Cheese Type & Number: Caraway Swiss: #10

Description: A Baby Swiss recipe that has the added touch of caraway seeds.

Source of Recipe: That’s How You Make Cheese

Date: 2/1/2004

Warming the Milk: I used 2 gallons of fresh cow milk from the Longmont Dairy (already pasteurized and homogenized). Heated slowly to 90°F in a double boiler.

Ripening the Milk: 1 packet of thermophilic starter plus 1 teaspoon proprionic shermani bacteria powder, each dissolved in 1/2 cup of the warm milk before adding them. The milk then sat for 20 minutes.

Additives: 1/2 teaspoon of CaCl in 1/4 cup cool water. At this point, I also boiled 1 cup of distilled water then added 3 tablespoons of caraway seeds. I removed this from the heat and allowed it to set and steep. It gets added later.

Coagulation: 1/2 teaspoon of liquid animal rennet dissolved in 1/4 cup of cool distilled water. The milk was at 90°F. I stirred this in the allowed the milk to rest for 30 minutes. It had a nice clean break.

Cutting the Curd: Cut into 1/4” curds.

Cooking and Stirring: Foreworked (stirred prior to cooking) at 90°F for 45 minutes, gently. Then brought slowly to 120°F over about 1 hour of time, stirring often but gently. Held at 120°F, stirring gently, for 30 minutes. At this time I added the caraway seeds and water and mixed in well.

Washing the Curds:

Draining: Ladled the curds into a cheesecloth lined colander to drain some. I also used a ladle to make sure the caraway seeds were mixed evenly with the curds. I then ladled into the press.

Cheddaring:

Hot Water Treatment:

Seasoning:

Salting:

Pressing: 10# for 30 minutes; 10# for 30 minutes; 15# for 2 hours; 15# overnight, redressing once. Brined for 12 hours, turning once mid-way.

Waxing or Other Rind Care:

Aging: Moved to basement fridge at about 55°F. Turn twice daily, wiping once per day with salted cheesecloth rag (put in brine, then allow to dry). After about 1 week moved to warm kitchen and keep at 70°F or slightly warmer for about 3 weeks. Cheese should swell. Move back to fridge and age for at least 3 months.

Tasting Notes:

This recipe has a reputation for being the best Swiss caraway—it is well deserved! This may very well be the best cheese I’ve made.

The Swiss cheese base is great. Nice large holes (for a baby Swiss), with wonderful Swiss cheese flavor. But, that flavor is enhanced by the caraway.

I feared when I made this recipe that the cheese would be overpowered with caraway flavor, given the amount of caraway adnd the use of the water in which the caraway was steeped. But, while definitely there, the flavor is not overwhelming.

I’d like to try a small chunk of this melted into a fondue!

Definitely make this cheese!

Rick can u post the weights u used for the cheese, these # I presume are for a specific press settings.
Thanks!

I guess # is pound

so Rick said 15# means 15 pounds

Rick, you wrote: 1 teaspoon proprionic shermani bacteria powder

Is that correct, 1 whole TEAspoon for 2 gallons of milk? Usually recipes call for smaller amounts.

Rick54

Yes # means “pounds” when pressing.

Yes a full teaspoon of the proprionic shermani.

Try it!

Thanks!
Is that the same amount of culture u used for the cheese that exploded LOL.

lol