I would like to know if anybody in the forum has knowledge in the solid bar production (small scale) and what process and equipment that they are using today.

raw materials (cocoa powder, powdered sugar, cocoa butter substitute, etc,etc) -> chocolate bar.

What machine/process for the following:

1. refiner/conche (3-in-1) or other machines?

2. tempering/mould (manual or semi-automatic)

3. de-moulding process ?

Suggestion and opinions are welcome:

Note: I'm newbie and wanting to learn from others.

Thank you very much.

Peter

updated by @peter-ng: 04/10/15 14:51:27

Peter -

You want to make compound?

And when you say small-scale, what quantity of production are you talking about per day/week/month?

The basic technique of mixing cocoa powder, sugar, and fat together and refining it should be able to be done in a "universal" or wet grinder. (The 3-in-1 you refer to.) You don't need to (and probably can't) conche, so you may want to consider using alkalized (Dutch processed) cocoa powder.

As for tempering, you don't need to as the CBEs and CBRs are solid at room temperature. You just need to keep it melted, put it into a mold, and cool. No tempering required. You can do this manually or get a melter/depositor to speed things up. Once the molds are cooled, de-molding is the same as with chocolate, turn over and bang against a surface until the bars release.

:: Clay

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clay - http://www.thechocolatelife.com/clay/

Hi Clay,

I'm looking into about producing ~= 50kg/day of coumpound chocolates.

with what I've research so far your insights makes sense in terms of what i'm looking for.

In the compound chocolate .. So you're saying that conche doesn't do anything even with improving /developing a better flavor ? Also I've read some people that does store the chocolate produced and store it for a couple of days > to 5 days (example) to develop a better flavor and then melt and mould it.. will this applies to compound chocolates?

Yes I'm planning to used alkalized (dutch) powder for my production.

I though even if it's compund you still need to temper so that it will be better for moulding and de-moulding process. it will release from the mould better or it doesn't matter ?

Thanks alot.

interesting.. I use compound chocolate quite a bit for a particular product line I sell, I buy merckens but would not mind getting into making my own, i've been looking for a recipe for a long time but i was unable to find anything, i would love to find more info and some recipes to start exploring, anyone can point me in the right direction ?

Remember that many things occur during conching - only one of which is flavor modification. Flavor modification during conching is less relevant for compounds; however remember one of the other really important things that occurs during conching is moisture removal and emulsification - both of which are quite relevant for compounds.

Also, keep in mind that some of the oils used in compounds still may require a thermal handling step of some sort - which may or may not closely mimic the tempering profile of cocoa butter. CBE's (cocoa butter equivilants) will behave very similarly to cocoa butter, and thus require very similar tempering profiles. Some CBR's (replacers) may require a warming/cooling protocol to properly demould; whereas some fats simply need to be cooled to solidification, and some of they may require the use of a seeding agent to achieve the proper shrinkage to facilitate demolding. the details of these should be talked through with your specific oil supplier to ensure you're selecting the appropriate oil base for your needs or constraints.

If you've got specific fats that your using or evaluating, alternatively, posting the technical details of them here may result in us being able to appropriately direct handling instructions.

Recipe creation is relatively easy - do you have the appropriate equipment to grind, mix, and emulsify the ingredients?