Semi Firm Cultured and Aged Vegan Cheese

 

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This episode is about my semi firm cultured and aged vegan cheese. In the past I've made firm vegan cheese and two vegan cream cheeses, and quite a few people have asked for a cheese with a texture somewhere in between. So I experimented with the firm cheese recipe and altered it a bit. I love the result, it's really delicious. I use these ingredients.

If you want to make the cheese fully raw, you need to use the probiotics and dissolve them in water. For my first recipe which makes a firm version, click here: https://youtu.be/K3gp5CD7f8Q

I usually mature my cheeses for 1 month - SO worth the effort! My very tangy cheeses are the perfect center piece for a vegan cheese board. They are fermented hence great for gut health. This recipe has no added oil the way I prepare it, and it's a great opportunity to try some easy plant based lacto fermentation.

FYI: I refer to plant yogurt as not raw, because it is the case with soy yogurt, the most commonly used plant yogurt. In case you follow a high carb low fat (HCLF) diet, also known as Whole Foods Plant Based (WFPB), keep in mind that nut and seed cheese, even without added oils, are rich in natural oils and therefore not low fat foods.

// INGREDIENTS //

● 2.5 cups ground and sifted sunflower seeds

● 3 tablespoons plant yogurt OR 10 vegan probiotic tablets (ground into a fine powder), dissolved in 3tbsp water OR 3-4 vegan probiotic capsules (open them and use the powder inside), dissolved in 3tbsp water

● ¼ cup water

● salt for the outside

● spices of your choice

// METHOD //

Fill the ground sunflower seeds into a bowl that's very clean to avoid germs that could affect the fermentation result. Now add the soy yogurt or the water probiotics solution that you prepared. Mix everything with the dough hooks of your handheld mixer or use your KitchenAid. Next, prepare everything you need for the fermentation: Use a pot or a bowl with a matching strainer that is lined with a cheese cloth or a laundry mesh wash bag (a link to the sort of wash bag I use is in the video notes). Fill in the mixture.

Twist and close the cheese cloth or wash bag. On top of it, place a bowl filled with water in order to get rid of excess liquid during the fermentation. My experience is the less liquid the less likely mold will develop. Ferment it for two days, the temperature should not be below 68 degress Fahrenheit or 20 Celsius, otherwise it will take longer. I recommend your kitchen's oven or a closed cabinet or something.

Two days later, it should have a definite fermented smell that's slightly sour. The mixture has become very flat and dry and looks funny. Now prepare it for the aging process by breaking it into crumbs. Your hands should be very clean, before touching the fermented food I wash my hands with hot water and soap and then rinsed then with vinegar. Add the water and the spices of my choice, in this case black pepper and garlic powder. Any sort of herbs or onion powder or smoked paprika would work great for this vegan cheese.

Mix everything with the dough hooks. Transfer the mass onto a clean cutting board to shape yoour cheese. This will take longer than shaping the firm cheese from my original recipe because the mass is relatively soft and sticks a bit to the board. You could also make two small cheeses of it if you like. Just like the firm cheese I made, this one gets a layer of salt, too. It helps the vegan cheese develop a nice rind and the salt protects it from germs. I age my vegan cheeses in the fridge but for this don't recommend the rack I used for the firm cheese because it would leave a visible imprint on the semi firm cheese.

My video shows the construction I made of a pot, a bit of mesh I had in the house and lots of cloth pins. This is ideal because it provides air circulation. For a noticeable aging effect, leave the cheese in the fridge for at least three days. I age mine for one full month and flip the cheese every now and then.

Afterwards, remove the salt with a silicone brush, availabe at stores like Dollar Tree where I got mine several ago. Apply a coating (I use red beet powder). Take your time to apply the coating with the silicone brush as shown in the video. All the steps for making this cheese are time consuming but the result is worth it and it also makes a nice gift for a fellow vegan or someone who's interested in veganism.

Arrange the cheese with whatever you want on your vegan cheeseboard. You can see that this one is much easier to cut than my firm cheese. I absolutely love the red coating and the taste is so tangy and delicious. You can keep it in the fridge for several weeks and you can also freeze it. I froze part of this very cheese, it doesn't change the texture.

// MORE VEGAN FERMENTATION //

● Firm Vegan Cultured Cheese: https://youtu.be/K3gp5CD7f8Q

● Vegan Cultured Cream Cheese (Soy Based): https://youtu.be/9fQWHS-UNJc

● Vegan Cultured Cream Cheese (Sunflower Seed Based): https://youtu.be/iq5-jDre-2E

● Homemade Soy Yogurt: https://youtu.be/55xOajBjrfU

● Homemade Vegan Feta Cheese: https://youtu.be/IGN6Me0tuwM