Author Topic: Feta - happy with outcome  (Read 3760 times)

Offline scasnerkay

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Feta - happy with outcome
« on: April 04, 2014, 04:23:54 AM »
Second time making feta with this recipe which is somewhat in-between the two styles in the Caldwell book. I felt like I did everything the same as the previous make, but the cheese weight was 3.5 oz more this time, and the texture is a bit more dense. I can't quite figure that out. However, I like this make and the outcome much better than when I first tried making feta!
One main difference is the large curd size, and the very gentle treatment when "stirring".

Feta # 8     Made 3-16-14
1 gallon non-homogenized, pasteurized whole milk
1/8 scant tsp MA4001
1/64 tsp mild lipase (in ¼ cup water)
1/4 tsp calcium chloride (in ¼ cup water)
0.6 ml calf rennet
Flocculation multiplier of 4
Saturated Brine
8 percent whey brine

Targets:
Ripen 90 degrees – actual 91 to 90
Cook /gently stir at 90 degrees – actual 88 to 83
Brine at 4.6 – 4.8

12:50  To temperature at 91 degrees and removed from any heat.  Starter and sprinkled on and rehydrated for 5 minutes. Starter stirred into milk and covered to keep warm for one hour.
2:00  Temp 88 warmed to 90 degrees. Lipase and calcium chloride stirred in, then waiting 5 mins.
2:06  Stirred in rennet. Flocculation 12.5 mins. Using multiplier of 4, clean break at 50 mins.
2:55  Cut into vertical columns about 1.5 to 2 inches, and let rest 10 mins.
3:05  Used spoon to gently cut horizontally about 2 inches. Then gently started moving curds with a gloved hand. Moved curds intermittently for 20 mins. Whey pH at 6.5 and temp down to 83 degrees.
3:35  Draining curd by gently scooping into cheesecloth bag.  Left to hang for about one hour. Whey was reserved for later use as brine.
4:30 Turned over into basket mold, no cheesecloth. Whey ph 6.1
5:30  Flipped cheese and tested whey pH at 6.0
6:40  Flipped cheese and tested at 5.7 pH.
7:40  Flipped and whey pH 5.3
8:40 Flipped and whey pH 5.2
10:00 Flipped and whey pH 5.1, deciding to leave cheese on the counter until morning.
6:00 AM next day….   Now at whey pH of 4.9. Placed cheese covered in the cave to come to temp with brine.
2:00 PM  Into the brine for 8 hours… salt on top.
10:00 PM  Out of the brine, weighing in at 1 # 7 oz  (23 oz-- prior make 19.5 oz).  The cheese was put into cave on mat to dry for 2 days. (Whoops, 3 days)
3-20-14  Into 8 percent brine made from the reserved whey and into standard frig.
4-3-14  Tasty though a bit salty for eating straight! Nice soft crumbly texture,  but still slice-able.
Susan

Offline H-K-J

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Re: Feta - happy with outcome
« Reply #1 on: April 04, 2014, 02:04:25 PM »
Sounds like it went very well for you on this one :)
I have only made feta once (still have a few pieces left, soooooo goooood  :P)
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Mermaid

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Re: Feta - happy with outcome
« Reply #2 on: October 22, 2015, 02:13:08 PM »
About the whey brine:
I have never made the storage brine using the whey. Yesterday I made feta and reserved whey in buckets with lids in the cheese room overnight.
The feta was pasteurized.
How much whey goes into the storage brine? Or am I just mixing 8% salt into the whey?
Thank you

Offline scasnerkay

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Re: Feta - happy with outcome
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2015, 06:25:43 PM »
I used straight whey, adding the appropriate amount of salt. Works out well with no need to modify the pH or add calcium...
Susan

Mermaid

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Re: Feta - happy with outcome
« Reply #4 on: October 24, 2015, 04:25:52 PM »
Thanks for your quick reply. So I was trying to match the pH of the brine to the pH of the cheese at the time of brining. The whey I set aside overnight was 4.2 while the cheese was 4.89. Does this discrepancy matter ?

Offline scasnerkay

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Re: Feta - happy with outcome
« Reply #5 on: October 24, 2015, 06:10:35 PM »
I do not think so. Usually I put the whey into the frig when the cheese is in the form, because it may be 3 days before I use it. When the pH is correct for the cheese, I soak it in saturated brine for the indicated time period. Next, I let the salt move into the paste, with the cheese dry on the shelf in the cave for about 2 days. Then I cut the cheese into quarters, and put it in the light brine made from the whey, and into the house fridge.
Susan

Mermaid

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Re: Feta - happy with outcome
« Reply #6 on: October 25, 2015, 06:08:48 PM »
Wow! That's a lot of work. Thanks for all the tips. I work in larger quantities (50 gallon batches) and I have more milk than I have time/space. I've been experimenting with skipping the saturated brine step and so far so good.
AC4U!

Stinky

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Re: Feta - happy with outcome
« Reply #7 on: October 25, 2015, 10:27:02 PM »
Is yours crumbly like storebought stuff?

Mermaid

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Re: Feta - happy with outcome
« Reply #8 on: October 25, 2015, 11:47:45 PM »
No it's creamier than store-bought although it def. crumbles some. I use whole jersey cow milk. My customers prefer it creamy over dryer for some reason. I dislike the feta but I'm not the boss ;)
Just trying to improve it and make it more efficient