Author Topic: Brick Cheese Making Recipe  (Read 8857 times)

LimburgerFan#1

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Brick Cheese Making Recipe
« on: August 17, 2009, 01:33:44 AM »
Hey everyone i am fairly new to making cheese but love the taste of a good german brick cheese aka "beer cheese". But I have searched everywhere and could not find a recipe for a german brick cheese. I need assistance in getting one all responses will be highly appreciated.
Thanks, Logan

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Brick Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #1 on: August 17, 2009, 01:51:52 AM »
I have a recipe for Wisconsin Brick cheese but it doesn't have beer in it ...  ???

Brick
Brick cheese is a cheese from Wisconsin, USA, made in brick-shaped form, also known as a square, which can be considered a rectangular shape. The color ranges from pale yellow to white, and the cheese has a sweet and mild flavor when young, and matures into a strong ripe cheese with age. It is medium-soft, crumbles easily and is somewhat sticky to the knife. Brick cheese is well-suited to slicing for sandwiches, specifically grilled cheese sandwiches, or appetizers and also melts well. Served with corn polenta in the Midwest, where the brick cheese is thinly sliced and caused to melt underneath the polenta and tomato sauce topping.

Ingredients:
4 gallons whole milk
1/2 teaspoon TA61
pinch Brevibacterium linens
3/4 teaspoon calcium chloride (if needed)
3/4 teaspoon liquid rennet
Salt for brine

Procedure:
Warm milk to 90°F stirring gently.
Add cultures and Brevibacterium linens mix well and let ripen for 15 minutes.
Add calcium chloride if needed.
Add rennet and allow to set for 30 to 40 minutes.
After clean break is achieved cut curds into 3/8 inch pieces and rest for 5 minutes.
Raise temperature to 104°F over 40 minutes and rest for 5 minutes.
Drain whey to within one inc of covering the curds stirring gently for 10 minutes. Then rest the curds for  5 minutes.
Fill cheesecloth lined molds and drain for 15 minutes.
Flip cheeses and drain for another 20 minutes. Do this twice.
Add 5 pounds of weight and press for 6 hours, flipping cheese every 2 hours.
Remove cheese and brine is 18% solution of 1 part salt to 5 parts water for  8 hours turning every 4 hours.
Remove cheese from brine pat dry and dry for 24 hours at room temperature.
Ripen at 60°F and 90% humidity for 2 weeks turning daily.
Wash rind every other day in brine.
Smear will begin to show in 10 days.
After  in about 2 weeks the smear becomes solid red, wash the surface with a damp cloth to remove excess smear and dry with a paper towel.
Wrap cheese in foil or wax to store at 45°F. Ready in about 3 weeks.

FRANCOIS

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Re: Brick Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #2 on: August 17, 2009, 02:48:35 AM »
I wouldn't follow that recipe.  It's only using TA061, thermo, which should be used with a meso normally.  There is a ripen time, but nothing will ripen since there isn't a meso in there.  Also the 104 is too low for the cook on TA061.  I'd go with MA4001 and cook a 98, forget the TA for home use.  Increase the rests to 15 minutes.

Cheese Head

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Re: Brick Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #3 on: August 17, 2009, 12:52:56 PM »
Debi, thanks for extra effort to post! I assume you haven't made this yet?

Francois, thanks for advice. Couple follow up questions for my/others learning:
1) Can you say that all Thermophilic Cultures need no low temp ripening phase, presumably as they are not activated then?
2) Understand that 104F is too low for Thermo TA061, but why not include it?
3) Why is TA61 normally used with a meso culture?

Cheese Head

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Re: Brick Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #4 on: August 17, 2009, 11:40:53 PM »
Also, there is another Brick Cheese Making Recipe here, don't know how German/Authentic it is.

FRANCOIS

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Re: Brick Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #5 on: August 18, 2009, 12:01:45 AM »
Francois, thanks for advice. Couple follow up questions for my/others learning:
1) Can you say that all Thermophilic Cultures need no low temp ripening phase, presumably as they are not activated then? 
 
That is correct.  Usually the "prime time" used is just to incorporate the culture and not actually for a major pH drop.
 

2) Understand that 104F is too low for Thermo TA061, but why not include it?
 
Thermos are used in meso recipes (in conjunction) when you have a wash or cook at the end and can raise the temp.  All the thermo does for you is give a more presentable body of the cheese at a young age.  I have always considered brick a strictly meso cheese, although we make it here commercially with thermo mixed in.  This causes issues sometimes with knitting if the cook is wrong or rennet set is wrong.  It is just easier to do at home with a less complicated recipe. 

3) Why is TA61 normally used with a meso culture?
 
See above. 

Cheese Head

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Re: Brick Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #6 on: August 18, 2009, 01:01:30 AM »
Francois, many thanks, another cheese for you :).

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Brick Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #7 on: August 18, 2009, 02:10:11 AM »
Nope I haven't tried this yet. I got it from another website I think or maybe one of my books - I didn't mark it.  ???

Ahhh .. Just checked this one is the same as "200 cheeses." That's the second error we found.

FRANCOIS

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Re: Brick Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #8 on: August 18, 2009, 02:21:43 AM »
I also just noticed that it calls for 1/2tsp of culture for 4 gallons.  That's quite a bit.  You should be using the dosage unit method (weigh it out and divide by the number of units).  If you do it that way you'll discover that you end up using much less culture than most of the books are calling for.

Cheese Head

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Re: Brick Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #9 on: August 18, 2009, 02:26:39 AM »
Francois (or others), on subject of starter culture amounts, appreciate any advice here.

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Brick Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #10 on: August 18, 2009, 02:37:47 AM »
I may have to get a better scale for that but as much as I have been making cheese lately could be worth it.