My second Gouda

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

About 4 weeks ago I made gouda for the second time.  It's now 4 weeks old, which is still a bit young.  However, as I'm aging my first one for 9 months (and it's now 5 months into that) I realised I should make another just so I could taste it! 

Here are my make notes:
Gouda
May 7th, 2011

Indoor Temp 21 C, overcast, Barometer: Low press
10 litres standard home brand

Warm to 32 C
11:30      : added 4 ice cube mesophilic starter (pre-melted)
      : added ½ tsp Calcium Chloride (30% solution)
      : stirred top to bottom 1 minute (placed in sink of water at 35ish C)
Let stand 10 min.
11:40      : Temp is 32.5 C  added 0.6 ml Rennet (in water)
      : floc time = 15.0 min use 3x, so cut at 12:25
12:26      : cut curds into 1 cm cubes (finished cut at 12:29)
12:29      : let stand for 10 minutes – temp 32.5 C – Whey is slightly cloudy
12:39      : drained ~ 2 litres of Whey
12:56      : added 80 C water until temp ~33.6 C
      : let rest 10 minutes
 1:06      : drained to level of curds
      : added 55 C water to reach temp of 37 C
      : gently stirred to keep curds separate
 1:17      : finished adding water, now resting for 30 minutes
 1:47      : drained the rest of the whey
      : transferred curds to the mold
1:55      : started 10kg press in pot (20 min press)
2:29      : re-dressed the cheese, flipped it, and started 20 kg press (20 min press)
2:56      : flip and redress started 20 kg press overnight

May 8th, 2011
  7:15 am   : put cheese in saturated brine solution (2 lbs salt, 4 litres water) 12 hours (1486g)
12:00 pm    : flipped cheese
  6:35 pm   : removed cheese from brine (1442g)
      : patted dry with paper towel
Air dry
Measured cheese:  1442g
Sat. May 14, 2011: still air drying.  Developing reddish brown tint, similar to the Butterkase.
Friday, June 3, 2011: cut into this.  A bit tangy, and the rind is quite salty (probably due to brine washes to keep mold down).  Rind has stronger flavour than interior, more mushroom like (wild b. Linens I think) Lots of mechanical holes.  Definitely did not knit well internally (odd).  Does not melt well, though goes stretchy.  If left out to warm up, internal paste does taste much milder. Not  really a gouda taste though. 
Suggestions: Drain more whey for first washing.  And maybe do 3 washes, rather than just 2.
Reduce starter amount? 

[pliezar (Ian)]

Jeff,

This looks like a nice cheese.  As for the flavour, I have had some milder Gouda's lately too.  I was wondering if it possibly was the milk.  I have always done 3 washes on mine, and still get a mild flavor the only one that turned out very flavorful was the one I did with goat milk.  Still it looks good

Ian

[JeffHamm]

Hi Ian,

I've found if I trim off the rind, the flavour is mild, with a bit of sharpness to it.  The rind does add a strong mushroom flavour (relatively strong, on a sharper cheese it would be quite subtle - ahhh relativity in cheese).  It's very creamy in texture, but crumbles due to the poor knit.  Still, it's good.  I've not tried pressing under whey though, as up until now I've generally had better knits.  Perhaps the next time.

- Jeff

[gemma.tyson]

Have just made my first gouda.  Only used eight litres and two washes.  Started to run out of time, and my eyes were saying sleep.  Hope it turns out as well as yours

[smilingcalico]

Hey Jeff,
  Gouda really needs two months to develop good flavor.  You could. Even eat after a month, but 2 or longer is best.  It does appear that yours is a little crumbly, which makes me think it over acidified, probably before the wash.  How strong are you culture ice cubes?  I use DVI cultures so I can be more accurate with culturing.  I also only do one wash, removing a third of the whey and replacing it slowly with hot water as the curds are being stirred the whole time.  I hope that the comparison may help you see what you might like to adjust so you can develop the cheese you want.

[JeffHamm]

Thanks for the ideas Smilingcalico.

My ice cubes are made by putting about 1/8 tsp of dried culture into a box of ultra pasturised skim milk.  This is left to "grow" for 24 hours (meso: flora danica, is left on the kitchen counter at room temp, thermo: ST B01, is left in the hot water cupboard).  Then I just pour it into sterile ice cube trays, freeze it, then bag the ice cubes.  I think I used 4 ice cubes (roughly 1 oz each) of Flora Danica in 10 L of milk. However, I have no idea of how strong this would make my ice cubes.  I don't then create a further generation after this, but rather when I run out I then make a new set of cubes from the original store bought culture.

I think the crumbly look is due more to a poor knit though, as the cheese paste is very creamy in mouth feel, and it's only crumbly near the centre.  Near the rind, where the pressing seems to have worked better, it had the texture I would have expected.  However, I might cut back to 2 ice cubes as before I used to only use 1.  I had noticed, however, that most directions called for 4oz of prepared starter, so I took this to be 4 of my ice cubes.

Anyway, for my next gouda I'll probably work on my pressing, and age it longer.  I'll probably cut the culture down to 2 cubes, and I think for my wash I need to remove more whey on the first wash, more like 3 or 4 litres from a 10 L make then the 2 I did this time. 

Thanks for the ideas as they give me somethings to focus on.  I've got another gouda still aging that I made at the end of last Dec, and I'm not opening it until late August (when our new baby is born).  That should be about 8 months, so I'm hoping it's turned out really well.  Will see!

- Jeff

[smilingcalico]

Congratulations! Babies are a lot of fun, even when at first they only lie around and poop.  It's 3 am as i write this, cuz babies cry at late hours.  Gouda only gets better as it ages.  Oh, I forgot to ask what conditions you age under.

[JeffHamm]

Yes, babies are fun.  This will be our second, so it's a return to the sleep deprevation chamber!  But, I suppose this means I could start making cheese any time of day and not really worry about having to go to sleep before it's done.

My first gouda has been waxed.  I changed the wax a little while ago as there was some mold in spots underneath.  I also have a manchego which is waxed.  My other cheeses are just natural rind.  I now have a wine fridge that keeps the temp at 11 C, and the cheeses are in boxes that keep the humidity up.  I prop the edges open, and it's a matter of trial and error to get the humidity right.  Since I don't have a hygrometer, I have to base it on cracks and mold action! 

- Jeff

[smilingcalico]

Yeah, waxing might be your better option to avoid too low of humidity.  I'm curious to try linseed (flax) oil.  It polymerizes naturally. 

[JeffHamm]

Linseed oil could be interesting.  Let me know how it goes if you try.  My problem is more one of high humidity rather than low (unless I over correct and just leave the top off the boxes!)  It's a matter of trying to find the right about of "ajarness" for the lids.  Also, I think I need to air dry a day or two longer to really ensure the outside is dry.  Getting there though.

- Jeff

[smilingcalico]

I was under the impression that if you waxed, humidity wasn't an issue. However if the cheese wasn't dry enough before waxing, then you can have the mold issue you mentioned. 

[JeffHamm]

I think you're correct, that humidity isn't a problem if you wax.  I think the gouda got mold because of some pin holes in the wax seal.  The manchengo is still looking great underneath.  I was probably a bit lucky though, as I've since learned it is best to wait a month before waxing, to ensure the cheese has dried out enough and there aren't whey problems inside the wax seal.

I was waxing because I originally was having to keep the cheeses in a chilly bin (ice box), using jugs of frozen water to keep it cool.  The humidity was all over the place, so waxing seemed the safest bet.  Now, with the wine cooler fridge as a cave, it's more controled so I've been going waxless.  Seems to be working out ok, but we'll see.  I have some that will age for quite a while, and if they end up drying out too much, I may go back to waxing.

- Jeff