Author Topic: My 10th Caerphilly  (Read 4409 times)

JeffHamm

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My 10th Caerphilly
« on: May 19, 2013, 07:27:01 AM »
Hi,

I've made a few tweaks to the historical recipe for Caerphilly that I found a while back.  My last one was too dry, and tasteless.  I think I used too much starter.  This time, I've cut back, and made a few other changes to try and retain moisture (i.e. stirred a bit less to compensate for breaking up the curds type thing).  I think this will be ok, but only time will tell.  Will post a photo tomorrow.  It's already tilted over once, which is a bit of a pain.  Hopefully it will behave itself for the over night press.

- Jeff


Traditional Caerphilly (Modified for Home Cheese maker) May 18, 2013.
11 Litres Budget Standard (3.3g fat/100ml 3.2 protein)
2 ice cubes meso (buttermilk)
¼ tsp CalCl (50%)
5.6 ml Renco Rennet (65 IMCU)
2.5 tbls salt + extra for rind rubbing during flipping.
1)   Add starter and warm milk to 30 C and remove from heat (30.1 C)
2)   Ripen 30 minutes (time 7:55 – 8:25 ; temp 30.1 - 29.7)
3)   Add CaCl(8:22 29.8 C)
4)   Add rennet (time 8:26:00 – Floc Time : 8:45:00 = 19m 00sec 4x mult = 76m 00sec Cut time = 9:42:00)
5)   Cut into 2.5 cm cubes (9:43-9:47)
6)   Stir and slowly raise temp back to 30 C (start temp 29.0 C - 30.2 C; time 9:47 - 10:00)
7)   Maintain temp and stir 1 hour (10:00 – 10:30; until curd is slightly firm; note, longer stirring at this stage can reduce the time to drain later; temp at end : ??.? C; cut stirring to 43 minutes (from start of 6) as was rougher with curds and they broke up a fair bit)
8)   Let settle for 10 minutes (10:30 - 10:40)
9)   Remove whey (10:40 - 10:55)
10)   Put curd in cloth in pot and drain.  Twist 5 times (count the 1st one at the start) over an hour to tighten it (every 12 minutes), but not too tight – whatever that means.  Prop up one side of the pot and put curds on the high side (so the whey drains away from the curds).  Remove whey when you tighten the cloth. (??:?? – ??:?? – ??:?? – ??:?? – ??:??)
or (as done this time) wrap in cloth bag, place a board/follower on top with a 2 litre jug of water as a weight.  Flip every 20 minutes (at 11:15 and 11:35?)
11)   Mill to small bits (squeezed between the fingers like a potato masher; 12:05- ??:??)
12)   Add salt (2.5 tbls)
13)   Place in cloth bound moulds, press in with hands
14)    place under light pressure (~1 PSI; 15 kg on 6.25” mould) 10 minutes (12:15 - 12:25)
15)   Flip, rub with salt, redress and press ~1.5 PSI (20 kg on 6.25” mould) 20 minutes (12:30 - 1:10) – NOTE: I decided that this make will not be rubbed with salt during the pressing
16)   Flip, rub with salt, redress and press ~1.8 psi (25 kg on 6.25” mould) 20 minutes (1:10 – 1:50)
17)   Flip, rub with salt, redress and press ~2.15 psi (30 kg on 6.25” mould) overnight (1:50 – 7:00, flipped for 10 minutes, then back as it was slanted, overnight from 7:25 on until 5:06 am)
18)   Out of the press it was 1684g, and 15.6 x 6.8 = 1299 cm3 for 1.30g/cm3.  Knit was excellent.

Air dry 3-5 days and move to cave and age 3 weeks (80-85% humidity, 10-12 C).
« Last Edit: May 19, 2013, 06:13:35 PM by JeffHamm »

Offline H-K-J

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Re: My 10th Caerphilly
« Reply #1 on: May 19, 2013, 03:44:55 PM »
Sounds like another success Jeff,
My last make on Caerphilly is 3 weeks as of today I'm going to age until I run out of the one we are eating
these have turned into our second favorite cheese ^-^
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JeffHamm

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Re: My 10th Caerphilly
« Reply #2 on: May 19, 2013, 06:15:27 PM »
Here it is out of the press, at 1684g and an excellent knit!  The density is 1.30 g/cm3.  I think this has retrained more moisture than the previous make, so I'm hopeful.  Fingers crossed.

H-K-J, I agree.  Caerphilly, though a fairly quick cheese, is a good one.  One of my favorites as well.

- Jeff

Banjoza

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Re: My 10th Caerphilly
« Reply #3 on: May 19, 2013, 06:58:38 PM »
That's a lovely looking cheese Jeff. I have a couple of questions though.

You mentioned draining in the cloth (squeezing slowly etc) and then milling by breaking it with your fingers (have I got that right?) Do you keep the temperature of the curd quite high during that draining and milling?

The other question is once the cheese comes out of the press and is drying, HOW do you keep it from cracking?  I find that whatever cheese I attempt to make, when it comes out of the press it looks beautiful, very firm.... hard even ..... but a couple of days later, cracks are all over it. Do/did you have that problem, and if so, how did you rectify it? (FYI I dried my latest - a Montery Jack attempt - in my fridge cave at 10 deg C in 75% to 90% humidity and as usual it has crazy-paving cracks all over).

I want to make a Caerphilly next but getting a bit despondent about the cracking thing. Can those cheeses be fixed once they crack like that? My other attempts that cracked I just used in cooking. I would love to get this thing right though.

JeffHamm

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Re: My 10th Caerphilly
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2013, 07:11:56 PM »
Hi Banjoza,

This time, rather than the binding and squeezing in the cloth, I just wrapped the curds and put a 2 litre jug of water on top to press them.  And to keep the curds warm, I put the curds in the pot (empty) and the pot in the sink with hot tap water.  For the "milling", this takes all of 10 or 20 seconds, so the curds retain their "heat".  They are, though, warm.

As for the cracking, this means your humidity is too low.  New Zealand is quite naturally humid, so I don't typically have a problem with cracking during the air drying phase.  What you can try, though, is invert a large bowl or something over top the cheese to create a micro climate.  If it's cracking in your cave, again, you need to get your humidity up.  What you're trying to achieve is controlled moisture loss, and if the air is too dry, the outer edge dries too quickly, hence the cracks. 

- Jeff

Banjoza

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Re: My 10th Caerphilly
« Reply #5 on: May 22, 2013, 07:21:08 AM »
HA! Thanks Jeff. I'm going to give that a try. I'll let you know how things go.
(I'm beginning to suspect my cheap Hygrometer thingy is telling me lies about the humidity level in the cave!)

JeffHamm

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Re: My 10th Caerphilly
« Reply #6 on: May 23, 2013, 06:02:03 PM »
Hi,

Well, I have certainly achieved my goal of increased moisture!  This one is still air drying.  Normally I move them to the cave after 3 or 4 days, but it's now on to the 5th day and still moisture on the down side when I flip.  Also, a few spots of wild blue started showing up, so after brushing it off I salted the upper face this am.  I'll rub that brine in after work, and salt the other side.  This will make up for not salting during the flip and presses.  Mind you, we've been having rain all week and the humidity is at 75%, so not too surprising it is taking awhile.

- Jeff

JeffHamm

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Re: My 10th Caerphilly
« Reply #7 on: May 25, 2013, 05:57:32 AM »
On Friday morning there was a bit of blue, and it was still damp.  So, I salted one face (good amount of salt) and let it sit there all day.  AFter worked, rubbed the brine and salt over that face and the sides. Flipped it and salted the other side.  Saturday morning I rubbed that brine around the cheese and removed any new blue (with a brush) and moved the cheese into the cave. 

- Jeff

Offline Tiarella

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Re: My 10th Caerphilly
« Reply #8 on: May 25, 2013, 11:04:11 AM »
That's a lovely looking cheese Jeff. I have a couple of questions though.

You mentioned draining in the cloth (squeezing slowly etc) and then milling by breaking it with your fingers (have I got that right?) Do you keep the temperature of the curd quite high during that draining and milling?

The other question is once the cheese comes out of the press and is drying, HOW do you keep it from cracking?  I find that whatever cheese I attempt to make, when it comes out of the press it looks beautiful, very firm.... hard even ..... but a couple of days later, cracks are all over it. Do/did you have that problem, and if so, how did you rectify it? (FYI I dried my latest - a Montery Jack attempt - in my fridge cave at 10 deg C in 75% to 90% humidity and as usual it has crazy-paving cracks all over).

I want to make a Caerphilly next but getting a bit despondent about the cracking thing. Can those cheeses be fixed once they crack like that? My other attempts that cracked I just used in cooking. I would love to get this thing right though.

Hi Banjoza.   :). I've had a cracking problem at times too and I solve it limiting the air flow and creating a more humid micro as Jeff does.  I sometimes put them in their ripening box and adjust how much of the lid covers it to create a moister climate. With no gauge I am guessing but it works for me.  I HAVE had a number of cheeses crack during ripening and rubbing them with salt draws in humidity and re-softens them if I close the box more.  I also do oil rubs and that works well too.  Working in an extremely dry wood stove heating season is probably similar to a desert and it's worked okay.  Good luck!

JeffHamm

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Re: My 10th Caerphilly
« Reply #9 on: June 14, 2013, 10:42:06 PM »
Hi,

Well, it's now about 4 weeks old.  It weighs 1398g, which is quite heavy by this stage.  It measures 6.5 x 15.3 cm, so abut 1.17g/cm3 in density.  My goal was to increase the moisture content as the previous one was dry, over acidified, with very little flavour.  When I cut into it, I had a good feeling that I had achieved that objective.  And, with some difficulty, I let it warm up a bit before tasting.  And this is a success!  Very nice moist cheese, good tang, a bit salty (which fits the cheese style), and the rind is edible.   Probably better with the rind cut off as it's a collection of local stuff.  I washed this one down with saturated brine over the course of aging if the moulds (mostly wild blue) started getting overly helpful.  Otherwise, just brushed it back.  Anyway, I'm very pleased with the outcome and will probably end up using this make protocol as my regular caerphilly procedure.  In part, it's a fairly simple procedure, and in part, just because I'm pleased with adapting it from the old newpaper article! 

For those who are also into caerphilly, this one, the version that has the cheddaring step, and the make out of 200 Easy Homemade Cheese, all produce a similar cheese, with that fresh young tang, slightly salty, taste.  So, apart from just having some fun playing with different makes, all three approaches get you in the ballpark (at least they have for me) although I've never had two different caerphilly side by side in a taste test.  That might be interesting. 

Anyway, here's the photo, and for those who want to give it a try, this does seem to work.  My previous attempt (Caerphilly #9) I think got stirred too vigourously.  This one I've reduced the times in a few stages, and didn't stir quite so authoritatively.  Seems to have done the trick. 

- Jeff

cowboycheese

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Re: My 10th Caerphilly
« Reply #10 on: June 27, 2013, 03:57:29 PM »
Looks real nice and I especially like how the rind turned out so clean. A cheese for you.

Did you taste the local flora rind yet? I'm still cutting mine off and haven't had the nerve to sample it.

I've got this one on my next to make list - just had to live vicariously through you first!

JeffHamm

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Re: My 10th Caerphilly
« Reply #11 on: June 27, 2013, 06:26:08 PM »
Thanks!  I washed this one a few times with saturated brine to keep the rind fairly clean.  Generally the wild moulds here tend to taste just a bit dusty, or mouldy bread like, so in general I prefer to remove them.  However, I've had one or two that were edible and ok.  Nothing that makes you think you're on to the next great thing.  Still, the moulds do flavour the paste, and  that's their primary purpose in my case.

- Jeff

jwalker

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Re: My 10th Caerphilly
« Reply #12 on: June 28, 2013, 01:19:13 PM »
4 weeks old , hmmmm.

I just made my first Caerphilly , it is a little bigger , at 16 liters milk.

I used very little weight in the pressing , just enough to get a good knit , so i'm hoping it comes out fairly moist as well.

Should I age it longer due to the increased size , I'm very anxious to try one of these. :P

That one looks fantastic !

JeffHamm

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Re: My 10th Caerphilly
« Reply #13 on: June 28, 2013, 06:22:46 PM »
Hi jwalker,

Caerphilly was traditionally made in 10 diameter cheeses of 8 lbs (forget where I got that, it's just in my notes).  It was also pressed in the 7-8 PSI range.  I'm only able to get to just over 2 psi, so I'm already quite light.  Anyway, caerphilly would be sent to market after 2 weeks, so I don't think you'll need any more time to age it out.  The moisture content is more determined by the make process (floc multiplier; the size you cut the curd, temperature you cook it at, how vigorous you stir, and how long you cook and stirr, are the variables that are typically targeted to adjust moisture content.  Pressing weights is more about knit and getting rid of internal spaces - or ensuring there are some, as with blues). 

Anyway, look forward to seeing your make.

- Jeff

Here is the 1907 newspaper article where found the protocol I adapted to make this cheese , along with some notes of mine at the end:

Caerphilly Cheese:
Marlborough Express, Volume XL, Issue 15, 18 January, 1907, page 4

This is one of those makes of cheese for which there is at the present time a steadily growing demand. So large, indeed, has the consumption of this cheese become (writes C.W. Walker-Tisdale in the Farmer and Stockbreeder) that we know of one firm of cheese merchants which is having Caerphilly specially manufactured in New Zealand, Holland, and Denmark, and sent to it in order to make the supply anything like equal to the demand. It appears to me that the prospects for this cheese are better than for almost any other variety, and considering the number of Cheddar makers who are turning their attention to Caerphilly makes, the production of Cheddar cheese is likely to suffer in consequence. The advantages of producing Caerphilly cheese as compared with Cheddar are: 1 Greater weight of cheese is obtained, as it is sold fresh when in a moist condition. 2. Being sold at the end of a fortnight after making, very little storage room is required. 3. The sale being effected so soon after making, money is quickly returned for the milk, which is not the case where Cheddar cheese is made, as this does not fully ripen and become ready for market in a less period than three months. To manufacture this cheese new milk is taken, regulated to a temperature of 86 deg. Fahr., and rennetted in the proportion of one drachm of rennet to three gallons of milk (rennet being first diluted with cold water.) In the course of about an hour the curd will be firm enough to manipulate, which can be tested by seeing if it breaks clean over the finger. It may then be cut by using American knives’ (vertical and horizontal), and reduced to small cubes of about 1in in size. When all the curd is reduced to this size the temperature of the whole contents of the vat should be raised to 86deg. Fahr., as by this time it will probably have fallen several degrees, so should be raised to the same temperature as that at which it was rennetted. The curd must now be stirred by hand for about an hour, or until it becomes slightly firm in nature. Some makers stir the curd for thirty minutes, allow it to pitch or settle in the bottom of the van (sic; I assume vat) for ten minutes, when it will be time to draw off the whey. The whey is now drawn off, and the curd is placed in coarse cloths and placed on a table to drain. To help the expulsion of whey the cloths are tightened now and again by taking three corners and using the fourth as a binder. This drainage is allowed to go on for about an hour, during which time the cloths will have been tightened about five times. This tightening to expel the whey must not be excessive, or the curd will get too dry. The curd is now broken by squeezing it in the hand and out between the fingers, almost as a potato-masher works. It is next placed in the tin moulds, which are lined with cloths to receive, and the curd pressed in with the hands. The curd in the moulds is left for two hours before being put to press, during which time only small weights are put on the followers to keep the curd together. The curd in the moulds may now be turned and put to press under just a small amount of pressure – say, 5cwt or 6cwt overnight. In twelve hours’ time (next day) the cheeses are taken out, rubbed with salt, turned, and replaced in the mould with a fresh cloth, and put under a pressure of about 10cwt. Twelve hours later this process is repeated, the total amount of salt used being half an ounce to each pound of cheese. On the third morning from making the cheese may be taken out of the press and removed to the curing-room, which, if the cheese is to be ready for sale in two weeks’ time, should be at a temuerature (sic) of 65deg. to 20deg. (sic : 70?) Fahr. If not required to be ripe so soon it must be kept at a lower temperature. In some cases makers prefer to salt their cheese by brining them instead of rubbing with dry salt. This may be done by having the cheeses partly immersed in brine for a couple of days or so, being careful to turn them frequently. The common size of the Caerphilly cheese is 6lb, but they are made in sizes from 5lb to 10lb each. In the case only of the larger cheeses the pressure may be increased to 15cwt instead of 10cwt for full pressure.

----------- end of article -----------------------------

For noting: cwt is a hundredweight, or “centum weight”. In the UK (and here in New Zealand), 1 cwt = 112 pounds, while in the US it equals 100 lbs.

And a drachm is 1/8th of a fluid ounce according to "thefreedictionary.com"

I've also found reference to the traditional sizes being 10 inches in diameter and 8lbs. Assuming 10 inch diameters then 5cwt would produce roughly 7.13 psi, 6 cwt would give 8.56 psi, 10cwt = 14.27 psi, and 15cwt = 21.40 psi

jwalker

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Re: My 10th Caerphilly
« Reply #14 on: July 26, 2013, 09:53:05 PM »
Jeff , that was a great article , I enjoyed it a lot , in fact saved it for future reference.

My Caerphilly is almost 4 weeks old , however , I had to go out of town to work for a while , and was afraid of leaving it , so I coated and waxed it beforehand.

Can one wax a Caerphilly successfully ?

I guess I'll find out. :o

I may open it Sunday , I will report back with photos. ;)