This was initiated in the following thread:
http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,2200.135/topicseen.htmlAh, my Baby Swiss adventure begins....
4 gallons of whole milk, 6.93pH @ 51F.
Heated milk to 90F.
7:00AM: Added 1/4tsp Aroma B and 1/8tsp Propionic along with 1tsp CACL2 in 1/4cup distilled water.
7:45AM: 6.85pH @ 85F. Still too low. Looking for 6.45pH.
8:15AM: 6.67pH @ 90F. Still too low, calibrated meter to 4.0 & 7.0.
9:15AM: 6.68pH @ 90.6F. Approaching desperation, added 1/8tsp Flora Danica to try to breathe some life into it.
10:15AM: 6.65pH @ 90.2F.
11:15AM: 6.55pH @ 90F. Arrrgh!! Decided to add rennet even though I'm not close to my target, 6.45pH.
11:19AM: Flocculation in 5 min. I had rehydrated 1/2 tablet of rennet in anticipation of being ready at 7:45AM.
11:38AM: Time to cut the curds.
12:15PM: 6.48pH @ 84.3F. Draining whey, stirring, adding 140F water to 1/3 original volume.
12:45PM: 6.44pH @ 100F. Wow, finally I see my renneting point almost 6hrs later. Kinda late.
Cooked and stirred curds at 105F for 40min.
Drained whey and prepressed curds.
Packed curds into 7-3/8in mould and pressed under warmed whey with 10lbs for 30min.
Flipped wheel and pressed under whey with 35lbs for 30min.
Flipped wheel, drained whey, removed cheesecloth, and pressed with 50lbs in warmed pot for 19 hours (maybe a little excessive).
Removed wheel. Cut off some of the nubbins from the curds squeezing through the mould holes.
Into the whey-brine for 7 hrs. Salted the top of the wheel.
Sampled one of the nubbins on the mould: 5.21pH @ 64F (though the temp would not be accurate).
Sampled the whey in the pot: 4.81pH @ 69.5F (again, temp not true).
Flipped wheel after 3-1/2 hrs. Resalted top.
Removed from whey-brine to air-dry for a week in the cave at 55F.
So it remains a mystery to me why the acidity didn't come up as expected.
It makes me want to try again to see if the cultures are indeed viable. I had just bought them from Dairy Connection.
The other alternative is to make the same recipe using some of my older but similar cultures.
-Boofer-