The best chocolate for silicone molds is Callebaut Belgian couverture chocolate.
- Belgian chocolate
- chocolate chips – easier to melt than a brick
- couverture chocolate
- luscious flavor
- hints of caramel
- large volume – enough to make a lot of chocolates
What is couverture chocolate
Couverture chocolate is best used when chocolates using silicone molds.
Couverture chocolate is made with a larger percentage of cocoa butter (>30%) than regular compound chocolate.
Due to the bigger portion of cocoa butter, this gives a more rich flavor to the chocolate than regular chocolate.
Callebaut Belgian couverture chocolate is the best chocolate for silicone molds because it processed to a finer chocolate, making the smoothness of the chocolate much more luscious and rich.
Why do you need to temper chocolate for silicone molds
There are 5 different types of crystals that can form and allow the chocolate to have different properties.
If the melting temperature is too low, the chocolate will be crumbly and melt very easily. (Crystal type I)
If the melting temperature is too hot, the chocolate will be too hard. (Crystal type VI)
Chocolate that contains more cocoa butter will melt at a lower temperature.
Chocolate varies in their fat content, milk fat content, and shape of the fat molecules at a cellular level.
The best chocolate is made with Crystal type V.
Tempering chocolate for silicone molds involves breaking and reforming bonds of crystals.
When chocolate is in a solid brick form, the fat particles of the cocoa butter are in a crystalized hard form.
When the crystals are warmed, the cocoa butter at the molecular level breaks apart these hard bonds to create a liquid state.
Once the chocolate is allowed to cool, the bonds will form a more solid structure again.
Chocolate is tempered if it looks shiny and glossy.
Tempered chocolate should hold well at room temperature, and only begin melting at around 37 degrees Celsius.
Tempered chocolate should last up to a year, this is why it is preferred when making chocolate in silicone molds.
| Milk Chocolate | Dark Chocolate | White Chocolate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melting temperature | 46 C | 49 C | 43 C |
| Cooling temperature | 26 C | 27 C | 25 C |
| Reheat temperature | 30 C | 32 C | 28 C |
How to temper chocolate for silicone molds
- Place chocolate over a double boiler. There should be a couple of inches of water in a large saucepan. Place a large metal bowl over the saucepan. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.
- Heat the chocolate until the melting temperature has been reached. Use a digital thermometer to get an accurate reading.
- Take the chocolate off of the heat.
- Turn the heat off. Leave the saucepan with hot water on the burner.
- Place the chocolate filled bowl in another bowl full of ice water. The chocolate should not touch the water at all. Cool the chocolate until the cooling temperature has been reached.
- Put the chocolate bowl in the saucepan again and reheat until the reheating temperature has been reached.
- Your chocolate is ready to for your silicone molds.
- Pour the chocolate over the molds until they are completely filled and overflowing.
- Tap the silicone mold to remove any air bubbles.
- Scrape the excess chocolate off of the mold by using a bench scraper. You can reuse this chocolate again, just scrape it onto some parchment paper.
- Place the molded chocolate into the fridge for 20 min.
- Remove the chocolate from the silicone mold by gently pressing the chocolate using your thumb onto a plate.
Can you use normal chocolate for silicone molds
You can use normal chocolate for silicone molds if you don’t have chocolate for tempering. The difference will be that your chocolate will not have the shiny, glossy look to them. The chocolates will be much harder to bite into.
