Amended "trial" tommes. As I mention above, trying one cheese compositional aspect at a time to get a feel again.
For now, moisture content. Variables include cut size, strike (initial) temperature, cooking temp/time profile, floc target, and floc multiplier.
The generic tommes will get:
Prematuration:
Edit: Emulating alpine practice, I will not be prematuring the milk; enough on hand during the transhumance or other collective activities to do a make from one milking, twice a day, with fresh milk. A poor substitute for pure, raw milk, however, for now, it's what I have: I'll add in some adjuncts, MD 89 and LBC 82, along with LH100 in MC dosing level of 0.2%. If I were doing a prematuration schedule,
4 gallons whole milk, prematured 24 hours at 39F with 0.2% b.e. MD 89. A bit of diacetyl. 7.56 ml per gallon of milk. Or, DVI DCU's, 0.2*.9842 DCUs/4 gallons = 0.197 DCUs, very minute amount. For my 50 DCU packet, 0.197/50*100=0.4% of packet content's weight for 4 gallons, 0.1% in each gallon. Not sure I'm going to be able to weigh this small an amount out. Pav or anyone familiar with using DCU's and bulk equivalents, can you help me out? Is this math right? Any suggestions for using DVI, here, a ballpark in (/) tsp's?
Raw milk trials will get no prematuration.
Vat:
Meso:
0.8% b.e. MA 4000; 4 ounces/121 ml for the 4 gallon batch.
Thermo:
Temp 100F, the higher temp of this make. I'd like ST as well, but as the MA4001 contains at least some ST, I'll use only LH100 for thermo, later aging body and taste contributor. 0.2% LH100, will thus go in at 1 ounce/30 ml for the 4 gallon batch.
Ripening:
"Pyrenees"
1/16 tsp DH
1/16 tsp KL71
1/16 tsp Geo 13
1/16 tsp Mycodore
1/16 tsp Mycoderm (possibly)
"Interior Adjuncts"
1/32 tsp MD89
1/32 tsp LBC 82
1/32 tsp MVA
Initial temp, cooking time/temp and holding all starting out per Pav's recipe: 88F, renneting, ramp to 100F with three washes and cook/hold to proper consistency.
Rennetting is a variable; starting with 45 ml/100# milk, window of 12-18 minutes, but allowing to go to 24 minutes.
Floc multiplier is a variable; starting with 3.0, but allowing to go to 4
Cutting size is a variable; starting with 3/8", but allowing to go as low as 1/4" & as high as 3/8"
10 minute heal post cutting.
Washing curd, per Pav's and Francois's recommendations. Pav recommends 1/3 of the original milk (more removed), Francois, 1/3 of the existing whey (less removed). I've never been great at estimating the total whey, so will go with 18.75% of the original milk volume. Here, 3 quarts.
pH targets: Rennet at Δ0.05-0.10 pH; drain, 6.45-6.50; brining, 5.4.
Mold time: shooting for at least 12 hours.
Brine in 20% salt by weight 3.5 hours per pound.
Affinage:
Drying x 1 day at 70F, 60% RH
Aging at 55F, 88% RH
Morge: 2% salinity, same species as the vat inoculation ("Pyrenees"), save the "interior adjuncts"
Each wheel gets dipped x 2 days. Then daily washing until evidence of yeast growth.
Each wheel left alone for 3 weeks, so long as mould growth is healthy. Longer or shorter period, trying to maintain the same length, vitality in all wheels' surface cultures.
4 months, or until trier shows the wheel is ready.
Thanks again for any thoughts, guys.