I am not sure if this is the right place.
My Son loves to eat Mini Baby Bel's, but at about $8 for a bag of 6, it could be a bit costly to keep him in cheese. So I figured I could try and make some my self, or something like them at least. I tried a couple of weeks ago, using a mixture of 3.25% p/H milk and some goat milk. Well they were round and puck like and he would not eat them. On Sunday I decided to try again.
Here is what I used
4 Litres of 3.25% p/h milk
1 tbsp of homemade cultured sour cream as the starter made the day before
1/4 tsp calcl2 in 1/4 cup water
1/8 tsp calf rennet in 1/4 cup water
1 tbsp of pickling salt.
I heated the milk on direct heat (med low) until it reached 34F, then I added the sour cream. It took about 15 mins to get to temperature and it was a bit of work to get the sour cream incorporated. I then let it sit with the lid on the pot for 30 min checking to make sure the temperature did not drop too much. After that I added the CaCL2 and mixed, then the rennet. I decided not to use the flock method on this time as I was not sure what to use. after 45 mins I had a clean break, so I cut the curd into about 1/2 inch cubes and let them rest for about 10 mins. I then turned up the heat a bit to bring the temp up to about 38 F, this took me about another 20 mins. It only stirred a few times, as the last time I stirred too much, hence the pucks. When It reached temperature, I let it rest for another 20 mins then I drained and salted the curd directly.
Off to the side I had 20 Dixie cups with holes puncture throughout the bottoms and the sides, using them as molds. I tired to fill them evenly, I then placed them on a draining mat, and put empty Dixie cups on top of the molds. I then placed a cutting board on top of the cups, and then placed a full tea kettle on top of the board. After 20 mins I flipped the cheese in the molds, replaced the cups and the board, but then placed a Milk jug full of water on top and pressed for another 3 hours. (I am kicking my self for not taking pictures of the pressing) After pressing I threw away the cups and air dried the cheeses for 24 hours as they were very dry to the touch. I have them in a container in my fridge, they still give off a little moisture, but they are quite good. Next time I think they may go in the cave for week or two. They are a bit crumbly on the outer edges, but soft yet have some chew to them too. They are moist and they are developing a bit of a mild tang to them.
My son calls them "Dino Bites" and now takes them in his lunch. I do too.
Here are some pictures of them. I made 20, but as you can see in the pictures there are not 20 left