Author Topic: Camembert - John's Batch #14  (Read 1352 times)

Cheese Head

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Camembert - John's Batch #14
« on: August 31, 2013, 04:17:38 AM »
Fourteenth Camembert batch based on Wiki: Brie/Camembert Cheese Making Recipe.

MAKING
  • Aug 31, 2013:
    • 6:30AM: Poured 8.5 liters fresh nadec brand store bought pasteurized homogenized whole cow's milk into 3 US gallon stainless steel stockpot on cooker. Milk at 62°F, turned convection heat on low. Used no CaCl2 as could not find after move. Measured and sprinkled ~0.6 grams Danisco's Choozit Brand Mesophilic Starter Culture MM100, 4-5 puffs of Choozit Penicillium candidum VS strain spores, and 2 puffs of Choozit Geotrichum candidum Geo 13 strain spores onto milk and stirred in with slotted spoon.
    • 7:30AM: Milk at 90F/32C, turned heat off, covered and set aside for pH to drop.
    • 8:45AM: Melted ~0.8 grams powdered rennet crystals in 1 cup room temperature bottled water, trickled into milk and stirring in 1 min, removed slotted spoon and covered while waiting for curd to rennet set.
    • 9:30AM: Checked curd set, good albeit bit too fast, cut curds into ~1 cm/0.5 inch diamonds with long bread knife, set aside for 30 minutes for cut curds to heal and start expelling whey, stirred cut curds gently intermittently to minimize clumping, help expel whey, and to break up any large pieces.
    • 10:00AM: Ladled cut curds into using gravity draining mold into range of gravity draining basket type molds (as cannot find Camembert Hoops since moved).
    • 5:30PM: Turned cheeses in hoops, curds heavily sticking to draining slots in basket molds, should have turned earlier but fell asleep as in wrong time zone as just flew back from Vancouver to Doha.
    • 10:30PM: Turned cheeses in baskets except 2 of pyramids, very poorly formed due to poor container choice, need to find camembert hoops!
  • Sep 1, 2012:
    • 5:30AM: Turned cheeses in baskets except 2 of pyramids.
    • 3:00PM: Turned, removed from hoops, sprinkled dry salt on each top.
    • 10:00PM: Turned cams, sprinkled dry salt on other side.
  • Sep 2, 2013:
    • 6:00AM: Turned cheeses.
    • 9:00PM: Turned cheeses.
  • Sep 3, 2013:
    • 6:00AM: Placed cheeses in humidity ripening box.
    • 9:00PM: Small white mold forming, placed cheeses in humidity ripening box in kitchen fridge to bloom.
BLOOMING
  • Sep 4, 2013 Age 4 Days: Patted down light white mold bloom, turned cheeses in container and returned to kitchen fridge.
  • Sep 5, 2013 Age 5 Days: Small condensation on closed humidity box lid, small increase in white bloom as in cold kitchen fridge, patting down bloom, left humidity box lid closed.
  • CURRENTLY AT THIS POINT, following is cut and pasted from old post.
RIPENING
  • Jul 6, 2012 Went on leave, wife also away, cheeses left undisturbed for 10 days.
  • Jul 15, 2012 Age 16 Days: Returned from leave, found condensation in humidity containers indicating excessive humidity and found highly excessive white mold growth on cheese surfaces, patted down, unwanted thick rind adn some slip skin around periphery of cheese, turned and placed back in containers in cave but without lid to dry and shrink rind of cheeses to try and reduce slip skin.
  • Jul 16, 2012 Age 17 Days: Cheeses drying and slip skin partially reduced, turned and patted down mold.
  • Jul 17, 2012 Age 18 Days: Cheeses further dryed and slip skin further reduced, turned and patted down mold, and placed lids on containers, partially cracked to increase humidity.
NOTES
  • Next batch 1) ensure have all equipment available, 2) set up better cheese cave, and 3) obtain better rennet curd formation.
« Last Edit: September 05, 2013, 02:40:17 AM by Webmaster »

JeffHamm

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Re: Camembert - John's Batch #14
« Reply #1 on: September 09, 2013, 01:23:09 AM »
Now John, please, you know the rules.  Photos are a must! :)

- Jeff

High Altitude

  • Guest
Re: Camembert - John's Batch #14
« Reply #2 on: September 22, 2013, 12:35:31 AM »
Concur on photo requirement  :o!