RealFoodFerments

Fermentation

Gluten-Free Sourdough Pizza

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk quickly until a thick gel forms.

  2. Add salt and again mix until thoroughly combined.

  3. Add starter, and mix thoroughly.

  4. Next add the flour and stir until flour is well incorporated. Then add oil, stirring until combined.

  5. Cover and let ferment for approximately 4 hours at room temp (if your home is cold it may take up to 6 hours).

  6. After it is done fermenting it will be slightly puffed up but not double in size. Preheat oven to 500*f with a pizza stone, cast iron skillet, or baking pan in it.

  7. Gather two pieces of parchment paper big enough for your pizzas and divide the dough in two.

  8. Put one piece of dough on each of the parchment papers and with wet hands shape the dough into the pizza shape you desire, leaving a ridge for a crust.

  9. Once the pizza is shaped, use a fork to gently poke holes all over the flat (center) part of the crust.

  10. When the oven is preheated, carefully lift the parchment with crust on it, onto the pizza stone (I use a dinner plate to help with the transfer).

  11. Next, close the oven door most of the way and carefully use a spray bottle to spray water on the side of the oven wall to facilitate steam (this is what makes the crust rise) then quickly close the door the rest of the way.

  12. Turn the oven to High Broil for approximately 1 minute. Then turn it back to 500° F to finish baking.

  13. Bake for about 5-7 minutes or until finished rising but not all the way browned yet. Take out of the oven and top as desired.

  14. Put back in the oven to finish baking at 500° F for another 7-10 minutes or until the crust is browning and the cheese or toppings are bubbly.

  15. Repeat with other pizza!

Fermentation

Roasted Corn Miso

Roasted Corn in Pan

**Makes 1 Quart

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups Roasted corn (we cut corn off the cob and roast on a sheet pan) 

  • 1/2 cup Raw corn 

  • 1 cup Koji 

  • 3 TBS Non-Iodized Salt 

  • Water to cover the mixture 

Instructions

  1. Once the corn and koji mixture is covered with water, put the lid on and then shake the jar well. Move to a cool/dark place to ferment. 

  2. Ferment for 5-10 days. 

  3. When the corn miso is active, foggy in color, and shows signs of bubbling, then move the mixture to the blender. Mix till a loose paste consistency. 

  4. Optional step: add jalapenos, garlic, thyme, red chilis, or other ingredients to the mixture. Blend a second time. Ferment for another 2-10 days.

Fermentation

Aged Miso Cheese

Ingredients

  • 2 cups raw, unsalted cashews

  • 1 cup filtered water

  • 1 tablespoon dark miso

  • 3 teaspoons unrefined sea salt, divided

  • ½ cup coconut oil

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, soak the cashews in water for 8-12 hours. Then drain. 

  2. Pour the cashews into a blender with the miso, and blend until they are combined. Cover and let sit for twenty-four hours. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt as well as the oil, and blend until smooth. You may need to push the ingredients down with a spatula a few times to ensure a creamy, smooth consistency.

  3. Pour the cheese mixture into a cheesecloth-lined bowl that is the shape you’d like the finished cheese to be. Refrigerate for four to six hours, or until it is firm. Remove the cheese from the bowl, and peel away the cheesecloth.

  4. Gently rub the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt over the full surface of the cheese, including the bottom. Carefully place it on a wire rack in a cool, dark, and undisturbed place, and allow the cheese to air-dry for seven to twenty-eight days, or longer if desired. After you have aged the cheese, refrigerate and serve, or store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Fermentation

Apple Cider Vinegar / Fruit Scrap Vinegars

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of fruit or fruit scraps 

  • ⅓ cup of sugar 

  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar

  • Cover with water 


Instructions

  1. Place everything in a glass jar and cover with tight-knit cheesecloth, muslin, an old t-shirt, or a hand towel and secure with a rubber band

  2. Mix once a day with a spoon or chopstick for one week to help the acetic acid to produce. Acetobactor-like air.

  3. Leave for 4 weeks to 3 months for the initial ferment.

Fermentation

Almond Gruyere Cheese

Ingredients

  • 2 cups raw, unsalted cashews

  • 1 cup filtered water

  • 1 tablespoon dark miso

  • 3 teaspoons unrefined sea salt, divided

  • ½ cup coconut oil


Instructions

  1. In a glass or ceramic bowl (with a lid), combine the cashews, water, and miso, and stir until they are combined. Cover and let sit for 24 hours.

  2. Pour the cultured cashews into a blender. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and the ½ cup of coconut oil, and blend until smooth. You may need to push the ingredients down with a spatula a few times to ensure a creamy, smooth consistency.

  3. Pour the cheese mixture into a cheesecloth-lined bowl; a bowl that is the shape you’d like the finished cheese to be. Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours, or until it is firm. Remove the cheese from the bowl, and peel away the cheesecloth.

  4. Gently rub the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt over the full surface of the cheese, including the bottom. Carefully place it on a wire rack in a cool, dark, and undisturbed place, and allow the cheese to air-dry for 7 to 28 days, or longer if desired.

  5. After you have aged the cheese, refrigerate and serve, or store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Fermentation

Milk Kefir (Dairy and Non-dairy)

Milk Kefir (Dairy)

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon kefir grains

  • 8–16 ounces of milk (Goat or Cow: Organic, Non-Homogenized, and Raw are best.)

Instructions

  1. Add 1 tablespoon of kefir grains to 8–16 ounces of raw milk in a jar with a lid. 

  2. Let it sit on the counter at room temperature for 24–72 hours depending on how sour you like it. You can taste it to check.

  3. Shake a couple of times a day to keep fresh nutrients available to the grains.

  4. Strain the milk so you can keep the kefir grains to make a new batch.

  5. Put the strained kefir in a jar with a tight lid and keep it out of the fridge for a few hours. This will increase fizziness.

**NOTES: The grains multiply. You can share them with friends or keep growing more. They work better if you keep them outside of the fridge. If you need to take time off from kefir, you can place them in some fresh milk and then put them in the fridge indefinitely. Once you are ready to use them again, rinse them off and begin the process from the beginning.

Milk Kefir (Non-dairy)

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon kefir grains

  • 8–16 ounces of full-fat canned coconut milk or you can get young Thai coconuts and use the water and scrape the pulp and blend to make your own coconut milk.

Instructions

Use the same recipe for the original milk kefir; just replace the dairy with coconut milk. 

**NOTE: Make sure to put the grains in dairy milk every 2–3 batches to keep them happy and healthy.

Fermentation

Fermented Mustard

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup yellow mustard seeds

  • 1/3 cup yellow or brown mustard seeds (or split and do both) 

  • 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup water (or even more for a thinner consistency)

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 clove of garlic 

  • 1 tsp tummeric (optional) 

  • 2 tbs white vinegar or apple cider vinegar 

Instructions

  1. Take your seeds, add salt, and then cover with water and let ferment for 7 days till bubbly.

  2. Add turmeric (optional), garlic, and lemon juice to a food processor or blender and blend until pretty smooth.

  3. Add water slowly, until mustard reaches your desired consistency.

  4. Remove from the food processor and stir in vinegar. 

  5. Place in a jar, then place in the refrigerator.