blue mold on bread

[Bernardsmith]

Is blue mold growing on bread always the culture we need for blue cheese or can there be other molds growing that are less ... um... palatable?

[Kern]

I would avoid bread mold when making blue cheese.  Bread mold can contain a variety of fungi including Aspergillus, Monascus, Rhizopus, Penicillium, Fusarium and Monascus. Each of these species has its own color. The Rhizopus is black and fuzzy, while the Aspergillus is finer in texture. The Penicillium species is more grayish-green, has a white border to it and is fuzzy in appearance.

Get some P. roqueforti from a cheese supply shop and use this.

[Gregore]

I have tried the blue mold on bread way , and I feel the big issue is not that some of the molds might be less than safe . But that a lot of the more wild blues are not really that delicious . You could end up with a blue cheese that is not really all that palatable . I know this from experience .

[Fritz]

Is it money you are trying to save by asking about the bread? You could try flaking some blue mold from an existing blue cheese and culture your cheese with that... Not sure if you will save money by buying cheese to do that ...but as Kern suggests, best to buy a packet of PR. Lasts for over a year in the freezer and one pack makes many blues... So you will get good value with that.

[Bernardsmith]

Good advice from everyone. My goal is not about saving money but about finding sustainable approaches to everything I do - including cheese making. But I think buying the culture is an idea I will run with. Again, many thanks

[wattlebloke]

I know you have David Asher's book, Bernard: you could read/try what he suggests... And if it doesn't work, dont do it again! I think the type of bread may well be important if you use this approach.