Correct Red Leicester Recipe

[Ron173]

Hello everyone,

I have attempted to take the recipe posted in the 'red leicester' post and correct it, from USA, as best i can regarding rennet, colouring etc.
I have kept temps in deg f as its a bit more accurate.
I havent made this yet but intend to this weekend, please post your comments on it, i think its now correct.

Only unanswered is ageing, I'm guessing 2 months plus ??

Rgds  Ron


Red Liecester Cheese Recipe

INGREDIENTS:-

8 Ltrs whole full cream milk
1 dose of direct set mesophilic starter. (a heaped ‘smidgen’ if you have the mini spoons)
6 drops of Annatto colouring diluted in ¼ cup of unchlorinated water.
2mls liquid rennet diluted in 20mls unchlorinated water stir for no more than 3mins. (or ¼ tablet in ¼ cup)
2tbsp Cheese Salt

Method:-

Heat milk slowly to 85f, add the starter and mix well. Cover and allow to ripen for 45mins.
Add the Annatto and stir to distribute.
Add rennet stirring up and down for several minutes, cover and allow to set for 45mins maintaining 85f.
Once clean break achieved, cut curd stir occasionally for 15mins.
Heat curds to 95f increasing no more than 2f per 5mins, maintain at 95f for 30mins stirring gently to prevent matting.
Pour curds into colander and drain for 20mins
Place mass of curd onto draining board and cut into 2 inch slices.
Cover with a towel that has been occasionally placed in 96f water and wrung out thoroughly. Turn slices every 20 mins for 1 hour.
Break slices into roughly 1cm cubes place in bowl and stir, add the 2 tbsp of salt and stir for a few mins.
Place curds in cheese cloth lined mold and press at 15lb for 30mins.
Remove peel cloth away turn reline cloth and press 30lb for 2hrs.
Repeat process pressing at 50lb for 24hrs.
Remove from mold lightly dust with a little salt, shake off excess.
Air dry 2-5 days at room temp till dry to touch, then wax.

[DeejayDebi]

This is all I could find.

Red Leicester is a traditional, creamery, hard cheese made from cow's milk. It has a round shape. The bright, orange-red rind has fine, powdery moulds. A good Red Leicester has a firm body and a close, flaky texture. The flavor is delicately sweet. This cheese can be eaten young, but it should ideally be left to mature for six to nine months.

[Rizzo]

Hi
If you were using supermarket bought milk, would you would add calcium chloride? I see there is none referred to in the recipe.
thanks

[JeffHamm]

Hi Rizzo,

Yes, I would add calcium chloride (1/4 tsp), diluted in some water.  I've started pouring that into the milk when I take it out of the fridge while I get everything else ready.  Some people add it to the milk the night before, and report that helps restore the milk to form a better curd.  By the looks of this, if you use the floc method rather than clean break, go with a 3.5 floc.

- Jeff

P.S. The best store bought milk for cheese making is the silver top, though that has a high fat content.  I often just use "Home Brand" dark blue and it is ok (curds are a bit fragile, but workable), though for R.L. I would go 9 L. HomeBrand Dark Blue and 2 litres Light Blue (for an 11 litre make). 

[Rizzo]

Hello Jeff
Well I made my first attempt at some Cheshire/Farmhouse Cheddar today..what a carry on !! hahaha. I used Meadowfresh  Farmhouse from Pak n Save.  The cheese is presing at the moment, I've no idea how it'll turn out but fingers crossed.   ahve start with a Mad Millie beginners kit (soft cheeses) but as you will have noticed my taste is the Pomme hard cheeses.  So its been in at the deep end!
There are 2 Red Leicester recipes in the blog so I'll be trying one or the other next weekend.  I need to get some suitable starter cultures as the ones in the Mad Millie kit are for soft cheeses.
Thanks for your help and advice
Ian

[JeffHamm]

Hi Ian,

I'm sure it will be a good one.  You can use buttermilk as a cheese culture (Tararau's works good), just let it sit out at room temp for 6-8 hours then make ice cubes from it.  Use 2 to 4 for a 10 or 11 litre make.  Anyway, the sliver top makes good cheese.  Make sure you post a photo when it's out of the press. 

- Jeff

[Rizzo]

Hi Jeff
Well its out of the press and hasn't fallen apart, so that's already a win for me!  Looks ok and smells very 'dairy-ish, if that's a word.. As I thought this cheese wasn't going to coagulate yesterday (2  hours with no action) I had rushed out and bought some blue top to try again. Of course when I returned with the blue top it was already starting to set! What to do with 6 litres of blue top? make another cheese of course. It took me 1/2 the time it took yesterday,  I also varied things a bit, rennet tablet instead of liquid rennet, mixed the yogurt with some milk before adding to the pot, make it smooth (instead of spooning in lumps straight from the packet like I did yesterday!)...so conditions were a little more controlled. I threw in 5 drops of Annatto also, the colour looks good...
thanks for the tip re: buttermilk.
I will post a pic tomorrow of the first cheese if I can get them off my phone. cheers, Ian

[JeffHamm]

Hi Ian,

What rennet are you using?  I've never had a problem with it setting in 10-15 minutes?  If you're using Renco (from the store), you'll need about 6.5 ml (over tsp) to get it to set.  Renco is pretty weak stuff.

- Jeff

[Rizzo]

Hi Jeff,
Yes, it was Renco. The recipe called for 6 drops (uk recipe)...that was obviously the problem, later I threw in some more and it speeded it up.
My second cheese (with the extra 6 litres I bought) I used a mad millie tablet diluted in 1/4 cup distilled water (as per instructions) and it worked a treat.
I would like to continue with the Renco though...I will remember 6.5ml next time!  thanks for the advice.
Ian

[JeffHamm]

Hi Ian,

Check out the excel workbook I've posted on the "Library/Software" board:

http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,8828.0.html

Make sure you get the most recent version.  Anyway, this has a page for calculating how much rennet to use.  Renco is about 65 or 68 IMCU (international milk coagulaing units).

- Jeff

[Rizzo]

wow, thanks...I will have to study that a bit ! meanwhile, pic attached of first 2 cheeses.

[JeffHamm]

Those look very good for first makes!  A cheese to you.  I would really suggest letting at least one of them age out 6 months or more.  These kinds of cheese really do need to age to develop flavour.  Go for a caerphilly or lancashire for a quicker to the table cheese (3 weeks and 2 months, respectively). 

- Jeff

[Rizzo]

Hi Jeff
thanks for the compliment...the proof of the pudding is in the eating, of course.
I will age the red, but I would like to taste some of the white after a month or two.
I havn't worked out/researched how to do that yet. Do you slice a bit off, then allow the part you are keeping to form a mold again and then re-wax that part?
thanks
Ian

[JeffHamm]

Hi Ian,

Once I cut into a cheese, I tend to just eat it.  It may take awhile, but basically, I just leave it in the cave and slice some off when necessary.  If the cut surface becomes mouldy, I'll remove that, etc.  Others, however, will slice it up and vacuum seal it.  If you have a good vacuum sealer this seems to work a real treat.  You can get cheese wax, and seal up halves and quarters that way too.  I use wax for cheeses that I want to age out a long time, but only wax them once they are good and dry.  Moisture under the wax is a real pain.

- Jeff