Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Measure four cups raw shelled pecans into a roomy glass or stainless-steel bowl. Leave space for water and expansion.
- Cover by at least two inches with warm filtered water. Stir in one tablespoon sea salt for the whole batch.
- Cover with a plate or clean tea towel and leave on the counter for eighteen hours for this pecan batch. Note the start time.
- Drain in a stainless-steel colander. Rinse if you want to remove surface salt, then let loose water drain away.
- Spread in a single layer on parchment-lined stainless-steel baking sheets, using extra tray space rather than a mound.
- For the oven method, use the lowest available setting and plan twelve to twenty-four hours drying. Alternatively, use a dehydrator on its lowest setting; below 118°F is the low-temperature option. Dehydrator timing varies; follow its tray and operating instructions.
- Cool a piece enough to handle and break it open. The center should be dry and crisp, not damp, soft or leathery. Check several pieces and continue drying as needed.
- Cool the finished batch completely. Store in a clean airtight container in the refrigerator and label the preparation date. Measure the finished nuts in the form required by the next recipe.
Notes
Start: Four cups plain raw shelled pecans and one tablespoon sea salt. Measure the nuts before soaking; do not use store-roasted or coated nuts.
Water: Warm filtered water covers the nuts by at least two inches. The amount depends on the bowl; leave room for expansion.
Soak: Cover and leave on the counter for eighteen hours for this pecan batch, selected from the guide's seven-to-twenty-four-hour range. Other nuts can have different limits.
Drain: Optional rinsing removes surface salt. Let loose water drain before spreading in one layer.
Dry: Lowest oven setting, twelve to twenty-four hours, or a dehydrator on its lowest setting with timing determined by the crisp-center endpoint. Below 118°F is the low-temperature dehydrator option, not a promise about an oven setting.
Check: Cool and break open a piece. Check thicker nuts and different tray positions; centers must be dry and crisp. Continue drying if damp, soft or leathery.
Planning: Ten minutes preparation plus eighteen hours soaking and twelve to twenty-four hours oven drying is about thirty hours ten minutes to forty-two hours ten minutes, plus cooling. Card Soaking Time excludes drying; no fixed full cooking or total time is claimed.
Yield: One batch starting with four cups raw pecans, not a guaranteed final volume or weight. Measure finished dry nuts for a recipe using them.
Storage: Cool completely, then refrigerate in a clean airtight container and label the preparation date. Keep moisture out when scooping.
GAPS: Full GAPS after whole nuts are introduced. Plain salt soak and drying, no dairy, eggs, honey, oil or cultured starter. Whole nuts are different from earlier ground nut preparations.
Scaling: At 2× use eight cups raw pecans and two tablespoons salt, with enough warm water to cover by two inches. Add bowl and tray space; keep the same soak plan and crisp-center endpoint.