Panning
Building a chocolate shell on a centre in many thin layers, rotated until smooth. What makes a dragée a dragée.
Panning tumbles centres — nuts, dried fruit, coffee beans — in a rotating drum while tempered chocolate is added in small quantities. Each addition coats and sets before the next, building a shell over many layers.
Doing it in one thick coat does not work: the pieces stick together and the surface stays rough. The smooth, even shell that distinguishes a dragée from a cluster is a consequence of many thin applications, and there is no shortcut to it.
- What it is for
- To build a smooth even chocolate shell on a small centre through repeated thin coats.
- Working temperature
- 16–20°C — The room must be cool enough for each layer to set before the next is added. Panning in a warm room does not work at all.
- Works with
- Dragée, Couverture, Milk couverture
Method
1. Tumble dry centres in the pan to remove dust and warm them slightly.
2. Add tempered chocolate a little at a time, letting each addition set before adding more.
Where people go wrong: Adding too much at once, which glues the centres into clumps that cannot be separated.
3. Continue until the shell is the thickness you want, then polish if desired.
When it goes wrong
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Pieces stuck together | Too much chocolate added at once, or the room is too warm. | Smaller additions, longer between them, cooler room. |
| Rough, uneven surface | Too few layers. | Keep going. A smooth dragée is many more coats than most people expect. |
Related
Works with
- DragéeBuilding a chocolate shell on a centre in many thin layers, rotated until smooth. What makes a dragée a dragée.
- CouvertureBuilding a chocolate shell on a centre in many thin layers, rotated until smooth. What makes a dragée a dragée.
- Milk couvertureBuilding a chocolate shell on a centre in many thin layers, rotated until smooth. What makes a dragée a dragée.
Covered in
- Chocolate with childrenHow chocolate-covered nuts are actually made, if the question comes up.
Sources
- ChocolateHQ editorial synthesis — ChocolateHQ(citation identity confirmed; passage not re-read)