Another baking with chocolate question
Like therealchiffonade, I too have a chocolate question:
What do you do when a recipe calls for unsweetened baking chocolate, but you can only get bittersweet? Does anyone have a relatively reliable approach to substitution, reducing the sugar, etc? I ask because I don't think unsweetened baking chocolate is available where I live (I can get 85%, I think), but I still want to make brownies, etc. that have good consistency but aren't horribly sweet.
Thanks for any suggestions!
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8 Comments:
If you could get your hands on something like 85% cacao, I'd knock back the sugar by at least a quarter or an eighth (entire recipe).
Also, visit this compendium of chocolate information. If you scroll to the third to last entry, there is information on how to sub semi-sweet (or bittersweet) for unsweetened chocolate.
Great site but it didn't help me with my question :(.
therealchiffonade at 8:40AM on 09/04/08
Also, check out Alice Medrich's Bittersweet - she's got substitutions like the ones you want in every single recipe?
Bakerloo Line at 10:29AM on 09/04/08
You can also substitute cocoa powder that is unsweetened, such as Hershey's if you like. I have done that. Otherwise, I just reduce the sugar a little bit, unless I am baking something for someone that really loves sweet things, and then I maybe wouldn't....
For the cocoa, just substitute 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon of butter for every ounce (square) of unsweetened chocolate that you need.
Traveller at 10:52AM on 09/04/08
So where are you that unsweetened choc isn't available? Just curious....
lemons at 11:06AM on 09/04/08
Thank you so much, everyone, for these great ideas. I can't tell you how helpful it is (I've been thinking about brownies for a week now!)
@lemons: I'm in Oslo, Norway. Norwegian baking doesn't involve much chocolate, and I have yet to see any baking chocolate here. Actually, that's just the tip of the iceberg as far as what I haven't seen here. Many of the ingredients discussed on Serious Eats are completely out of reach for me.
caley at 11:44AM on 09/04/08
I'd be careful about reducing sugar in a recipe. It contributes more the just flavor/sweetness. It also affects the moisture and texture of the final product.
Cutting back a teeny amount might work but more could affect the outcome of your recipes.
A better substitute is the cocoa substitute above. Or look for a recipe that doesn't use baking chocolate but uses bittersweet instead.
kjgibson at 11:49AM on 09/04/08
When baking it is chemistry, the sugar is also part of the chemistry. Hershey's has a dark cocoa powder. Substitute 3 tablespoons (18 grams) cocoa plus 1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter for every 1 ounce (28 grams) of unsweetened chocolate.
Bittersweet is not that sweet, if you have nothing else give it a try.
JerzeeTomato at 10:33PM on 09/04/08
I can always find unsweetened chocolate somewhere, but I was surprised to find out recently that some grocery stores don't stock it any more. The Ralph's market near my house, where I always used to buy it in the past, is one of them.
lucylucy at 10:53PM on 09/05/08