Author Topic: Munajuusto (Finnish Egg Cheese) Cheese Making - John's Cheese #047  (Read 9262 times)

Zoey

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Re: Munajuusto (Finnish Egg Cheese) Cheese Making - John's Cheese #047
« Reply #15 on: September 03, 2009, 06:33:18 AM »

Oh and by the way, I love your idea about the cheese sandwitch. It looks and sounds delicious. :)

Maybe I'll make a few round ones like yours just to be able to try that.

Besides, I love the cheese-bread ratio!

riha

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Re: Munajuusto (Finnish Egg Cheese) Cheese Making - John's Cheese #047
« Reply #16 on: September 03, 2009, 09:54:50 PM »
John, didn't even notice you had typed thermophilic   :)

When making cheeses that use buttermilk or yogurt as coagulant, the recipe has always said to boil it or to keep it almost boiling. Is the mesophilic temperature too low for curd forming without rennet? You can mix milk and yogurt when they're both cold, without coagulation.

Damn, there's so much to try. I am currently trying to get my curds to knit together better, since I'd like mine a bit less crumbly. At least experimenting is fun and tasty.

Cheese Head

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Re: Munajuusto (Finnish Egg Cheese) Cheese Making - John's Cheese #047
« Reply #17 on: September 04, 2009, 02:16:54 AM »
Starter cultures are cultures that are added to the milk at the start of the cheese making process, they have several jobs but the most important one for non-renneted cheeses is to produce acid which when high enough level (or pH is low enough) will curdle the milk, helping to release the whey and thereby concentrate the remaining milk components.

Starter cultures are normally broken into two camps, meso (low temp) and thermo (high temp). But here in this cheese, as milk is at boiling temp, neither will survive and thus buttermilk adds flavour, no culture. Why the milk coagulates and breaks out whey so rapidly must be a function of something else, obviously combination of heat and buttermilk do it, I just don't know what the mechanism is . . .

riha

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Re: Munajuusto (Finnish Egg Cheese) Cheese Making - John's Cheese #047
« Reply #18 on: September 04, 2009, 07:37:09 AM »
I am assuming that buttermilk coagulates the milk simply since it's sour, just like when adding vinegar. In this recipe the amount of buttermilk is hugely larger than the amount of starter culture would be. Using one quarter buttermilk produces end result that has low enough pH for milk to coagulate. I was just wondering will it do that at lower temps as well, or does it need to be almost boiling.

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Munajuusto (Finnish Egg Cheese) Cheese Making - John's Cheese #047
« Reply #19 on: December 20, 2009, 06:09:09 AM »
I found another Munajuusto recipe that s very similar but has some interesting options I thought you might like to try.

Basic Munajuusto - Finland - (Egg Cheese or Buttermilk Cheese) Beatrice Ojakangas

http://www.beatrice-ojakangas.com/2008/08/two-finnish-cheeses_05.htm

This is a quick and easy way to make cheese. It does not require rennet. Use a Finnish handmade wooden cheese mold. Its carved design makes a beautiful, decorative cheese when unmolded. You will need cheesecloth to line the mold and a weight for the top. It needs to drain several hours or overnight.

3 quarts whole milk
1 tablespoon salt
1 quart buttermilk
3 eggs

1. Pour milk into a large kettle and heat slowly to a boil. Stir in sald. Keep stirring continuously to keep the milk from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

2. Mix the buttermilk, eggs and stir into the hot milk. Bring mixture back to a boil to separate the cheese curds. Remove from heat, cover, and let cool to room temperature.

3. Line a sieve with damp cheesecloth and transfer the cheese curds into it using a slotted spoon. Turn into a bowl and mix in the salt.

4. Line a wooden mold, or a colander with cheesecloth. Turn cheese mixture into the mold. Fold cheesecloth over the top and place a weight on top (about 1-2 pounds of butter will work). Chill as it drains, several hours or overnight.

5. Invert onto a serving dish and serve surrounded with berries, if desired.

Or, Place on clean straw and bake in a 500 degree oven until golden brown crust develops.

Garlic and Herb Munajuusto: Add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, 5 minced cloves garlic, pinch of tarragon, pinch of oregano and pinch of thyme to the milk. (step 1)
Add the juice of 2 lemons (abut 1/3 cup) to the buttermilk mixture (step 2) and proceed as directed above.