Welcome, Phiber! A couple of additions to what others have said:
Certainly use higher temperature water to warm the milk. One nice thing about water - if you see that you are warming too fast, or in danger of going too high, you can remove some of the warm water (I use a basting bulb) and add cooler water to get to your target. Also, don't be afraid to pull the pan out of the water to keep if from going over temp.
BUT -- and this is a very important but -- when the milk is setting (coagulating), DO NOT move the milk at all, and do not add any heat. Either of these can mess up the coagulation. Even a couple of gallons of milk has a pretty high thermal inertia, and if it is in a water bath, that adds even more inertia. At most you may lose a degree or so during the time that it sets. This is perfectly fine. Once the curd is cut and you begin to stir it, then you can start adding heat (if the recipe calls for it) -- gently, gently -- very gradually warming the whey, and letting that transfer the warmth to the curd.
For relatively quick results, my recommendations are either a Caerphilly or a Lancashire. Both are generally considered to be in the cheddar family, but both are quick aging. For Lancashire, here is a link / tutorial:
http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,14315.msg108963.html#msg108963. This recipe is based on the recipe of MrsKK who posts here from time to time. It is not a "true" Lancashire in the historical sense; the real thing is actually made over two or three days. But what this recipe produces is ready in as little as 6 weeks, though it will continue to improve for a few more weeks. It will
not improve if left for, say, six months. It will be nicely tangy but not sharp, fairly smooth though maybe just a bit crumbly. This is my favorite "utility" cheese - a cheese I make just to keep some cheese in the pipeline, so that I can satisfy my cheese cravings while waiting for the long-aging varieties.
For Caerphilly, there are a couple of fairly different makes represented on the forum, both of which I like, but which give fairly different results. One variety is pretty similar to the Lancashire make above; the other does not include any cheddaring step, and is pressed first, then brined. The latter produces a tangy, crumbly, salty cheese, ready in as little as 3 weeks. The recipe I use for the latter is from the book
200 Easy Cheese Recipes. The former I have found by searching here on the forum - unfortunately I do not have a link at hand.
Let us know how it goes. Pictures are a must. Enjoy the
addiction hobby!