My Baby Is Swelling Up.

[Sailor Con Queso]

YEAH. My Baby Swiss has been aging at room temp (68F) for 9 days and started swelling like crazy over the last two days. Not just the sides, but the tops as well. A really good sign. Smells fantastic.

I intentionally didn't brine this one as long as I have in the past, so the rind is a little more elastic. My thought is that a really hard rind won't allow expansion as the CO2 builds up inside the cheese. If the CO2 can't expand that leads to tiny unseen cracks that allow the CO2 to escape, and not make eyes.

[DeejayDebi]

That's a good idea Sailor. When it is brined it just cracks the cheese due to being dried out.

Looking good!

[Boofer]

Amazing!! 

That's what I'm anticipating with my Alpine.

Your swiss is beautiful. Envy, envy.... 

Have you been this successful before with the swelling? How big (and heavy) is this wheel and how long did you brine it?

-Boofer-

[Sailor Con Queso]

I usually make traditional Emmental, but this is the best (and earliest) swelling that I have had. All other factors were pretty equal, so I really do attribute that to the reduced brining.

This is from a 3-1/2 gallon batch. 7-1/2" wheel weighs 3 pounds 12 ounces after aging for 9 days.

Recipe says "Brine for 3-4 hours per pound of cheese. Turn the cheese every day and salt the top surfaces." This would have been 12-15 hours in brine, but I brined for 6 hours total and did NOT salt the surfaces.

From the recipe on Peter Dixon's website.

http://www.dairyfoodsconsulting.com/recipes_baby_swiss.shtml

[DeejayDebi]

I have been looking at that one for about a year now. It's the 2nd one in my database. Let us know how it came out.

[Boofer]

My Alpine was a 3 gallon pasteurized 2% milk that delivered a 2.25 pound wheel after brining for 7 hours. I just started brine-wiping and salting the surfaces, but will now stop the salting. Hopefully I can still get some swelling. This is Day One.

As inspiration for my Alpine I bought and savored Emmental, Baby Swiss, and French Swiss "Madrigal".
They are all very slight on the salinity. That's my target.

Sailor - One more question: What was your press weight?

-Boofer-

[Sailor Con Queso]

12, 25, 30 then 40 pounds overnight in my Dutch press.

We have had a lot of rain this week, so the humidity is very high. If it drops too much I will wipe the rind in Sesame oil to keep the rind as elastic as possible.

Do you have a recipe for Madrigal?

[Boofer]

No recipe for French Swiss Madrigal, but I've included a pic of the label.

-Boofer-

[Tea]

Sailor, just wanted to say that that cheese looks really good.  I didn't think that you could get swelling/eye's like that in a small cheese.  Don't forget to keep us updated in this one.

[DeejayDebi]

Looking very good Salior. I could be misatken but I think someone posted a link to a French website the other day that might have had a french swiss. Danged if I can find it again though.

[Likesspace]

Sailor...
Any update on this cheese?
Did it continue to swell?
This looks a lot like one of my previous attempts that just overnight...ummmm....deflated on me. I still have no idea why it happened but it left me with my typical numerous, small eyes.
Hopefully this one will turn out for you so you can give the rest of us some insight into what makes a good swiss. This has become a passion for me.
Good luck and I'll continue to watch this thread closely.

Dave

[Sailor Con Queso]

Remember, this is a BABY Swiss and traditionally doesn't have the big eyes anyway.

The cheese aged for 3 more weeks in my cave, rubbing with olive oil once a week. The cheese swelled considerably more during those 3 weeks. Very round. Looks like a space ship. I vacuum bagged it a couple of days ago so it doesn't dry out any more. Rind is firm, but the cheese has a LOT of spring to it. Kind of like pushing in on a beach ball. I think this is going to be a good one.

I did a Jarlsberg (Swiss type) a couple of weeks ago that is aging at 67F on my countertop. Fantastic side swelling but not as much vertical as the Baby. It will go into my cave later this week. My pattern for Swiss types is 2-3 days in the cave right out of the brine. This gives the rind a chance to start to form before the Propionic bacteria start producing CO2. Then 3 weeks at 67F room temp, 3 weeks natural rind in the cave, and then vacuum bag. Then wait 

[Likesspace]

I'm really looking forward to seeing this once you cut into it.
Hopefully you've been able to accomplish something that the rest of us have struggled with.

Dave

[Tropit]

Ohhh...that one looks NICE, Sailor.  Do let us know how it turns out.

I've been stuggling to get a "puffy" Swiss.  It gets so hot here in the daytime that I worry about leaving it out 24/7.  So, I put it out in the morning and then put it away once it gets over 75 degrees.  So far, it sort of works.  The eyes are there, but not huge.  I'm just making smaller, wheels right now...no biggies yet.

[Sailor Con Queso]

OK, cut the "Baby" today and I was thrilled. The eyes, the flavor and the texture are absolutely perfect. Other than my Stiltons, this is my best cheese yet. Now, can I duplicate it?