What did I do to make the chocolate bloom like this?

I've been trying to create some moulded pralines and have been tempering chocolate using the microwave method. The microwave method was to heat the chocolate in the microwave in small bursts until there are about 30% callets left. Once there are 30% left, you stir until they are all completely melted.

I did this, and tested it on some baking paper and the test set before 3 mins. The test ended up perfectly tempered and didn't turn white over time.

However my moulded chocolates turned out like this:

This looks different to a lot of the images im finding about bloom. What's happening here?

chocolate tempering

Best Answer

My best guess is that the chocolate was too hot. It may have worked on your test because it was small and thin, and therefore cooled quickly. In the larger molds, it stayed too warm and you got the wrong kind of crystals from the cocoa butter.

You want the keep the chocolate as close to 88 °F (~ 32 °C) as you can get. What I typically do is microwave 3/4 of the chocolate at 50% power until it's pretty much melted (just a few stubborn bits remaining), then add the other 1/4 of the chocolate and stir to melt. Sometimes it has to go back in the microwave to completely melt the last 1/4, but only about 5 seconds at a time. Very short bursts.

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What did I do to make the chocolate bloom like this? - Woman with branches of roses in hands

What did I do to make the chocolate bloom like this? - Side view of African American female cook with sieve pouring flour into bowl with chocolate batter while cooking in kitchen

What did I do to make the chocolate bloom like this? - Young glad ethnic female partners creating flower bouquet in basket at table while working in daylight

Quick Answer about "What did I do to make the chocolate bloom like this?"

This blooming happens when the chocolate has been exposed to warm temperatures. Once the chocolate is warm, the cocoa butter in the chocolate softens and separates from other ingredients in the chocolate. Once it rises to the surface and re-solidifies, it creates the bloom.

How do you get chocolate to bloom?

But don't worry, you can learn hot to fix bloom by simply remelting the chocolate in these instances. Place a small heat proof bowl on top of a saucepan of simmering water. You don't want the water to touch the bowl, just about 1/2 inch or so of water will do. Use as desired.

How do I fix my chocolate bloom?

Chop the chocolate and put it into the bowl. Place the bowl on the saucepan. Wait until the chocolate has melted halfway to the center and start stirring with a silicone spatula. Remove the bowl from the heat when the chocolate is nearly, but not completely melted and stir gently until the chocolate is fully melted.

How do you make chocolate fat bloom?

Most commonly, this results when chocolate is exposed to warm temperatures, which causes the cocoa butter (aka fat) in the chocolate to soften. When the fat melts, it separates from the other ingredients in the chocolate and rises to the surface, where it then re-solidifies and creates a grayish \u201cbloom\u201d.

Why did my melted chocolate bloom?

Fat bloom is caused by cocoa butter. When the cocoa butter in the chocolate melts, it subsequently crystallizes to form a dull white finish on the surface and sometimes throughout the chocolate. This is 'fat bloom' and causes the chocolate to lose its satisfying snap and shine.

This Is What The Gray Coating On Chocolate Really Means

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Cleyder Duque, Teona Swift, Andres Ayrton, Amina Filkins