My 8th and ever increasingly ill-named Butterkase

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

I'm just at the drain stage right now, so thought I would post up my notes.  Will fill in the details as I complete it.  Anyway, this is based upon a bunch of different makes I saw a few years ago for Butterkase.  Since putting this together, I've been tweaking and changing this almost every make (just because it is fun to do so; so far it's proved to be a very forgiving make procedure).  This time I've added a touch of calf lipase.  Butterkase is a very mild cheese, so adding lipase to sharpen it a bit is, well, wrong with respect to the cheese style, but I saw the bottle of powder and decided to give it a go and see how it turns out.

This is a mix of meso and thermo, though butterkase is probably a thermo cheese.  However it only gets up to 42, and I think that is right on the edge of where the mese cultures die off.  So, some may survive and do some additional work during aging.  If not, they at least help ripen and acidify the milk during the make. 

This is, for all intents and purposes, a pretty easy washed curd cheese.  Ready in about 2 or 3 months as a mild cheese, though it will deepen it's flavour profile if aged a bit longer.  It doesn't get strong or sharp (the lipase may add something interesting this time), but it will have a definite solid taste.  Paste should be smooth and moist, and good in a cheese sandwhich.

Anyway, it had been a long time since I made this so thought I would pull it back out and dust it off.  Yes, I believe I'll dust my butterkase!

- Jeff 

Butterkase : Sunday, Apr 19, 2014 (sunny, med Pressure; warm ~21.6 C)
11L homebrand standard milk
½  tsp CaCl (50% solution)
0.5 ml microbial rennet IMCU 750 (next make go with 0.5; 8 min flocs twice now with 0.6)
1 ice cubes crème freche, 1 ice cube buttermilk (meso) 1  ice cube ST B01 (Thermo) 3 tbls yogurt 1/16 tsp LH (De Winkle yogurt has Lactobacillus Acidophilus)
1/40 tsp calf lipase powder (this is not typical in Butterkase, but it’s an experiment)
Start time: 7:00 ish
1)   Add CaCl2 to jugs of milk when setting up
2)   Add all cubes and yogurt when cold and start to warm (target is 35 C)
3)   Added LH when milk was at 24 C (to rehydrate). (7:13 Temp 24.0 C) and lipase when at 30 C
4)   Warm to 35 C (hit 35 at 7:23; continued to climb to 35.3 C) (added all starter when cold, except LH)
5)   Ripen 40 minutes (target time 8:03 actual time 8:03; Temp:  34.7 C at end)
6)   Start raising temperature to 40 C at 8:04
7)   Reached at 40 C at 8:15 actual temp: 40.3 C)
8)   Add 0.5 ml rennet in egg cup water (8:16:00)
9)   Floc time = 8:30:00 14m 00s  3.5 * floc = 49m 00s until cut
10)   Cut at 9:05:00 into 3 cm cubes
11)   wait 5 min (9:08 - 9:13) then cut into 1 cm cubes (good curd 39.2 C)
12)   Curds settle 15 minutes (start 9:19 - 9:34), then remove approx 3 1/3 litres of whey (1/3 orig. volume of milk; extended time to allow more whey expulsion; good curd, no shatter – temp down to 36 C)
13)   Slowly add 60 0C water until you reach 42 0C (over 5-15 minutes or so 9:50 - 10:15 41.9 C)
14)   stir 45 minutes (start time: 10:15 - 11:00 )
15)   move to cloth lined colander and drain 30 minutes (11:10 - 11:40)
16)   Move to cloth lined mould
17)   press lightly (20 kg; 6.25” cm mould; 1.43 PSI) 6 hours (start time: 11:45 – pressed in pot in sink of approx 40 C water 60 min then at room temp)
18)   flipped/redress at 12:25 pm (knit looks good)
19)   flipped/redress 12:50 pm and again at 2:00 (knit looks very good and excellent by 2:00)
20)   Finish Press Time 5:45
21)   20 minutes water (5:45-6:05; knit superb  1424g 15.7 x 6.6 cm (1277 cm3; 1.12 g/cm3)
22)   Brine (1 hour per lbs per inch in height =  8 hours 8 min ; 6:10 pm - 4:18 am – we’ll see; actually out at 6:00 am; weight 1366g, 15.2 x 6.5 = 1179 cm3 = 1.16g/cm3)
23)   Air dry 3-5 days, until dry. 
24)   Move to cave, flip daily and age at least 2 months.

Make went very smoothly.  The one thing about this make that's a bit of a pain is the fact that by the time it's done, it means it has to come out of the brine around 4-5 am.  If I could make a larger cheese, then it would be perfect as it could come out of the brine about the same time I do.  Oh well, with the kids, I'm up not long after that anyway.  Still, those last few minutes are always the most desired! :)

- Jeff

[jwalker]

Nice looking cheese there Jeff.

I am making a couple more cheeses myself this week , I may just make this one as well.

A CHEEZ LOUISE !

Great knit and finish on that one too !

[H-K-J]

Hey Jeff,
another great looking cheese

1 ice cubes crème freche, 1 ice cube buttermilk (meso) 1  ice cube ST B01 (Thermo) 3 tbls yogurt 1/16 tsp LH (De Winkle yogurt has Lactobacillus Acidophilus)
1/40 tsp calf lipase powder (this is not typical in Butterkase, but it’s an experiment)

and I thought my my cheddar experiment was different LOL this has got more culture than MOMA

[JeffHamm]

Thanks guys!  It's out of the brine now.  Spent a bit of extra time as I didn't get up at 4:18 to remove it.  Rather, it came out at 6:00 am, a more civilized time.  It's lost a lot of weight in the brine, down to 1366g from 1424, so 58g were shed.  I think the fresh water soak probably pulls water in, then the brine pulls it out of the cheese.  It has shrunk a bit as well (again, the swelling probably due to the fresh water soak, etc). 

Anyway, I've always experimented with this make.  It could probably be made with just thermo cultures, but I've always included the meso's as I think they tend to die off around 42, so I figure some may survive and may influence the final result a bit.  If not, well, they add to the acidification during the make.  It should be a clean rind in the end, but I usually end up developing a wild rind on it.  So, it's more of a cousin to Butterkase by now.

Anyway, will be interested in seeing yours if you make one jwalker.

- Jeff

[Spoons]

You got me curious about butterkase cheese. Definitely on my to do list. Sounds like a good mild table cheese!

Open question on the subject: this is basically a thermo washed curd cheese. You mentioned somewhere that the taste develops with time but does not get sharp. Do you think you'd get a similar body but a parm-like taste if this recipe was washed at around 128F as opposed to 108F, and aged about 1 year?

[JeffHamm]

Hi Spoons,

I've never aged it that long, so I'm not sure.  I just checked my notes, and the longest I've aged one is 134 days, and my tasting notes say it was "nice, clean, and mild cheese flavour", so nothing parm like.  Most of the others I've cut into around 30 to 60 days.  It doesn't normally have lipase.  I think if you go for a longer aging, you would cut the floc factor down to 3, or even 2.5.  The hotter wash would help expel more whey too.  Would be an interesting experiment to try.  This has been a very forgiving and versatile make (I've done it as a washed rind as well, and it was good that way too).

- Jeff

[JeffHamm]

Cut into this today.  It's about 2 months old.  Has a nice tang to it, probably the yogurt, but not too strong.  Paste is moist, has good creamy mouth feel.  Weighs 1122g, and measures 14.5 x 5.4 cm, for quite a high density of 1.26 g/cm3.  This is much more sharp, or tangy, than butterkase should be, but as the title indicates, this protocol has wandered its own path and is really its own cheese.  Regardless of the name, it is quite a nice one.  I'm pleased with the outcome, and will be doubly so if it's a good melter.

- Jeff

[JimSteel]

Nice looking cheese Jeff, you never fail to impress.  A cheese has been sent your way.

I just found this post now, but I have a few questions.

1. I was under the impression that meso/thermo cultures stopped "doing their work" by the time pressing was done and that it was their "guts"(enzymes etc.) that continue to ripen the cheese.  Wouldn't your meso cultures still be doing their ripening job even if you kill them off at 42?  They just then get replaced by the thermo cultures that begin to develop at that temp range?  Correct me if I'm wrong.... I often am. (it also raises the question, what happens if you make two meso cheeses and heatkill one at a low enough temperature not to denature any proteins/enzymes just before putting them both in the press)

2. How do your natural rinds smell?  Do they have a mustiness or moldiness?  If so, does it permeate the outer layer of the cheese?

3. What is your favourite flavour of ice cream?

[JeffHamm]

Hi Jim,

I think you are correct about the dead meso's still doing some work on the flavour profile.  I thought the thermo's continue to live through the pressing, but I'm not sure.

The rinds smell like hazel nuts when I brush them, otherwise, they are just mouldy.  They provide good flavour to the paste, and the musty aspect doesn't penetrate into the cheese itself (though you do have to cut the rind off).

I'm quite partial to butterscotch ripple, though a good French Vanilla is nice too.

- Jeff

[Boofer]

Kudos, Jeff. Looks like another tasty experiment...gone good!

Lipase, really?

-Boofer-

[JeffHamm]

The lipase was a whim at the time.  There's not much in there.  But butterkase can be very mild, so I thought I would add something to add a bit of zing.  It's still pretty young, though, so it has that sour cream tang still, probably more from the yogurt and high moisture content.

- Jeff

[Spoons]

Lipase, really?

-Boofer-

Now now, Boofer. You have your Boofort cheese (curd washed Beaufort) let Jeff have his... um... Butterhamm cheese? lol!

Nice cheese, Jeff! 

[Boofer]

Lipase, really?

-Boofer-

Now now, Boofer. You have your Boofort cheese (curd washed Beaufort) let Jeff have his... um... Butterhamm cheese? lol!

Nice cheese, Jeff! 

-Boofer-

[JeffHamm]

This cheese is nearly all gone, but it's been improving the whole time.  The flavour is really nice and well developed now.  A great table cheese, melts wonderfully, etc.  Tastes a bit mild cheddar type actually, but it has a nice full cheese flavour that would be a good choice for anyone who is not overly adventurous in their cheese experience.  I'm very pleased with the outcome, though I'm not sure how much of a role the lipase has played as it is certainly isn't anything like a parm, etc.  Definitely a repeater, and definitely one that should be aged 3 or 4 months to really come into its own.

- Jeff

[awakephd]

Partly inspired by this thread, I added 1/32 tsp of calf lipase to the Lancashire and Caerphilly makes I did this past weekend. It is amazing how quickly the smell develops (I love the smell; my wife is considerably less enthusiastic!) -- I am anxious to see how it affects the taste!