Can I make Parmesan with your Artisan or Hard Cheese Kits?

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by Kelsey

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

  1. Add the calcium chloride to the milk and heat up to 33°C (91.4°F)
  2. Stir in starter culture and lipase
  3. Cover and let milk ripen for 15min at 33°C (91.4°F)
  4. Add in diluted rennet, stir for 1 min
  5. Cover and let milk set for 45 min at 33°C (91.4°F), or until you have a clean break (check regularly)
  6. Once curd is set, cut into 6 mm cubes
  7. Then whisk carefully with a balloon whisk for 20 min until the curd is in small grains

Scalding

  1. 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

  1. Heat the curds to 43°C (109.4°) over a 10 min period while stirring with a balloon whisk.

Stage 2

  1. 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

  1. Press the curds firmly with your hand into the mould, (don't break the curd mass).
  2. Cover the curd with one corner of the cheese cloth and top with the follower.
  3. Press at 5kg for 30 minutes (enough for a thin trickle of whey to run out).
  4. 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.
  5. Remove the cheese from the mould, and repeat procedure, pressing at 20kg for 12-16 hours
  6. 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

  1. Prepare the salt brine
  2. 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)
  3. Pat dry and store at 14°C (57.2°F) in a maturing box

Maturing

  1. Turn the cheese daily for the first 2 weeks
  2. After 2 months, rub the cheese with olive oil to avoid the rind from drying out
  3. Age for 8 months or up to 1 year to your taste