Molding solid chocolate with inclusions - eGullet Forums

are you considering stirring the inclusions into the tempered chocolate before filling the molds?

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from all of the "artisan" products out there, most chocolatiers make that type of bar by either:

a) putting the inclusions in the molds first and then pouring tempered chocolate on top, vibrating and allowing to set

or

b) pouring the chocolate into the molds, vibrating and then sprinkling 'inclusions' (i'll use air quotes on that because they aren't really inside) on the back of the bar and letting them settle in a little bit

either way, the packaging for the second method is usually clear so that you can see the flavor of the bar. to me, this is more like bark.

at any rate, other than that, there isn't anything special done to the chocolate or molds. i've made bark where i've stirred things into it, but i usually just pour it out onto parchment, so i'm not worried about shine...if i remember correctly though, it usually comes out fine on top...

I'm making my first foray into selling at a market, in this case an indoor winter market, and plan to make items I haven't tried before.  Thus an investigation into making bars with inclusions.  My first beginner's error was spending many hours researching tablet molds on all the usual sites (Chocolate World, Chocolat Chocolat, etc.).  I wanted a mold as completely flat as possible so as to display the inclusions (which will not really be inclusions but added on top of the "wet" chocolate).  It didn't occur to me that any design on what is meant to be the top of the finished piece doesn't matter since I will be decorating what was intended to be the bottom.  For tablets where I will be adding a simple flavoring (orange oil, mint oil, etc.), I can use the tablet molds as they were intended, and for those, an interesting design will be desirable, but a design is wasted on the bars with inclusions.   So my questions are:

For the tablets with flavoring only, I will splurge on some good-quality molds.  But as these molds are quite expensive, and the typical one makes only 4-6 tablets, I will probably buy only a few and reuse them repeatedly in a single molding session (fortunately making a simple chocolate tablet is quick and easy).  Am I overlooking something in this decision?

For making tablets with additions on top, it would not be feasible to reuse a few molds multiple times, but the cost of purchasing so many molds would be prohibitive.  But along comes Amazon, where vendors sell polycarbonate bar molds that are really inexpensive (half the cost of a single CW mold--and they make 4 tablets from a single mold).  Knockoff molds I have bought previously have usually been OK, though not of the same substantial quality as those from the established mold manufacturers.  Is there a reason I shouldn't go with those sold on Amazon, especially because I will be caring only about the bottom of the finished tablet?

Finally, how do I unmold the tablets with additions on top?  I see many elaborate and beautiful designs on bars made with fruits, nuts, seeds, etc., and can't imagine that some of those additions don't come dislodged in the unmolding process.  Is the only solution that I have to make sure each one is securely in contact with the chocolate?

Thanks for any help.

3 hours ago, Jim D. said:

 It didn't occur to me that any design on what is meant to be the top of the finished piece doesn't matter since I will be decorating what was intended to be the bottom.  For tablets where I will be adding a simple flavoring (orange oil, mint oil, etc.), I can use the tablet molds as they were intended, and for those, an interesting design will be desirable, but a design is wasted on the bars with inclusions.

Can't say I agree with this 'wasted design' idea. Why not be beautiful on both sides? How will you package these bars?

Or, just make bark without a mold for your inclusion flavors.

3 hours ago, Jim D. said:

For the tablets with flavoring only, I will splurge on some good-quality molds.  But as these molds are quite expensive, and the typical one makes only 4-6 tablets, I will probably buy only a few and reuse them repeatedly in a single molding session (fortunately making a simple chocolate tablet is quick and easy).  Am I overlooking something in this decision?

Quick and easy relative to multi-layer decorated bonbons, but not really that quick.  Allowing time for crystallization and release, you might get 3 or 4 batches made in a day.  Guess it depends on your production goals.  If I need to make 200 bars, I'd rather make 4 batches of 50 than 8 batches of 25.

3 hours ago, Jim D. said:

For making tablets with additions on top, it would not be feasible to reuse a few molds multiple times, but the cost of purchasing so many molds would be prohibitive. 

What do you see as the difference?  Be thoughtful of allergens, otherwise it's all just chocolate, inclusions or no.

3 hours ago, Jim D. said:

Finally, how do I unmold the tablets with additions on top?  I see many elaborate and beautiful designs on bars made with fruits, nuts, seeds, etc., and can't imagine that some of those additions don't come dislodged in the unmolding process.  Is the only solution that I have to make sure each one is securely in contact with the chocolate?

I'm sure a few lost pieces will happen, don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.  I think chocolate will hold onto smaller, more irregularly shaped pieces than large smooth ones. 

28 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:

Can't say I agree with this 'wasted design' idea. Why not be beautiful on both sides? How will you package these bars?

You will get efficient and thoughtful service from Huafeng Mold(it,ar,pl).

 It's the cost of the plain molds vs. the interesting more ornate ones.  As I stated, the first are half the cost.  And this market gig may last only this winter, so I don't want to go into huge expense for equipment that may be used only 12 times.  As I'm trying to make this a profitable venture (which my bonbons aren't to any great extent), I plan to use clear cello/plastic bags to hold the bars, not nice packaging as you and many others use.

32 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:

What do you see as the difference?  Be thoughtful of allergens, otherwise it's all just chocolate, inclusions or no.

For the non-decorated tablets, I just fill each with chocolate, scrape it, let it set a bit, refrigerate it, turn it upside down, and out they come.  For the decorated ones, I have to stop to distribute the decorative bits and then use more care to unmold them.  I saw somewhere that you let them crystallize for a while, then turn them upside down onto baking sheets for finish crystallizing.  All that takes more time than the simpler version.  I have made little square caraques for Valentine's before, and they take barely any time at all.  I'm thinking of using those to make a little packet of "mint squares" (which I think will sell quite well--mint doesn't scare people the way something described as "hazelnut praline gianduja with feuilletine" might).

17 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:

Oh, that changes everything