Author Topic: It's a gouda! First 4# baby! ** Tasting notes at 11 weeks**  (Read 1458 times)

Offline scasnerkay

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***This cheese was cut open this weekend as I have potlucks both days. It weighed in at 3# 6 oz.  It had been vacuum sealed for about 5 weeks. I will re-vacuum the half I am not taking to share, and I hope to age it out further. So it is a young gouda, very creamy, easy to slice, and lovely mouth feel.  The taste is buttery and lingering.  Really nice!***

I just received a large tomme mold and so decided to size up the process! It is almost 8 inches in diameter...  That could hold a lot of curds! My 4# of curd hardly seemed to take up much space in there. I am definitely not used to this form factor!
The make was interesting... I added the Flora Danica right when taking the milk out of the frig, and heated the milk very slowly, taking an hour to come up to temperature for the make. I think this started to cause the pH to drop a little earlier than anticipated. So I washed the curd a little earlier than I had planned.
The other funny thing was that really the make was 2, 2 gallon makes. I did not have a pot large enough so had to divide everything by 2. Stirring 2 pots at once and checking ph in 2 pots was not easy. Clearly a visit to the restaurant supply store is in order.

Gouda 5-26-13
4 gallons cream-top milk pH 6.7
1/4 tsp Flora Danica
1/4 tsp MM100
1/2 tsp Calcium Chloride in 1/2 cup water
3.0 ml single strength calf rennet in 1/2 cup water

Flocculation multiplier 3
pH targets: 6.4 drain, 5.5 brine

11:00 Added Flora Danica to cold milk, stirred in, and slowly started heating.
12:10 Milk to 86 degrees, added MM100, let rehydrate, then stirred in. Left at temp for 30 mins.
12:50 Temp still 86 degrees, pH 6.5. Stirred in calcium chloride and let rest 5 mins.
12:55 Stirred in rennet. Flocculation in 14 mins, X 3, about 42 mins.
1:40 Clean break, cut about ½ inch curd, healing for a bit over 5 mins. Gently stirring and breaking larger curds. Stirred about 20 mins. Whey pH 6.4 to 6.5. Feeling anxious about getting too low, so went ahead with washing.
2:15 Started washing curds, in 3 rounds. Removed 8 cups of whey replacing with 130 degree water, while stirring, 5 mins. Removed 12 cups of whey, replacing with water, stirring a bit over 5 mins. Whey pH now 6.6 due to adding water.  Temp =100 degrees. Removed 12 cups of whey, replacing with about 6 cups of water, and temp still 100 degrees.
Continued stirring more vigorously, waiting for curd to be ready
3:10 Whey pH now 6.4, curd squeaky, and matting when squeezed. Let curd settle about 5 mins, getting form ready for pressing under reserved whey. Pressed with 5 # about 20 mins under whey.
3:40 Moved to press with about 18 # for 20 mins
4:00 Redressed, knitting well, returned to press with 18 # for 60 mins. Whey pH 6.2.
5:00 Redressed, looking good! Whey pH 5.7. Back into press with about 27 #.
5:30 Redressed, whey at pH 5.6. Back into press with about 45 #.
6:30 Whey pH 5.5.  Weighing in at 3# 14 oz.  Placed in cave to come to same temp as brine.
11:00  Into brine for 8 hours (4# x 2 inches = 8 hours)
« Last Edit: August 11, 2013, 04:19:45 AM by scasnerkay »
Susan

shotski

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Re: It's a gouda! First 4# baby!
« Reply #1 on: May 27, 2013, 11:09:33 PM »
Well done scasnerkay, looks like you got a really nice knit. Keep us posted as the cheese progresses.

John