Followed Dixon's recipe to the letter with a couple of personal preferences. OK, so more than just a couple of variations. It is very important to understand that Baby Swiss uses a Meso culture while most other Swiss varieties use a Thermo.
1 - I used a straight Aromatic B culture. This adds Leuc. m. cremoris (LM57) to the mix. This bacterium gives a diacetyl (buttery) flavor AND it also produces CO2 above and beyond what the Propionic produces. NOTE - It's not possible to use this culture with a Thermo type Swiss like Emmental, which gets heated to 120F.
2- Peter calls for using just 1/10th the Propionic bacteria used in regular Swiss. Nonsense. I used 1/8th tsp., the same as I use in a regular Swiss.
3- I rippened at 90F. Peter called for 84F. That just seemed a little low to me for a Meso culture and I wanted a little more early acid production.
4- My pH targets were - 6.6 for raw milk to start, 6.45 at time of adding rennet, 6.35 at curd cutting, and 6.30 just prior to pressing.
5- I used a floc multiplier of 3.5 for a total set time of 45 minutes.
6- I made sure not to overcook the curds.
7- Peter calls for pressing for a total of just 5 hours. I pressed for 12 hours, but at just 1.25 psi (50 pounds on a 7-1/2" wheel), to keep the texture pliable.
8- Peter calls for holding the wheel overnight at 50F after pressing and then brining 12-16 hours for a 4 pound wheel. I brined immediately after pressing for just 6 hours. My rationale was to keep the rind pliable, and I didn't want a high salt content to inhibit the Propionic bacteria. (The finished cheese was NOT lacking for salt).
8- AFTER brining, I air dried at 55F for a week and then moved it to a warm room temp of 68-70F. Visible swelling started within just 2 days. After 10 days, it started sweating. I was concerned about losing fat, but it apparently was a good thing. I think a higher temp above 65F is VERY important.
9- After 3 weeks at room temp, I put it in the cave. After 2 weeks, I vacuum bagged and let it age. It continued to swell some even in the cave.
I cut it just shy of my 90 day mark. Put 1/4 back in the cave to age some more. Taste was fantastic. Buttery, as expected. Nice moisture content and classic Swiss flavor. The Baby Swiss is a washed curd cheese, but I actually like it better than my Emmentals. Will definitely be making lots more of these.
