Kefalotiri/Kefalotyri Cheese Making Recipe?

[Waitawa Farm Cheesemaking]

I can't find any info in google about actually making it, plenty of recipes using it in cooking- it is a greek hard cheese similar to parmesan?

[Alex]

I think there is a recipe in R.Scott's book: Cheesemaking Practice.
It should be made from sheep's or goat's milk.

[Waitawa Farm Cheesemaking]

Thanks Alex- is R Scott based in America?

[DeejayDebi]

I have been looking for this cheese for you and I think I've got it. Is this the same thing? It's spelled a little different.

Kefalotyri - Greek - strong flavored hard cheese, flat 30 cm diamter
Ingredients:
1 gallon Milk from goat, Sheep or both
9 ml Rennet
Salt
Procedure:
Warm milk to 90°F and add rennet sufficient to firm curd in 50 to 40 minutes.
Curd is stirred with wooden knife/rake rather than cut.
Scald to 107 to 133°F in 30 to 4 minutes. Stir then pitch curd for 10 to 15 minutes.
Push curds to end of the vat and removed whey.
Fill hoops and press out some loose whey.
Press curds with low pressure 220 pounds for 5 to 6 hours.
Place cheese in cheese cloth and repress to produce hard smooth coat.
Rub dry salt into cheese coat for 6 to 8 weeks. If cheese is dry use wet salt.
Cheeses are piled 4 to 6 high as they harden.

[Cheese Head]

Waitawa, here is a review of R. Scott's book.

[Waitawa Farm Cheesemaking]

Thanks so much to teh both of you- yes John I am fairly certain that is the one- awesome!

[Alex]

BTW

In Greek:

Kefalo = Sheep
Tyri = Cheese

[Cheese Head]

I was in local Eastern Mediteranean Grocery Store in West Houston USA and took these pictures of Kefalotyri/Kefalotiri cheeses . . .

[Waitawa Farm Cheesemaking]

Great! Thanks very much for taking the trouble to do that.

[rsterne]

I can't help but notice that this recipe doesn't use a starter culture!.... Gavin Weber's uses a Thermophilic, but when he went to fry it, it melted.... I plan on making a Kefalotyri this Saturday, and would like to make sure it doesn't melt when I make Saganaki with it....

The scalding temperature is a very wide range, 107 - 133 *F (Gavin used 113*F), and I would assume that it must be either the lack of culture, or the high temperature scalding are what give this cheese its high melting point?....

Please, if anyone has made this cheese, from either of these or another recipe, please post here ASAP....

Bob

[Bantams]

I've never made this one, but if you want a non-melter you'll want very little acid development. Weber's recipe allowed too many opportunities for acid development so I'm not surprised it melted.
The recipe w/o culture would require high quality raw milk.

[Bantams]

I looked up Saganaki recipes and it sounds like it actually does melt to some degree - you just need a thick enough slice so it doesn't melt in the middle by the time the edge is crisp.
Is it like a young Pecorino Romano?
A cheese that is dry/salty only can melt so much (think Parm) due to low moisture content. So I'm guessing that this cheese should melt a bit (normal curd formation, not like Halloumi or Paneer) but it's limited because it's a dry cheese (think Parm vs Jack).

[DeejayDebi]

Hello Bob -
I got your email. Been a long time sine I got to make cheese. Sometimes life gets in the way!

Kefalotiri is a typical famers cheese. Usually made at home with milk from their own flock. I haven't made this one but from what I have read over the years and in talking with Greek friends it's also a family style cheese.

Some people like it harder and drier than others depending on what they are using it for. For grating harder is better and adding to sauces it slowly melds adding flavor. For frying and adding to salads and pasta dishes a bit softer is better. This explains the wide range given in scalding. The hotter you cook the curds the more whey that is expelled and the harder and drier the cheese. You don't have to worry about killing the culture because there is none.

Hope this helps!

[rsterne]

Thank you both for your help, most educational.... First off, I will be using a mix of pasteurized milk and cream.... 8 litres of 3.25% Homogenized milk plus 1 litre of 18% coffee cream.... This works out to 4.9% B.F., and a Protein/Fat ratio of 0.64 (based on the Nutritional information from Dairyland, the only kind of milk I can get).... This is about The P/F ratio that a "typical" Sheep's milk is supposed to have according to my research (although low on the BF), and I am trying to emulate that as much as possible, including the addition of 1/8 tsp. Calf Lipase.... The main purpose for making this cheese is for making Saganaki, so I want it to have as high a melting point as reasonable, balanced with the proper moisture for that use....

I would assume that starting from pasteurized milk I need a starter culture.... I have several Mesophilics, plus the Thermophilic packets from NEC, and some Su Casu from Danica.... for the latter, I understand that 1/8 tsp. is recommend for 1-10 gal. of milk.... Bantam, you stated that I should limit acid production, but I presume I need SOME, correct?.... Would the best plan be to use one of the Thermo's I have, or to use a Meso, and plan on killing it off when I scald the curds?.... Alternately, should I use no culture even though I am using pasteurized milk?....

Debi, based on your explanation of scalding temperature, for a first attempt at a Kefalotyri, should I use 120*F (right in the middle of the range).... I am certainly not interested in making a dry, hard grating cheese, it will either be used for Saganaki, and/or as a table cheese, if it is good enough.... Gavin Weber's recipe uses a 10 hr. brining, should I stick with that, or should I direct salt the curds before pressing?.... If so, how much salt?....

I really appreciate your help on this, I don't want to have a failure like Gavin did.... 

Bob

[Bantams]

Again, I don't know this cheese so I'm just thinking out loud here...
I personally wouldn't age a non-cultured cheese, as it seems like it could more easily develop a pathogenic bacteria.
Traditionally it would have been made with raw milk, and in a manner that allowed for culturing/inoculation via the wood (bacterial biofilm on the vat, whisk, etc). Mimicking a traditional cheese with pasteurized milk in stainless steel is not the same - it needs culture added. 
I would warm the milk to 90 and keep it there through renneting. Use a short culture time, just 5-10 minutes to hydrate. Hand milking an animal results in 89-90 degree milk by the time the pail is full (IME) so this is the default temp for initiating cheesemaking in virtually every recipe.
As for cook temp, I haven't a clue. Maybe different batches at 110, 120, and 130 and see which one is closer to your goal?
For culture, maybe try a tiny pinch of both meso and thermo to cover your bases?