Farmer's Caerphilly Cheese Making Recipe

[Tea]

Again this is from the book "Home Cheese making"
The description states that it is a cheese that should be covered with an even coat of white mould, has a white firm body, clean flavour and a short texture.  The surface is rubbed with a mixture of rice flour and barley meal to give a uniform finish.  It is eaten at two weeks of age.

Bring 10 ltr milk to a setting temp of 32C.  Add 200ml of prepared Type A starter.  Mix well and leave ripen for 30 mins.

Add 2.5ml rennet diluted.  Mix for at least a minute maintaining setting temp.  Allow milk to set should take 30-35 minutes.

Cut into 1 cm cubes the let stand for five minutes before stiring.

Stir gently for 15 minutes then heat up to 35C while still stiring over the next 15 minutes.  Stir for another 15 minutes or until firm enough.  This is determined by breaking a piece of curd in two.  Each section should retain its shape.

Allow the curd to settle to let the acidity develop.  30 minutes should be enough.  Run off the whey.

Pile the curd onto the sides of the pot to allow the whey to drain from the curd.  Allow the curd to drain for approx 30 minutes, then cut the curd into finger length strips.  Allow acidity to develop for another 45 minutes before cutting into 1 inch cubes.

Sprinkle over salt at the rate of 1gr per 1 ltr of milk. Stir in.

Place curd into a cheesecloth lined hoop, leave for 20 mintes then press for 1 1/2 hours.  Remove and straighten any wrinkles, then return to press and leave until morning.

Place cheese in a 20% brine solution.  A 3.5kg cheese should be brined for 24 hours.  Smaller cheese require less time.  White mould spores can be added to the brine solution if you so desire. 

Dry cheese.  To prevent drying too much place in a vacuum sealed bad or wax.

Store at 11 to 15c for two weeks.

The photo is the cheese after pressing all night.

[Cheese Head]

Thanks Tea

Now that is a different cheese, ready at 2 weeks sounds fun, sorry few questions for clarity:

• For pressing, roughly what weight?
• Assume you rub surface with rice flour and barley meal after pressing and drying? Any thoughts on ratio or rice flour to barley meal?
• For white mould option, assume you mean Penicillium Candidum like for Camembert/Brie? Normally these are added to milk or sprayed on when cheeses pressed and dry with an atomizer, are you sure about adding it to brine or have you not tried that option yet?

Thanks in advance and sorry for all the questions . . .

[Tea]

The recipe does not suggest a press weight, but the weight I used was about 6kg.  The last one I did I probably used about the same weight.  So experiment and see what you get.

The option for the rice and barley rub is in the initial introduction to the cheese where it explains the traditional weight, size and finishes that this cheese has.  It doesn't go on then to offer any options.  So I would think that a 1/2 and 1/2 would be a good place to start.  Not sure if the meals are drying so much or smoothing.  I know when cake icing, you use corn flour as a rub over the icing to smooth and dry, so assuming this would have a similar effect.

Yes the white mould is the penicillium one, and it is added to the brine mixture.  I have made it this way before and I achieved an all over even coverage after about a week.

HTH

[Cheese Head]

Thanks . . . no excuse now for making it, just need time . . .

[Tea]

Cheese Head, I'm a mum of 8 and homeschooling 5, if I can find the time you can too.   

[Cheese Head]

Wow, you are right, I have no excuse, I am impressed .

OK this weekend, Friday is July 4th National Holiday here, so Saturday morning will be a little rough . . .

[reg]

"Cheese Head, I'm a mum of 8 and homeschooling 5, if I can find the time you can too."

Tea you are awsome !!! good for you

reg   

[Tea]

Sheesh, only awesome, what's a woman got to do?   

[marianstock]

just a little more clarity on the caerphilly please as I am planning to make it next weekend.
1.  what size hoop did you use for 10 litres of milk?
2.  after brining overnight.. next day rubbing with the rice flour & barley mix.. then how often do we do the rubbing.. do you mean several times a day for several weeks? and then leaving to mature ?  look forward to your reply.

[marianstock]

just another query on the rind for the caerphilly.  are we suppose to do the white mould rind and flour rub at the same time... or... so we have to choose between the while mould rind OR the flour rub

[Tea]

Hi Marian I used an 8 inch hoop, and the cheese was around 2 inches thick.  Personally I would have preferred about a 6-7 inch hoop, but I don't have one.

The recipe didn't ellaborate as to how often to apply the rub, etc.  I have brined this cheese, put it in a port bath, and also accidently got some white mould on it, and waxed it.  All give a different flavour, but my favourite was to just brine and age for a couple of months.  HTH