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Dehydrated Full GAPS fermented macadamia nut cheese wheel on a ceramic plate

Dehydrated Fermented Nut Cheese for Full GAPS

A firm dairy-free fermented macadamia or walnut cheese made with coconut oil, cultured vegetables, prepared tahini, and a gentle dehydrator finish.
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Total Time 3 days 25 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Appetizer, Condiment, Snack
Cuisine: American, GAPS
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups raw macadamia nuts or raw walnuts choose one nut for the batch
  • 1 tsp mineral salt for the overnight soak
  • filtered water enough to cover the soaking nuts by 2 inches
  • 1/2 cup completed homemade additive-free fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut, with their natural liquid
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil plus a small amount of coconut or olive oil for the cheesecloth
  • 2 tbsp hulled tahini made from properly prepared sesame
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 clove garlic crushed or minced
  • 1/2 tsp mineral salt for the cheese puree

Equipment

  • Glass or ceramic soaking bowl
  • Stainless-steel colander
  • High-power blender with glass or stainless food-contact surfaces
  • Suitable flexible spatula
  • Clean wide-mouth glass vessel with nearly twice the puree capacity
  • Loose-fitting clean metal lid
  • Clean cheesecloth
  • Ceramic mold
  • Food dehydrator
  • Measuring cups and spoons

Method
 

  1. Combine the nuts, 1 teaspoon mineral salt, and enough filtered water to cover by 2 inches in a clean glass or ceramic bowl. Stir to dissolve and soak overnight.
  2. Drain and rinse thoroughly in a stainless-steel colander. Measure the full 2 cups soaked, wet nuts into the formula.
  3. Blend the soaked nuts, fermented vegetables, coconut oil, prepared tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt for about 50 seconds, until smooth and thick. If the blender cannot turn, add only a small source-permitted amount of filtered water, fermented vegetables, or oil.
  4. Transfer the puree to a clean wide-mouth glass vessel that holds close to twice its fresh volume. Keep the upper walls clean and settle the puree below the rim.
  5. Cover loosely with a clean metal lid without sealing pressure. Hold at warm room temperature away from direct sunlight.
  6. Begin checking at about 1 1/2 days and allow longer in a cooler room. Continue until the whole puree has risen and is filled throughout with many sponge-like air bubbles.
    Loose-covered glass jar of coconut-oil fermented macadamia cheese risen with sponge-like bubbles
  7. Line a clean ceramic mold with cheesecloth lightly rubbed with coconut oil or olive oil. Spoon in the fully fermented puree, press gently to remove large empty pockets, level the top, and fold the cloth over it.
    Fermented macadamia cheese pressed into an oiled cheesecloth-lined ceramic mold before dehydration
  8. Dehydrate in the mold for 12 to 24 hours, until the outside is set and the wheel holds its shape without slumping.
  9. Lift the wheel from the mold and remove the cheesecloth. For a firmer center, return the unmolded, unwrapped wheel to the dehydrator for another 12 to 24 hours.
  10. Refrigerate the finished wheel until cold and firm, then slice with a clean knife.

Notes

Full GAPS: Use after the chosen nut, prepared hulled-sesame tahini, completed fermented vegetables, coconut oil, lemon, garlic, and salt are appropriate and tolerated.
Timing: Prep is 35 minutes after the overnight soak. Begin checking the ferment at about 1 1/2 days. Dehydrate in the mold for 12 to 24 hours and, for a firmer center, another 12 to 24 hours without mold or cloth.
Endpoint: Ferment until the whole puree has risen and is filled with sponge-like bubbles before molding. Dehydrate until the wheel holds its shape; avoid drying it into a brittle puck.
Storage: Refrigerate covered and use a clean knife. The source gives no exact refrigerated duration; discard unexpected foul odor, colored or fuzzy growth, or another change inconsistent with the clean tangy cheese.

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