Last week I managed to put the time together for this make...first one using this particular recipe and methodology.
Cheddar
Standards: 39% moisture, 30% fat.
pH targets:
Beginning milk pH: x (6.7 from my supplier)
Rennet: x-.05
Draining whey: 6.1
Milling of curds: 5.4
Flocculation multiplier: 3.0x
Ingredients:
2 gallons whole creamline milk
Cream as needed (for 3.5% standardized whole milk: 2 tablespoons per gallon)
3/16th tsp. MM100
1/32nd tsp. Kazu
3/8 tsp. CaCl2 if using pasteurized milk
¼ tsp. single strength veal rennet (16 drops total)
1.2 oz. salt for raw milk, .8 oz. for HP milk
8:00 AM began heating milk to 88F
8:35 added mother culture
9:00 added rennet
9:17 flocculation achieved. 17 x 3 = 51 minutes
9:53 cut curds
10:15 began increasing heat slowly to reach 102F
10:48 reached 102F
11:27 milled curds and salted
12:00 (roughly) hooped curds and pressed at 2psi for 20 minutes, flipped and pressed again at 2psi for another 20
12:45 flipped and pressed at 5psi for 30 minutes, flipped and pressed again for another 30 min.
2:00 flipped and pressed at 7psi
10:00 flipped and pressed at 7psi overnight
Procedure
1. Standardize milk to P/F = 0.91, pasteurize and cool to 88F before adding starter. Note a P/F ratio of .94 - .96 will produce a legal cheese with respect to fat content (31% fat wet basis, or 50% fat dry basis). However, a somewhat lower P/F ratio incorporates more fat in the cheese which is economically desirable when the price of milk protein exceeds the price of milk fat.
2. Add starter. Ripen until acidity increases by 0.01% or until pH decreases by 0.05 units (about 1 h.).
3. Measure 70 ml cheese colour per 1,000 kg milk (optional). Dilute the colour with 10 volumes of water and add the mixture to the milk
4. Measure ¼ tsp. single strength veal rennet. Dilute the rennet with 10 volumes of water and add the mixture to the milk.
5. Cut, using 3/8 inch (95 mm) knives when curd is firm. Agitate gently.
6. Start cooking 15 min after cutting. Increase temperature to 102F during 30 minutes. Heat slowly at first - no more than 2F every 5 min.
7. Hold at 102F until pH is 6.1 (about 75 min from the time the temperature reaches 102F or 2 h from the time of cutting). If the acidity is increasing too quickly, the temperature may be raised slightly (maximum 104F) to retard the culture.
8. When curd pH is 6.0-6.1 (whey pH 6.2-6.3) remove the whey. After the bulk of the whey is removed stir out the curd two or three times to facilitate maximum whey drainage.
9. Drain curds in cloth/colander, applying pressure to form curd mass in pot, maintaining some warmth. Turn the block every 15 min until the pH is 5.4-5.3 (about 2 h after dipping).
10. Mill the curds into ½ inch x 2 inch pieces. Stir the cheese curds every ten min or so until the cut edges become round and smooth (about 30 min after milling).
11. Distribute the salt uniformly over the curd and mix well. The final salt content of the cheese should be about 1.7%. Calculate the required amount of salt as follows:
(a) Estimate cheese yield as: Yield = (% fat + % protein) k where k is a factor dependent on cheese moisture. K values corresponding to 35, 36, 37, 38 and 39% moisture are 1.40, 1.42, 1.44, 1.46 and 1.48, respectively.
(b) The required amount of salt is 2.5% of the estimated yield. This value is higher than the final 1.7% content because considerable whey drainage occurs after salting.
12. After the salt is well absorbed and the flow of whey has stopped, the curd is ready for hooping.
13. Press overnight at 75 kPa (10 - 20 lbs/in2). Start with low pressure and gradually increase to 75 kPa. (totally beyond my capability, so I started off medium and increased to what I felt comfortably was my maximum)
14. Vacuum pack the cheese blocks and age at 50F for curing. Cold curing (41-46F) produces the best cheese but ripening is slow. Warm cured cheese (50-60F) develops flavour rapidly but quality control is more difficult. (Since I was unable to achieve the pressures listed, I will be drying my cheese a couple/few days before vacuum packing it. )
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