave his wife, and thus deserted her.[12] Original versions of the brand were not prepared for baking, and before 1865, the company purveyed three grades of drinking chocolate, which were "Best Chocolate", "Common Chocolate" and "Inferior Chocolate".[10] The inferior grade was mostly sold to West Indian and American slaves.[10] Around the mid 1800s, the company began to significantly expand, and later significantly increased its advertising in American newspapers.[10] In 1896, Baker's Chocolate was advertising in around 8,000 newspapers in the United States.[10] The company also advertised using signage and cards in grocery stores, in novels, in street cars and using billboards.[10] Around the late 1800s, the company began promoting the notion of using chocolate as an ingredient in desserts and for baking.[10]
See also
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Baking chocolate. |
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Look up baker's chocolate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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