My 4th Dunlop

[JeffHamm]

It's been awhile since I've made this, but I have one that is almost 2 years old (made it Jan 21, 2012 - that's how long it's been).  So, I thought it might be nice to have another so they can be friends! :)  Anyway, this make seems to have gone quite well.  The cheese is now air drying and has a nice yellow colour that using the creamline milk
often gives.  Anyway, I'm thinking I'll age this one until Christmas, or perhaps take it out to six months.  Not sure yet.  Will see how it goes.

Dunlop : Sunday Sept 15, 2013.  Sunny, 20 C; barometre 999.

7 litres silver top (4.0g/100 fat, 3.1g/100ml protein; creamline)
4 litres budget blue top (3.3g/100ml fat, 3.2g/100ml protein; p/h) 0.84:1 p:f ratio total
3 ice cubes ripened buttermilk
0.66 ml microbial rennet IMCU 750
½  tsp Calcium chloride 50% (add while milk in jugs)
2-2.5 tbls salt

1) add ½ tsp calcium chloride in egg cup of water to milk in jugs
2) Add the starter when started warming milk
3) Warm milk to 300C. (reached at 7:55 am; 30.1 C)
4) Ripen 1 hour (target time 8:55)
5) add 0.66 ml rennet in egg cup of water (time: 9:02 : temp: 29.5 C)
   Floc time = 9:14:00 12m 00sec.
6) floc 3.5x = 42 m 00 sec = cut time: 9:44:00
7) Cut into broad bean size cubes (1 cm?) & stir (9:50; heal 10 minutes; 9:55-10:05 29.8 C)
8) raise temperate to 36 C over 20 minutes (start time: 10:05   end time:10:23; temp : 36.3 C  good cooking curve, finished 2 minutes early)
9) cook 20 minutes  (start time: 10:25   end time: 10:45; end temp 36.1 – kept moving it in and out of sink of warm water to maintain temp)
10) settle curds (5-10 minutes) and drain whey
11) put curds in cheesecloth in collandar, pressed with 2 l whey 15 minutes (11:05-11:20)
11) cut into several (6) broad slabs
12) stack, & change slabs several times over 30 minutes  (start time: 11:22   end time: 11:52 ; in pot placed in sink of warm water; around 40 C; flipped every 10 minutes @ 11:32 & 11:42)
13) Mill into small pieces (thumbnail size)
14) sprinkle with salt (amount not stated in recipe; I used 2 tbls this time; 2.5 last time)
15) wrap, place in mold in pot, press lightly (10 kg 0.72 PSI) for 15 minutes  (start time: 12:10   end time: 12:30)
16) press heavier (30kg; 2.15 PSI) for 3 hours  (start time: 12:40 flipped at 1:35 as it tilted  end time: 5:30, but flipped two more times by 6:00 as it was tilted a bit) ; knit is excellent
17) flip & redress, press overnight (35.2 kg; 2.53 PSI)  (start time:  6:00   end time: 6:00 am; ????g and 15.5 cm x ?.? cm, ?.?? g / cm3  fantastic knit all round – didn’t measure size, etc)
18) remove from cheesecloth, and dip in 66 C water for 1 minutes  (6:00 am – 6:01 am)
19) redress and press for 24 hours  (35.2 KG; 2.53 PSI start time: 6:05 am  flipped/redressed at 5:50 pm 1528g  15.5 x 6.8 cm = 1.18g/cm3 end time: 5:55 am; 1520g  15.5 x 6.8 cm = 1.17g/cm3) Excellent knit and result.
20) air dry until dry to touch (moved to box on , ??? ??th, 2013; am/pm )
21) Ripen 10-150C, 85% humidity.  Ready in 6-8 weeks (can age longer; bandaged or waxed)
Made ricotta from the whey; heated to 92.3 C, added ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, let sit for 20 minutes - Got 378g, but couldn’t use all the whey (about 2 litres wouldn’t fit in pot).

[JeffHamm]

Moved this into a ripening box and into the cave on Friday.  It weighed in at 1408g, 15.5 x 6.3 cm3 = 1.19g/cm3.  Has a very nice yellow colour as this is quite hit fat and creamline milk.  Makes the best cheese here in Auckland, other than raw milk, which is hard to get in New Zealand, and harder still in Auckland.  Will age this for Christmas I think.

- Jeff

[H-K-J]

Nice cheese Jeff, looks like it knitted nicely.
I have never tried a Dunlop, how does it compare to say a Caerphilly or cheddar?
What is the normal ageing period?
I am wanting to try a different type cheese, this one sound like a good candidate for something new

[JeffHamm]

Hi H-K-J,

This is a very nice tasting cheese of the cheddar type.  I opened the first two I made after 2 to 2.5 months aging.  They had nice mild cheddar flavours, with some nice tones on the finish (the first I noted mushroom, and the second had a more buttery finish, but the main flavour was very similar for those two makes.  I recall being pleased that the 2nd turned out so much like the first).

I notice I had the p:f ratio way off, and it should be between 0.8 and 0.9 to 1 protein to fat - so more fat than protein.  Use whatever you would for your stiltons, as they target around 0.9:1, but you could add some cream (say, 300 ml to a 11 litre make - not sure what that comes to in gallons, etc, but say a 3 gallon make and add a pint of cream maybe?).

It doesn't have the tang of caerphilly, so it's good for variety.  It's higher fat than cheddar.  Well worth a try.

- Jeff

[JeffHamm]

Just an update.  This one is doing very nicely, with quite a nice clean yet rustic rind forming up.  It's currently weighing 1282g, with a height and width of 6.4 and 15.2 cm, respectively, for a final density of 1.10 g/cm3.  I think this will be a very nice cheese over the holidays.  I've had good luck with this make procedure in the past, so I'm hoping the promising look of this one will continue that streak!  (yah, way to go and jinx it smart boy!)

- Jeff

[JeffHamm]

Ok, this one is now about 10 months old and has a wonderfully clean but rustic rind.  It's down to 978g, but it was clearly a bit moist at over 1500 last Sept (from 11 litres one might expect around 1-1.1 kg, so 978 is probably about right).  Not really sure when I'll cut into this though.  My folks are coming in Nov, so probably then.  I've got a good collection of cheeses and I'll cut a bunch when they get here.  Yum!

- Jeff

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

I've been busy with so many things that cheese has had to be put aside for aging.  So, in recognition of that, I cut into this Dunlop, which is now about 28 months old.  It measures 964g and is 14.5 x 5.5 cm, for a final density of 1.06g/cm3 (from 11 litres of milk). It was just stored in a ripening box the whole time, no waxing, no lard, no vac bag.  Unfortunately, a small crack appeared in the middle of one face, and blue set up in the centre of the cheese, however, as you can see by the slice, most of the cheese is fine.  And, I'm pleased to say, fine is an understatement!  This is probably my best aged cheddar yet.  Has a nice sharp cheddar taste, the paste is dry and crumbly, but not parm dry or anything like that, but it's not a young moist cheese.  There are some sweet notes along with the sharp, and no bitterness.  Fortunately, the wild blue, once cut away, hasn't produced any off, or inconsistent flavours.  I'm hoping I've sliced into the worst section, as having more of this is better than having less!

And, despite my delays, happy new year everyone!

- Jeff

[Andrew Marshallsay]

A fine looking cheese Jeff and a testament to your affinage, given the age and the natural rind. Please accept a cheese for that.
The only thing that I'm not sure of is why you would discard the blue bit.

[Danbo]

28 weeks - I call that patience...

Very nice - that deserve a cheese!

:-) Danbo

[JeffHamm]

Thanks!  I discard the blue bit as it's a wild blue, that just tastes mouldy (not nice, like stilton, or other proper blue cheeses).  I've got a very vicious wild blue here that can be a real pain.  But, fortunately, it doesn't put the rest of the cheese off. 

Ooops!  That should say 16 months, not sure where the 28 came from?  Must have thought there were 24 months in a year? 

- Jeff

[Danbo]

And I accidently wrote weeks... ;-)