How to caramelise white chocolate

How to caramelise white chocolate

How to caramelise white chocolate

by Great British Chefs6 May 2015

How to caramelise white chocolate

Caramelising white chocolate is not a commonly used technique, but is well worth it if you are passionate about baking and chocolate work. The process of caramelisation turns the sugar into caramel, creating a rich toffee akin to dulce de leche, but with cocoa undertones thanks to the presence of cocoa butter.

To caramelise white chocolate, use a good quality bar with a high cocoa butter content (about 30% - ideally 32%), as this helps the chocolate to melt and break down evenly. A chocolate of 20% or lower will not melt as evenly, and may dry out.

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 120°C/gas mark 1/2
2
Break up the white chocolate into small, evenly sized pieces
3
Spread out the white chocolate onto a shallow baking tray and place in the oven for 10 minutes
4
Remove from the oven and stir and spread around the chocolate with a spatula
5
Repeat this process every 10 minutes for 30-60 minutes, until the white chocolate is deep-golden brown in colour. During this time, the chocolate may turn lumpy and have a ‘chalky’ appearance - this is normal, so keep going
6
Once the chocolate has caramelised and has reached the correct consistency, it can be stored in a jar at room temperature for about 2 months

Uses

Caramelised white chocolate is solid at room temperature and can be easily melted and used in any chocolate recipe. Caramelised white chocolate works well with fresh fruit - such as pear - as Laurie Gear shows in his Pear and caramelised white chocolate galette.

The beauty of caramelised white chocolate is its versatility - you can use it to fill some chocolate shells for a heavenly gift, or simply spread on cake.

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