Cocoa Plant
Cocoa Pods after Roasting
Cocoa Pods after Roasting
The cocoa tree (or cacao tree) is a tropical tree. It grows best in hot and humid regions of the world. This picture from the Dominican Republic shows a few nice deep red hanging pods, ripe and matured ready for harvest.
Cocoa Pods after Roasting
Cocoa Pods after Roasting
Cocoa Pods after Roasting
The fruits of the cocoa tree, also known as cocoa beans, grow inside pods. After the pods are harvested the beans are removed. They are set out in the sun to dry and roast, this stage can take days.
Cocoa being Pounded Down
Cocoa Pods after Roasting
Cocoa being Pounded Down
Before this process a few things need to occur, such as separating the nib from the pods. A piece of equipment called a chocolate melanger i.e., a stone grinder is used used to grind the cocoa bean nibs.
Add 2 teaspoons of instead yeast to 1 cup of room temperature water, plus 2 tablespoons of honey, stir and let sit for 5 mins. Next add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil stir then mix into dry ingredients.
After mixing for 10. mins, place dough in a greased sealed container to allow to rise til double in size for 1.5 to 2 hours. Divide in portions size of your desire, place in lightly grease pan, cover and let rise til double in size for 1 to 1.5 hours.
Bake in preheated over at 350 degrees(F) until golden deep brown, 35 to 40 mins. Let cool completely before cutting. Enjoy fresh made bread at home.
Before it can be turned into cheese, the milk may need to be processed. Adding rennet causes a reaction that curdles the milk, creating curds. Before heating it, take a knife and cut the curds, further separating the curds and whey.
Processing the curds and draining the whey; this processing is aimed at the same goal of separating the curds and whey. With the whey drained, the curd should form a large slab. The curd is now beginning to look more like cheese in its final form. To add flavor, you either involve sprinkling on dry salt or submerging the cheese into brine
There are no more ingredients to add to the cheese at this point, it’s ready to be shaped. Fresh cheese tends to be smooth creamy and mild in flavour. As cheese ages, it loses moisture. This is what gives aged cheese a harder and firmer texture compared to young, fresh cheese.