This protocol was first posted by fied a few years back. I've made it twice (well, 3 times now) and given how good it has turned out I'm surprised I've not made it more often. This really comes into its own at 8 months plus, so make sure you've got some other cheeses in the works between then and now, but it will be worth it.
Cheshire Cheese (Sunday, Sept 7, 2014) Sunny, air temp 19 C
11 L homebrand Standard milk (3.3% fat, 3.1g/100ml protein)
200 mls Homebrand’s cream (35% fat, 2.2 g/100ml protein ; combined 0.8 P:F ratio; targeting 0.79 – note Pam’s Cream 38% & 2.0 g/100 ml protein is spot on)
3 ice cubes MW3 (Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris and Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis.)
½ tsp CaCl (50%) in egg cup water
1.7 ml rennet 280 IMCU calf rennet (in egg cup water)
30-32.5 ml salt
6” diameter mould
1. Add CaCl2 to milk while setting up
2. Add starter and warm milk to 30 C (actual temp 31.4+ C)
3. Cover, and ripen 30 minutes. (start time 7:42 - 8:12 end temp 31.2 C),
4. ensure temp. 30.0 (31.3) C
5. Add rennet and mix. Time: 8:14:00 Floc time 8:29:00 floc length 15 min 00 sec
6. 3x floc.= 45 min 00 sec cut time = 8:59:00
7. Cut curd into 1.25 cm pieces. Let stand for 5 mins (start time 9:05 – 9:10 end temp 30.5 C)
8. Drain whey until the curds can be seen just below the level of the whey (I didn’t have to drain any).
9. Cook curds, raising temp. gradually to 32 C over an hour, stir for first 50 minutes. (start time 9:20 -10:06 ended stirring end temp 32.3 C, sit for 60 minutes (combing with below)
10. Keep in whey and cover and blanket 40 minutes (start time 10:06 - 11:06 end temp ??.? C)
11. Tip off rest of whey, keeping curd cake whole, then cut curd into equal fist-sized chunks. Return to pot, cover and keep at 32 C for 3 hours. (start time 11:30 - 2:30) (had to press with a follower and 2 litre jug of water to get the curds into a cake for cutting into “fist sized”)
12. Tip off any whey in the pot and tear chunks into 1" pieces and salt in the pot.
13. Press into cheesecloth lined mould and add weight at 10kg (0.78psi) for 30 min. (2:45 – 3:15 ?:??)
14. Turn cheese, adjust cloth and weight at 20 kgs (1.56 psi) for 30 mins. (2:45 - 3:30)
15. Turn cheese, adjust cloth and press at between 30 kg (2.34psi) for 16 hours. (3:30 - 6:00 pm, flipped redressed – GOOD knit - pressed until 6:45 am Monday; excellent knit)
16. Take off cloth, turn cheese and put back in press at the same press weights for 3 hours to get rid of cloth marks. (??:??-?:??; Monday if required; not required)
17. Salt cheese all over with 1 tsp salt and dry on cheese mat/rack at room temp., under gauze, for a day. Next day wipe off brine and return to drying at room temp. for 7 to 10 days, depending on when the rind, bottom and top, feels dry to the touch and there's no more seepage of whey. Turn once a day. (not needed)
18. Then either bandage cheese and age at 60F/16C for 2 months and up to a year, turning cheese daily for three months then twice a week up until time of eating, OR don't bandage, but leave to develop a natural rind with the same aging conditions as a bandaged one.
During step 11 made ricotta: heated to 92.0 C, and ¼ cup cider vinegar, let sit for 15-20 minutes. Scooped into cheesecloth and drained. Added 1-2% salt by weight (got 454 g, so added 6g salt).
Out of the press: 1710g, 14.5 x 10.0 (-206cm3 due to bullet shape) = 1.18g/cm3
Saturday, Sept 13, 2014: has been humid so drying has been slow. Still a bit damp on the down side (flipping morning and evening). Brushed first spots of mould showing up to clean the rind. Moved to the cave. 1476g.