Roast Cacao Beans for Best Chocolate Taste
Roast Cacao Beans for Best Chocolate Taste
Roast Cacao Beans for Best Chocolate Taste
If you are a chocolate lover, you may be interested in trying to roast your own cacao beans for the best chocolate taste experience! Keep in mind, that cacao is a little different than cocoa.
According to FoodforLive.com, organic Cacao Beans are quite bitter, which is an authentic flavor of dark chocolate. Roasted Cocoa beans taste a lot milder than cacao beans. However, cocoa retains only a small fraction of flavonoids, which are antioxidants that make cacao so great for nutrition. Therefore, take the characteristics of both into consideration; the cacao beans have a stronger flavor.
I started out on this journey by purchasing some organic cocao beans from FoodtoLive.com.
As much as I would to grow my own cocao beans, I’m not there yet! Someday, I’ll do more of what one of my favorite bloggers does. They actually take the reader through the entire process. Even though her blog is great, I’d still rather you stay here and see how I’ve explored the process of roasting…then go see how she takes the process further!
1. Fermenting the Cacao Beans
Fermenting is an extra step that could help the cacao beans have even more flavor. However, if you purchase the cacao beans the way I did, with FoodtoLive.com, the beans are not fermented. Instead, they are raw, dry and separated. If your beans are just removed from the pod, they will have a white substance around it called the pulp. This substance is essential for fermenting. If you are get the beans without the pulp you will not be able to ferment it. You may skip to step two.
Now, if you do have pulp and want to ferment, you will place the beans and pulp into a jar with a lid. Ferment for 5-7 days (in a temperature between 65-70 degrees). After the fermenting is complete, rinse and move on to roasting.
Organic raw cacao beans, ready to be roasted.
2. Roast Cacao Beans for Best Taste
Roasting in a toaster oven is really simple. Total time is about 30 minutes. You’ll just have to adjust the temperature during the process. My best results looked something like this:
- Preheat the oven/toaster oven to 300 degrees, setting the timer for 30 minutes.
- Place tray into the oven when the oven is ready. I use parchment paper on my roasting pan, but it isn’t necessary. Allow to bake for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, bring the temperature down to 280 degrees. Allow to bake at this temp for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, bring the temperature down to 260 degrees for the remaining time (15 minutes).
Allow to cool.
3. Peeling the Husk off of the Cacao Bean
Once the pan cools, the husk will start to come off of the bean. Gently take the husks off of the bean. The beans will sometimes crumble and the “nibs” are left over. I love to use the nibs in smoothies or hot chocolate. Alternatively, it’s fun to try to get the whole bean, but not always possible.
4. Enjoying Cacao
After I take the husks off of my beans, I like to keep some in a jar and grind up some of the nibs in my spice grinder. This way I can enjoy a nice cup of healthy hot chocolate with a little bit of texture with the nibs, or ground into powder like cocoa mixture!
The next post on Cacao that I do, I’ll create actual chocolate…so, stay tuned!
This is a great project to get the kids involved. One more opportunity to connect with food, instead of just finding it in the grocery store. Let me know how this works for you, or how you’ve roasted your beans!
Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot.
Eccl. 5:18 ESV
Shopping items
Walnuts– raw and soaked
Optional ingredients:
Olive oil (I like the container for this brand too)
Organic CSA from your local farmer, or Organic Raw Whipping Cream like this one
Sea Salt (I prefer this brand)
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According to FoodforLive.com, organic Cacao Beans are quite bitter, which is an authentic flavor of dark chocolate. Roasted Cocoa beans taste a lot milder than cacao beans but retain only a small fraction of flavonoids that cacao beans ahve, which are antioxidants that make cacao
Ingredients
organic raw cacao beans
Instructions
Roasting in a toaster oven is really simple. Total time is about 30 minutes. You'll just have to adjust the temperature during the process. My best results looked something like this:
Preheat the oven/toaster oven to 300 degrees, setting the timer for 30 minutes.
After 5 minutes, bring the temperature down to 280 degrees.
After 10 minutes, bring the temperature down to 260 degrees for the remaining time (15 minutes).
Allow to cool.
Prep time: 20
Cook time: 30
Total time:
Servings:
Serving size: 2 Tbsp
Meal type: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Sidedish, Fermented
Special Equipment needed: