Equipment:
Cheese Press, make or buy one
Cheesecloth
Cheese wax Brush
Stainless Steel Skimmer
Curd Knife (or long bread knife)
Thermometer
Hard Cheese Mold
2 gallon+ Stainless Steel Stock Pot
Ingredients:
2 gallons whole milk (Farm-fresh raw milk is best)
1 packet direct-set mesophilic starter or 4 ounces prepared mesophilic starter
1/2 teaspoon liquid rennet (or 1/2 rennet tablet) diluted in 1/4 cup cool chlorinated water
2 pounds cheese salt, for brine
1 tablespoon calcium chloride, for brine
1 gallon cold water, for brine
Cheese wax
Method:
| 1. | Heat the milk to 90° F. by placing the pot full of milk in the sink surrounded by water between 100°F and 110°F. This takes about 30-40 minutes. | |
| 2. | Add the started and mix well. Cover and allow the milk to ripen for 10 minutes | |
| 3. | Add the diluted rennet and stir gently with an up-and-down motion for 1 minute. If using farm-fresh cow's milk, top-stir 1 minute longer. Cover and let the milk set at 90°F for 1 hour, or until it gives a clean break. | |
| 4. | Cut the curd into 1/2 inch cubes. Let them sit for 10 minutes. In the meantime, bring a pot of water (at least a gallon) to 175°F. | |
| 5. | Drain off one-third of the whey (save it for other recipes). Stirring continuously, slowly add just enough 175°F water to raise the temperature of the curd to 92°F | |
| 6. | Let the curd settle again for 10 minutes. Drain off the whey to the level of the curd. | |
| 7. | Once again, while stirring constantly, slowly add just enough 175°F water to bring the temperature of the curd to 100°F. Keep the curd at 100°F for 15 minutes, stirring often to keep the curds from matting. | |
| 8. | Allow the curds to set for 30 minutes. | |
| 9. | Pour off the remaining whey. | |
| 10. | Quickly place the warm curds in a 2-pound cheese mold lined with cheesecloth, breaking them as little as possible. Press at 20 pounds of pressure for 20 minutes | |
| 11. | Remove the cheese from the mold and gently peel away the cheesecloth. Turn over the cheese, re-dress it, and press at 40 pounds of pressure for 20 minutes | |
| 12. | Repeat this process but press 50 pounds of pressure for 12 - 16 hours. Occasionally redressing the cheese to prevent the cheesecloth from sticking to the curds. Remove from press. | |
| 13. | Make a saturated brine solution by combining the salt, calcium chloride, and water in a noncorrosive (glass or stainless-steel) container. Soak the cheese in the brine for 12 hours. | |
| 14. | Remove the cheese from the brine and pat dry. Refrigerate the brine solution for other recipes (we freeze ours in the deep freeze. If you are reusing the brine, add more salt to a olive can float). | |
| 15. | Air dry the cheese at 50°F for 3 weeks. | |
| 16. | Wax the cheese | |
| 17. | Age it at 50°F for 3-4 months. turning it 3 - 4 times a week. For a real treat, keep one around for 6-9 months. |
Yield: 2 pounds
Special Notes:
- In our experience Liquid Animal Rennet is better than the rennet tablets
- You need 4-5 hours to get it to step 12.
- Practice. Your first time will probably not go so well. (We know from experience).
- We bought a wine cooler for our drying and aging location so we could keep a consistent temperature of 50°F
Source: Carroll, Ricki. Home Cheese Making: Recipes for 75 Homemade Cheeses. Storey Books, 2002. Page 116-117
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