This recipe is from Caldwell's book and is for Pholia Farm's Ale Washed Rind Cheese. Always wanted to do an ale washed stinky cheese so it was time. This is the first time in a long time using a round 12 qt. pot (in order to test some equipment) but it reminded me why I like the rectangular pans, especially after dribbling the whey over clean dishes in the sink when pouring
. Other than that all went well except I missed the 2:5 height-to-dia. form-factor target (should have gone with a 6" dia. mold).
Ingredients:- 2 gal. LTP / NH milk from Hickory Hill Farms, SC
- MM100 (1/4 tsp)
- PLA (1/8 tsp))
- Calcium Chloride (1/2 tsp)
- Single strength rennet (1/4 tsp)
- Heavy brine
Make: Warmed milk to 88F
Added cultures; let rehydrate 5 min. (pH 6.6)
Stir in with wisk
Let still 1 hr. to ripen (pH 6.4 at end of ripening)
Add NaCl diluted in 1/4 cup cool non-chlorinated water and stir
Add single strength rennet diluted in 1/4 cup cool non-chlorinated water and stir
Floc occured at 8 min.
Used floc factor of 3.5 so total wait time for curd formation was 28 min.
Cut curds into 1/2" cubes (pH 6.2)
Rest 5 min.
Increase temperature to 98 over 30 min. while stirring
Removed from heat and let curds settle 10 min.
Poured off most of whey and transferred curds to 8" dia. perforated cylinder mold with top and bottom follower
Let drain 5 min. and turned mold; added top follower to apply approx 1 lb. weight (pH 5.9)
Leave in mold until target pH of 5.4 turning every hour os so
Brined in heavy brine for 2 hr.
Plan to put in 55F @ 95% RH mini-cave; wash twice weekly with brine solution (2 tsp. salt for 12 oz. ale).
I'm going to use Yeungling for the ale (so I guess it will be a lager-washed cheese). I'll post make log and pH chart as soon as it goes into the brine.