My first manchego

[Queixo]

Not the best looking cheese, but very tasty 
Made with raw cow's milk, with no lipase added. I have a question about lipase: Isn't it naturally present in raw milk? Why is it then that many manchego recipes call for it?
My manchego is surprisingly "manchegish" despite the lack of lipase.

[Jaspar]

If I understand correctly, lipase is present in raw milk. When milk is pasteurized the enzyme is destroyed.

[Tomer1]

Its usually done with raw sheep's milk which present alot more lipase then raw cow's milk.

[Boofer]

Nice pic. Good-looking cheese. Glad it tastes good.

-Boofer-

[Queixo]

Its usually done with raw sheep's milk which present alot more lipase then raw cow's milk.

Thanks, that makes sense 

Nice pic. Good-looking cheese. Glad it tastes good.

Thanks, Boofer 
It would not be an edible cheese without all the knowledge you and others share in this forum.

[Dukesterct]

NIce looking cheese.

Do you mind sharing your recipe?

Thanks

[Queixo]

NIce looking cheese.

Thanks, JoeD.

Do you mind sharing your recipe?

Sure, sorry for the delay. It's basically the recipe in this site: http://cheeseforum.org/articles/wiki-manchego-cheese-making-recipe/
Warm 8 liter raw cow's milk to 31C, add 80 gr kefir and 80 gr yoghurt, wait ten minutes. Add rennet and check for flocculation (mine was in 14'). Cut at floc x 3, and then stir with a whisk to cut the curds into rice-size pieces. From this point on, I closely followed the recipe I linked, the only difference was my brine was not saturated but 23%. As I used more or less twice the milk in the recipe, I got two wheels instead of one.
Past week I cut into the second wheel, which is now 3 months old:

[Dukesterct]

Again, nice looking cheeses...Thanks for sharing.

One of these days I'll try with fresh raw goat's milk.

Thank you.

[iratherfly]

Queixo - Very nice cheese! Would you add lipase to the next batch? do you feel it needs it?  these spanish cheeses are usually born out of goats and sheeps milk, both are so rich in lipase. Sheep's manchego has twice the fat of cow's so I can only assume that adding pinch of lipase and a bit of cream will give you something much closer to the sheep's version.

the only difference was my brine was not saturated but 23%. As I used more or less twice the milk in the recipe, I got two wheels instead of one.

By the way, 23% is VERY saturated!  (water cannot contain more than 26% salt. Any additional salt will remain solid and not dissolve).  When your wheel of cheese is larger, adjust the time it stays in the brine, not the salt level. Rule of thumb: 3-4 hours per side, per each lb of weight of the wheel. (not the total volume of all wheels but just the size of the wheel. In other words, 9 wheels of 1 Lb will stay in for 3 hours per side so be done in 6 hours total. The same amount of cheese, if produced in 3 wheels of 3 Lbs each will have to stay in for 9 hours per side, totaling 18 hours). Use 18% brine in room temperature, or get a tougher rind with 20%-23% brine but it must be cool, at no more than 60F.  This practice makes your salting very predictable and easy to control.

[Queixo]

Queixo - Very nice cheese!

Thank you 

Would you add lipase to the next batch? do you feel it needs it?  these spanish cheeses are usually born out of goats and sheeps milk, both are so rich in lipase. Sheep's manchego has twice the fat of cow's so I can only assume that adding pinch of lipase and a bit of cream will give you something much closer to the sheep's version.

It is true that sheeps milk have twice the fat of cow's, but it also have twice the protein, so I wonder if adding fat to cow's milk wouldn't turn a manchego too creamy? Anyway, I think I have found a supplier of sheep's milk, I will try that before trying lipase. Unfortunately, I don't have a cave (yet), and it's too hot now for cheesemaking. I'll have to wait till fall 

Thank you for the advice on brining, much appreciated.
Actually my brine was 20%, not 23%. I was writing from memory, but now I checked my notes. Sorry for the mistake.
Just one question: Why would you use a 18% brine at room temperature, but a 20%-23% brine at no more than 60F?
Thank you very much for your help.

[iratherfly]

Any time Queixo!
When the cheese cools down, butterfat becomes more stiff, lactic fermentation slows down and the osmosis (movement of salt by water based brine in and out of the cheese) slows down too. If you would bring it up to room temp (let's say 75F) then it would speed up and your cheese would become far saltier too faster.  So in room temp, I never use more than 18% salt in brine.

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

I've made one manchego, and it's still aging away.  I used calf lipase in my make, but haven't tasted it yet.  I'm just going to let this one age out quite some time as I have lots of other cheeses right now.  I've not used lipase very often (twice now; the manchego and a romano, both as of yet, untasted).  What I'm wondering is,  since you can buy calf lipase, sheep lipase, and kid lipase, does it make most sense to use sheep lipase in cow's milk if you're trying to reproduce a sheep's cheese and kid lipase if you're trying to emulate a goat's cheese, or, given the other differences in the milk, does the source of the lipase not really matter so much and it's more just a matter of strong/medium/mild? (and which is strong, medium, and mild anyway?) 

Thanks for any information on this.

- Jeff

[iratherfly]

It's still traditional to mix one type of lipase with another type of milk though you are correct about trying to keep the same animals and their milk together. The animals from which lipase is extracted are very young and usually are still on a mother's milk diet so it's not like you would take it from an adult cow or goat which gives you the milk.  Basically the lipase would do the same but they hve slight difference in strength and results.  I personally like Kid lipase the best but I must admit that in some recipes I take the quantity to half because it produces an undesirable flavor if there is too much of it.  I used it in the past with cow's milk and have gotten good results.