Bring 4 gallons raw milk to 88 F.
Add 1/8 tsp MA 11 mesophilic culture. Float for 3 minutes, stir for 1 minute. Allow to ripen for 50 minutes.
Add 1/2 tsp anatto, stir well
Add 1/2 tsp liquid animal rennet, stir well.
Use floculation factor 3 to determine set point.
At the set point, cut to 3/4”, allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Begin cook
At 102 F., stir for 1 hour.
Begin cold water exchange. remove whey to curd level and replace with 60 F. water while stirring. Repeat as necessary to obtain a temp of 73 F., with about 5 minutes between each exchange.
Once 73 F. is obtained, stir for 20 minutes.
Drain curd for about 10 minutes, or until whey only slowly drips from your sieve.
Return curd to pot, add 3 Tbls non-iodized salt and stir well, breaking up curd as you go.
Place curd into cheesecloth lined mold (I use an 8”)
Press at 25 lbs for 25 - 30 minutes (.5 PSI) (These weights are for an 8” mold. If your diameter is different you will need to adjust accordingly)
Remove from press, unwrap, invert, rewrap with clean cloth, and press at 50 lbs.(1.0 PSI) for 2 hours.
Remove from press, unwrap, invert and press at 100 lbs. (2.0 PSI) for 18 hours (I do not use cheese cloth on final press. You can do as you normally do.)
Remove from press and dry until surface is dry to the touch.
Rub with dry salt, vacuum seal and age at 52 F. for a minimum of 2 months. I find that 3 months is perfect for my taste.
NOTE: To calculate your pressing weights, determine the surface area of your mold (3.14 X the radius squared), and then multiply it by the PSI factor.
Another NOTE: In order to achieve a more solid texture, the curd must be VERY firmly pressed into the mold. I used my fist the press it down, not being in a hurry at this stage. The result is fewer, smaller mechanical holes.
]]>For Pepper Jack you will also need
1-1/2 tsp chopped jalopeno
1-1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried jalopeno flakes
• Take the red pepper flakes and jalapeño’s and put them in a pot with ½ cup of water and bring them to a boil. Turn off and set aside to cool.
• Heat milk to 88°. Note PH level
• Add calcium chloride, if using, and stir
• Add starter. Let float 1 min, stir 1 min. Ripen for 40 min. Check PH level and note it. PH level should have dropped .10.
• Dissolve rennet in 1/4 c. cool water, and add to milk. Stir 1 min. Let set until clean break - about 35 min. If checking by flocculation method, use a multiplier of 3.
• Cut curd in 1/2” chunks, heal 5 minutes.
• Heat curd to 102°F, stirring often to prevent matting. This should take about 45 minutes.
• Hold curd at 102°F and continue stirring for 45 to 60 minutes. PH level should be 6.3 to 6.2
• Drain whey to 1” above the curd level, add 60° water until the temperature drops to 80 to 86°. Stir for 15 minutes. PH level should be 6.0 to 5.9
• Drain whey down to level of curd, and stir for 10 minutes.
• Drain in colander lined with cheese cloth, and return curd to pot. Stir for 15 minutes. PH level should be 5.7 to 5.8
• Add ½ of the salt, and all of the pepper and water mixture, stir well. Let rest about 5 minutes to absorb the salt and pepper flavors. Then add the rest of the salt and stir again. Wait 5 more minutes.
• Place curd into a 4” mold lined with cheese cloth and press at 20 lb. pressure for 15 min
• Remove from mold, flip over and rewrap. Press at 30 lb. pressure for 2 hours.
• Remove from mold, flip over and return to press. Press at 40 lb. for another 10 hours.
• Remove from mold and air dry until rind is uniformly dried. Usually 2 to 5 days. I do this inside of the cave at 50°
• Wax and age for at 3 to 4 months. I average 4 months on this cheese.
Yield: 2 lbs cheese
3 C. unbleached flour
1 C. Rolled oats
1/2 C. Barley flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C. molasses
1 Tbsp (2 pkts) yeast
1 1/4 C. warm milk
1/4 C. Olive oil
Mix milk, molasses and olive oil together and warm to about 110 deg. F. Place this in a pre=heated mixing bowl. Add yeast and mix well. Let sit until foamy, about 10 min.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Then hand knead until smooth and elastic.
Place in a greased bowl and let rise in a warm place (in my oven over a bowl of very hot water) until doubled - about 20 to 34 min.
Punch down, roll to about 3/4” thickness, then roll the dough into a loaf. Place in greased bread pan and let rise in warm place until about 2” over the sides of the pan. Bake at 350 deg. for 30 to 35 min.
Coat top with olive or canola oil. Let cool on a wire rack. Delicious!
You can experiment, as I am doing, with different flavors added to the dough.
]]>16qts/16l whole milk
1/4tsp/1.25ml mesophilic culture
1/4tsp/1.25 aroma mesophilic culture
3/4tsp/3.75 ml calcium chloride
3/4tsp/3.75 ml liquid rennet
Cool 18% saturated brine (1 part salt to 5 parts water)
(I scaled all quantities down to 4l milk)
1 Sterilise all equipment. In a large stainless-steel pot set in a water bath over medium heat, warm milk to 90F/32C, stirring gently. Turn off heat.
2. Sprinkle mesophilic and aroma mesophilic cultures over surface of milk and let stand for about 5 mins to rehydrate. Using skimmer and an up-down motion gently draw the cultures down into the milk without breaking the surface. Cover and let ripen for 30 mins, maintaining the temperature at 90F/32C. (I had no cultures, so I used homemade plain yoghurt instead).
3. Dilute calcium chloride in 1/4 cup (50ml) cool water. Add to milk using the same up-down motion. (I used non-homo milk, so I omitted the calcium chloride)
4. Dilute rennet in 1/4 cup (50ml) cool water. Add to milk and, using same up-down motion, draw rennet down into the milk until well blended. Cover pot and let set for 45 minutes, maintaining the temperature.
5. Check for a clean break. If necessary, let set for another 5 to 10 minutes or until you achieve a clean break. (It took me 1 hour to get a good clean break). Using a long-bladed knife and skimmer, cut curd into 1/2-inch (1.25cm) cubes. Let curds stand for 5 mins to firm up.
6. Return heat to low and slowly warm curds to 95F/35C, stirring gently and continuously, adjusting the heat as necessary to make sure it takes 30 mins to do so. Do not heat too quickly. Turn off heat. Cover and hold at 95F/35C for 45 mins.
7. Place the prepared mould underneath a cloth-lined colander and drain off the whey, which will warm the mould.
8. Fill mould with curds, piling them higher in the centre. Pull cloth up neatly around curds and fold excess snugly over the top, with as few wrinkles as possible. Put on the lid.
9. Place mould in cheese press or place a weight on top. Press at medium pressure for 30 mins. Remove from press and re-dress. Continue pressing at medium pressure for several hours or overnight.
10. Remove cheese from press. Unwrap and place in brine solution for 20 hours, turning over after 10 hours. (I suspect this was way too long for my little cheese….)
11. Remove from brine. Dry cheese on a cheese mat placed on a rack at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, turning once or twice, or until fairly dry to the touch.
12. Wax: Coat cheese with 2 or 3 layers of cheese wax and ripen at 50 to 54F/10 to 12C for three weeks, at which time it will be ready to eat. Age longer for a sharper flavour.
13. Or, natural rind: Place cheese on a clean cheese mat in a ripening container. Ripen at 50 to 54F/10 to 12C and 85% humidity, turning daily. Maintain the humidity by adjusting the lid of the container. After about 2 weeks, a whitish-grey mold will appear. Continue turning the cheese daily until a thicker crust forms. After about 4 weeks, the cheese will begin to soften just under the crust, possibly becoming runny. This cheese will not keep as long as the waxed version, as it will continue to soften. Use within 2 to 3 months.
I didn’t have any wax, and since I hadn’t used the cultures I was supposed to use I wasn’t ready to gamble on having the wrong kind of mold appear. I don’t recall the Caerphilly of my childhood ever being soft and runny, either ; so I opted for vacuum-packing. The cheese looks lovely; I’ll report on the taste when I cut it!
]]>80% water to bread flour
1% salt
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast for every 500 g floor
mix by fingers until just combined not more (1 min)
leave it 12-16 hours room temp or triple in size
gently fold once, leave it on well floured cheese cloth, bake in cast iron with lid on 40 mins, then uncover for 20 mins
oven should be to hottest possible setting
enjoy
add few drops of annato to water before mixing, and enjoy cheddar alike bread
]]>Heat the milk to 90deg. Add starter and calcium chloride. Let sit 10 minutes.
Add diluted rennet and let sit for one hour.
Cut into 1/2” pieces.
Stir the curd gently for 30 minutes, then let rest for 5 minutes.
Drain 1/3 of the whey from the pot. I took out 6 1/2 cups.
Add the same amount of 140 degree water. Should bring the temp up to 98 degrees.
Stir for 40 minutes and then let rest for 5 minutes.
Drain off the whey into a stainless steel pot. Heat the whey to 125 degrees and hold it there.
Pour the curds into a 2lb cheese cloth lined mold and press at 20 lbs for 30 minutes. Remove the cheese and put it in the 125 degree whey for 30 minutes.
Rewrap the cheese, put back in the press at 40 lbs of pressure for 6 hours. Remove from the press, flip it and rewrap it and press for another 6 hours at 40 lbs of pressure.
Remove from the press and bath in medium brine solution for 3 hours.
Remove from the brine and pat dry. Let air dry for 1 to 2 days.
Wax the cheese and ripen at 50 to 55 degrees and 85% humidity for 2 to 3 months, flipping daily for even ripening. Age 6 months for optimum flavor.
This is the 1st time that I made this so it might not be right. Herman should post his recipe, if he has not already done it.
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