First Lancashire

[Flound]

4th time making cheese, with a whopping three Caerphillies under my belt. Since they seem to be working out okay, I figured why not try a Lancashire.

So I am. Smack dab in the middle as we speak. It flocc'ed and I'm waiting for the multiplier time period so not a lot of time to share notes.

Just a picture just after it flocc'ed.

 Excited for my second type of cheese.

[Matthewcraig]

Looks like you've got a nice strong curd there, how long you going to age it for?

[JeffHamm]

Looks good Flound!  Nice floc ring there, so all should go well.  I often cover the pot at this stage, which would require removing the thermometers, but it can help keep dust and such from settling on the curd.  Also helps maintain temperature.   I'll put the pot on the counter, sitting on some folded towels to act as insulation as the counter top is colder than the milk), then wrap the pot with more towels, and put towels over the top, etc.  This maintains the temp, and means you don't need to worry about it getting too warm or cooling off in the sink.  Since you shouldn't move the pot once the rennet is in it as the fluid motion during the curd set can result in a very weak curd, this prevents any sort of panic (although, to be fair, the temp is usually pretty stable in the sink too, so it's more of a solution looking for a problem! ).  I think you'll like this one.  It's intended to be cut into after 2 months, so relatively quick turn around.  As long as you get a good seal on your rind after pressing, you don't need to worry too much about mould growing on the outside (it will grow, just brush it off).  The wild moulds produce changes to the paste as they feed off the rind of the cheese, and this will influence taste and texture in a good way.  Washing the rind with brine and vinegar, etc, will often promote b.linens growth, which is fine but will steer your cheese away from a typical Lancashire.   

- Jeff

[Flound]

Luckily your recipe mentions keeping it covered because its in the press now for the first 2 hour press and I'm just reading this now. 

Which leads me to ask, when you say cherry sized, what kind of cherries? Or give me ruler measurements. I'll be adding the 1oz of kosher salt then.

Edit; and how much should I mix the salt in? I presume the more I churn the curds after breaking into cherry sized pieces, the drier the end result, correct? So I'm guessing not much, but I would love clarification.

By love, I mean in the biblical sense. Not sure if anyone has experienced the tender caresses of anthropomorphized clarification, but it's heavenly.

[Flound]

Looks like you've got a nice strong curd there, how long you going to age it for?

However long Cheesemaster Hamm tells me. I'm fully under his sway....

Must write out cheque. Must write out cheque to J. Hamm. Must write out cheque to J. Hamm.

[Flound]

Lancashire 14/02/23

1:00 milk at 20.6C, added to double boiler, pH 6.7. Warming to 31C.

1:30 25.0C, yogurt at room temp

1:49 31.0C, added buttermilk cubes

1:55 31.4, added active yogurt, mixed with 6 ounces of milk from double boiler that was whisked thoroughly.

2:02 transferred double boiler to sink bath 34.9C to ripen.

2:07 added CaCl solution (1/2 teaspoon on 60ml distilled water)

2:15 temp 34.4C, cooled bath to 30.0C

2:22 temp 33.3C, added rennet (2.3ml in 60ml cool distilled water) started timer.

2:31 floc time 8:51, set for 17:40 seconds 2:49 roughly temp 32.7C

2:49 cut curds into 0.5cm cubes, lifted to ensure all cut.

2:56 31.2C, covered curds to rest for 30 minutes to sink below whey. pH 6.3

3:26 removed enough whey leaving the curd just covered. 31.0C

3:30 stirred gently to prevent the curds from matting. Temp 30.9C, bath 33.0C

3:37 stirred gently. Temp 31.0C, pH 6.3

3:46 stirred gently. Temp 30.7C,

3:52 stirred gently. Temp 30.8C

3:59 started spooning curds into cheesecloth lined colander.

4:12 finished and hung to drain

4:18 started heating reserved whey for ricotta

4:46 put in press, 10kg, for 2 hours.

7:39 ran into a problem wholly unrelated to cheese, that made me late coming home. Broke into cherry sized pieces, salted in layers and loosely mixed as I did. Wrapped and back into the mould at 7:56. 10kg

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

Cherry sized would be something like a cubic cm type thing.  Which make are you following though? 
my last Lanc. is here:

http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,11113.0.html

and I indicated walnut sized, not cherries - not even a fruit --- sheesh (that would be a cubic inch and a half).

As for the salt, I sprinkle some in, toss with my hands, sprinkle more, toss again, until all the salts in.  Try and get it more or less through the curds, so it's not all in one big clump.  Just enough to evenly distribute it.

Keep the curds warm during the pressing if you can, as these milled curds with salt added types can be hard to get the curds to fuse if they get cold.  And, each time you flip, increase the weight by 5 or 10 kg.  Try and get your PSI up to 2.5 at least, and higher if you can.  I get a good knit at 2.5, but if you can get over 3 all the better.

This should be ready in two months.  It's a make that was designed to be eaten young - provided you followed the same make as in the link.

- Jeff

Hmmm, you seem to be following a different make protocol than the one I usually use.  I don't use a thermophillic (yogurt) in my lancashires, and the steps are a bit different.  I bet this is from the collection of cheese makes I've found, rather than from the collection of my personal cheese makes.  Looks like you've got a roughly 4x floc there; I suspect this should also be ready in 2 months.  Longer aging versions usually have shorter floc multipliers, around 3x for cheddar types.

[Flound]

Good, got the size right, but I didn't keep the curds warm after I added the salt. Its been in the second press, first post salt press, for just under 2 hours now. We'll see in the morning...

I layered the salt in, a bit at a time, trying for even distribution. So it seems I get something right, then go off course a bit, then guess right again. Who knew? Cheesemaking as a life parallel - as goes the curd, so do I.

As for the recipe, it was in the docx you sent me, titled something like 'Lancashire, my adaptation of DeeJayDeb's original'. No walnuts, just cherries. 

Byng, Choke, Maraschino, Rainier, my virginity - so many cherries to choose from.

[JeffHamm]

Ah,  ok, yes, it's a make I've not tried yet myself but adapted the notes to be ready for me.  DeeJay Debbie posts here, and her makes are very good so this should be a good one.  I've used the MrsKK's version for all my Lancashires.  Maybe I should try this one as well.  Hmmm, no room in the cave a the moment.  Must eat more.

- Jeff

[Flound]

Just saw your edit as I was typing my reply at the time you made the edit.

So, it seems neither one of us knows how this is going to turn out. Lol. Woohoo!!!

On top of that, I had to adjust the ingredient amounts on the fly. Note to self; when attempting to pour 10L of milk from three 4L jugs, you have to stop halfway through the third jug. If your friend calls with a computer question, you're likely to empty all three jugs and have a 12L make. One that you might not realize immediately, only becoming aware when you attempt to put the half full jug in the fridge and discovering all three jugs are empty.

[Flound]

24 hours under the press so far.

[JeffHamm]

Good knit.  That's looking very nice. 

A cheese to you.

- Jeff

[Flound]

So three days in the press, huh?

[JeffHamm]

If that's what the protocol says, then go for it.  The longest I've ever pressed would be an additional 24 hours after the first night (so 36 hours type thing) - in my Dunlop makes.  After the overnight press I dip it in 66 C water to warm up the curds (just in the water for 1 minute) and then redress and press another 24 hours.  The acidity will build up in the press, so it's quite possible the 3 days is important to the make.

- Jeff

[Flound]

So three days later, it's out of the press. 1460g.

I assume a similar drying time, 3-5 days, then into the cave. The instructions kinda stop after that.