Large Easy Blue

[Al Lewis]

Decided to try an experiment to really simplify making a good blue cheese for beginners and answer a few of my own questions at the same time.  To start with, how much milk would one need to make enough curd to fill a mold 7.75" x 7.75"?  Well I can now safely say that it takes 8 U.S. gallons of milk.

[Al Lewis]

I made this cheese in two 4 gallon pots but it's an easy task to reduce it down to the size you may want to do.  Now, before I get all types of replies telling me everything I'm doing wrong keep in mind that this IS an experiment to make a "easy" blue cheese recipe.  To start with dissolve 1 each vegetable rennet tablet in a small dish with 1/4 cup of cool water.  You will need two of these, one for each pot. If using freeze dried penicillium roqueforti (PR) place 1/8 teaspoon full into a small bowl with 1/4 cup of milk.  I used liquid PR on this make but used the same amounts.  You will also need two of these, one for each pot. Now place one tablespoon of 32-33% calcium chloride (CaCl) solution in each 4 gallon pot.  Place 4 gallons of whole pasteurized milk in each pot and stir top to bottom to mix in the CaCl.  Place your heat setting on medium to bring the milk to 86° F.  Add in the PR to each pot of milk and stir well.  Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon of MM100 on the top of each pot and stir top to bottom after 30 minutes.  Let stand to bring to temperature.

I find that making a blue under 4 gallons is really non-productive so that is the smallest make I do. You may want to try a 2 gallon make.  To review the make, for ONE 4 gallon make, I am doing two, you will need...

4 U.S. Gallons of whole milk, pasteurized is fine NOT ultra pasteurized.
1 tablespoon 32-33% Calcium Chloride solution
1/8 teaspoon MM100 starter culture
1/8 teaspoon Penicillium Roqueforti
1 each vegetable rennet tablet

You can find these ingredients at these web stores as well as others not listed. You can also find the open ended molds for blue cheese and all of the other items you may want/need.  Do what I do and shop around for the lowest price.

Artisan Geek
Cheese and Yogurt Making
The Cheesemaker
The Cheese Connection
Get Culture
Glengarry Cheesemaking
Mad Millie
New England Cheese Making


This list is not all inclusive and not an endorsement by me.  I have my favorites and they change depending on their sales/shipping costs.  If any other vendors wish to be added to the list message me your link and I'll be happy to add it.

[Al Lewis]

Once the milk comes to temperature add one of the bowls of rennet into each pot and stir, top to bottom, thoroughly.  Allow to set for 1 hour.  At the end of the hour use your largest ladle to spoon all of the curd into butter muslin, or fine cheese cloth, lined collanders.  Allow to set and drain for 1 hour.  Now gather up the ends of the muslin, or cheese cloth, and tie so as to form a bag.  Hang these bags in the pot using long wooden spoons, or dowels, as racks to hold them above the bottom of the pot.  Empty the whey out of the pot if it should rise to a level nearing the bottoms of the bags.  Let this stand for 4 hours twisting the bags to tighten them whenever possible.

[Al Lewis]

At the end of the four hours remove the dried curd mass from the cloth and place into a clean dry pot.  Break the curd up into walnut size pieces lightly sprinkling coarse kosher salt over the curds as you go. I used 3.5 ounces of coarse kosher salt or just under 1/2 cup for each pot.  If you are using table salt weight it as the fine grind will give you way too much if measuring by cups.  If you don't have a scale you can use the chart on this page to convert your salt amount.  Allow this to sit in the pot for 1 hour.

[Al Lewis]

Set you mold onto a plastic screen or bamboo mat, I used both due to the weight of this cheese, and fill loosely with the curd.  You will want this sitting in a pan or somewhere where the remaining whey can drain off and away from the mold. 

[Al Lewis]

Allow to set for 1 hour then flip over and allow to set for three hours making sure the whey is drained away from the mold.

[Al Lewis]

After three hours flip the cheese again and allow to set overnight.  It should settle quite a bit if you are making this large cheese due to the weight of the curd.  Smaller cheeses will settle less.  After settling overnight this cheese is now 5" tall.

[Al Lewis]

Continue to flip the cheese every 12 hours stored in a 70° F room.  I would recommend covering the top of the mold with a cloth to keep any unwanted visitors away from it.  This will also help it to maintain some of the humidity in the open space in the top of the mold.  Remember, flies love cheese!!! If you are using two bamboo mats to flip the cheese simply use the free one to cover the top of the mold.  Works great!!  I also soak mine in a chlorine bleach/water mix in the sink prior to use.  That removes any dyes that might have been added to the bamboo and kills any bacteria that might be present.  By the fifth day the blue should be evident.  I will continue to post this thread, adding photos, until the cheese is complete.  Hopefully, at the end, we will have a delicious blue cheese that is very easy to make.

[OzzieCheese]

Al,  8 Gallons - wow - !!  Experiment looks like its working fine.  Would you have any of the big pH markers like pH after resting over night ?  With your experience with blues I'd love to be able to taste this one.

-- Mal

[Kern]

I like this, Al.  If it works you'll have about a nine pound blue cheese at a cost of about $25!  Take that Rogue River Creamery!     As best I can tell your milk had a "Pantry Essentials" label.  Is this correct and who carries this brand?  I remember you once said you got your P&H milk from Haggen Grocery.  I made some Cams from some cheap Home Dairies brand milk from Haggen last November but had problems with both whey drainage and that the pH drop stalled at 4.84, way to high for good Camembert.  Have you noticed differences in how our local P&H milks perform with your cheeses?

Kern

[Frodage3]

I was always under the impression that if you salted the curds, then you would have to use a press to knit them together. Your experiment shows it's not true. Is it because you made a huge batch that weighs so much on its own? This is great!

[Boofer]

Kudos for such a comprehensive pictorial, Al. That deserves a cheese for your efforts.

Question: How long between rehydrating the rennet in milk and using it? Seems like a fairly long time...any concern?

Looking forward to seeing further entries in this series.

-Boofer-

[Kern]

It depends upon the definition of "knit".  In the case of blue cheese one wants quite a large number of small openings within the cheese to serve as little cavities for the blue to grow in.  In the case of a cheddar (also salted curds) one does not want any cavities so that blue can find no place within the cheese to grow.  Salt has the effect of forming a drier skin on the curd so that it takes a lot of pressure to knit it void free in the case of the cheddar.  In the case of the blue the salt will help firm the curd up to produce the voids and as the salt dissipates into the curds the curd skin becomes "stickier" and the cheese knits with lots of voids.  Note that Al salted the curds in the bowl, filled the mold, carefully flipped in in one hour, but allowed the cheese to sit in the mold a total of several days.

[Al Lewis]

Al,  8 Gallons - wow - !!  Experiment looks like its working fine.  Would you have any of the big pH markers like pH after resting over night ?  With your experience with blues I'd love to be able to taste this one.

-- Mal

Sorry Mal but this one is done strictly on time to make it simple for the beginner.  I don't even own a Ph meter. LOL

[Al Lewis]

I like this, Al.  If it works you'll have about a nine pound blue cheese at a cost of about $25!  Take that Rogue River Creamery!     As best I can tell your milk had a "Pantry Essentials" label.  Is this correct and who carries this brand?  I remember you once said you got your P&H milk from Haggen Grocery.  I made some Cams from some cheap Home Dairies brand milk from Haggen last November but had problems with both whey drainage and that the pH drop stalled at 4.84, way to high for good Camembert.  Have you noticed differences in how our local P&H milks perform with your cheeses?

Kern

Actually, it is from Albertsons.  This is the brand they replaced their last low price whole milk with.  Just take the stuff off of the bottom shelf.  $2.69 a gallon.  I have noticed that the more expensive stuff does NOT make good curd.  In fact, it makes very little curd. Also notice I did not use any additional cream in this one, I would normally add 1 pint per two gallons of milk but want to keep this simple.  When doing brie I always add Everyday Essentials Heavy Whipping Cream to the mix.  It's not ultra-pastuertized.  Also from Albertsons.  BTW  Haggens lasted about two months here before going bankrupt and closing.