We have a suggested recipe that you could use with equipment and ingredients found in the Artisan and Hard Cheese Kits - however you will need to source Thermophilic Culture and some other components.
This recipe makes a cheese of approximately 500g.
Approximate time:
- 2 hrs for inoculation and scalding
- 20 hrs pressing
- 24 hrs ripening
- 8 hrs brining
- 8 months ageing minimum
Ingredients:
- 6 L (1.3 US Gal) of low fat milk (1.6 to 2% fat, homogenised)
- Thermophilic culture - follow the packet instructions. Usually with freeze dried culture, 1/4 tsp is sufficient for 6 L (1.3 US Gal)
- 2 Mad Millie Rennet Tablets diluted in 20ml non chlorinated water
- 1g lipase (optional)
- Calcium Chloride, 0.5ml/L of milk
- Salt brine: 250g salt dissolved into 945ml of water Olive oil (1 Tbsp)
Material and equipment:
- 8-10L pot
- Thermometer
- Draining spoon,
- curd knife,
- balloon whisk
- Small container to dilute rennet
- Bowl or maturing box for the salt brine
- Measuring spoon
- Some way to incubate - water bath/bain marie, hot water cupboard or warm turned off oven etc
- Cheese cloth and colander
- Cheese press
- Maturing box with cheese mat
Method:
Culture addition and renneting
- Add the calcium chloride to the milk and heat up to 33°C (91.4°F)
- Stir in starter culture and lipase
- Cover and let milk ripen for 15min at 33°C (91.4°F)
- Add in diluted rennet, stir for 1 min
- Cover and let milk set for 45 min at 33°C (91.4°F), or until you have a clean break (check regularly)
- Once curd is set, cut into 6 mm cubes
- Then whisk carefully with a balloon whisk for 20 min until the curd is in small grains
Scalding
- Add hot water to the cheese incubator to increase the temperature of the curds in the cheese vat in 2 stages. (Or use pots, double boiler on the stove).
Stage 1
- Heat the curds to 43°C (109.4°) over a 10 min period while stirring with a balloon whisk.
Stage 2
- Heat the curds from 43°C-55°C (109.4-131°F) over another 10 min while stirring with a whisk.
Curds should reduce to grain of rice/barley size and be dry to the touch and squeaky when chewed.
Once final temperature is achieved transfer curds to the muslin lined mould.
Pressing
- Press the curds firmly with your hand into the mould, (don't break the curd mass).
- Cover the curd with one corner of the cheese cloth and top with the follower.
- Press at 5kg for 30 minutes (enough for a thin trickle of whey to run out).
- Remove the cheese from the mould, turn and redress in the butter muslin and press again for 2 hours at 10kg on the other side.
- Remove the cheese from the mould, and repeat procedure, pressing at 20kg for 12-16 hours
- Transfer your cheese in a sterilised cheese maturing box for 24hrs at room temperature to allow bacteria to ripen your cheese further before brining.
Brining
- Prepare the salt brine
- Soak your cheese in a saturated brine for 8 hours (or 4 hrs per pound of cheese) at 12-14⁰C (53.6-57.2°F)
- Pat dry and store at 14°C (57.2°F) in a maturing box
Maturing
- Turn the cheese daily for the first 2 weeks
- After 2 months, rub the cheese with olive oil to avoid the rind from drying out
- Age for 8 months or up to 1 year to your taste