My 3rd Butterkase

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

Having enjoyed my last Butterkase so much, I wanted to see if I could do it again.  So, of course, I made some changes! :)  Not many, though.  I just shifted the addition of the CaCl to just before adding the rennet.  Also, my rennet got ahead of me and I ended up with 0.7 ml.  I've found that "floc's too quick" and have settled on 0.6 as the right amount for my makes.  Anyway, I also put a mix of meso cultures this time, meaning one ice cube of Fora Danica and one of Cultured Buttermilk starter.  I think my thermo ice cube was a bit on the small side and I should have grabbed a second. 

Anyway, the make seemed to go fairly well.  The curds were good, though I cut some a bit fine.  I got the impression that this one may have retained more fluid than usual, but the final weight after brining was 1422g, with a density of 1.15 g/cm3, so I think it's ok.  My last one was 1.25 kg, so this is a bit heavier, which could be some additional fluid, but the last time I used a plastic screen to hold back the curds to help get at the whey for draining.  A fair amount of curds stuck to the screen, which would have reduced the yield.  Anyway, here are my make notes.  This one takes a few months to age, and I'm hoping to take this one out to the end of November, so we'll see how that goes.

- Jeff

Butterkase (mine): Saturday, Oct 1st, 2001 (overcast, med. Pressure; cool < 18 C)
10L homebrand standard milk
½  tsp CaCl (30% solution)
0.7 ml microbial rennet IMCU 750
1 ice cubes Flora Danica, 1 ice cube buttermilk (meso) 1.5  ice cube ST B01 (Thermo)
Start time: 12:30

1)   Warm to 35 C ( hit 35 at 1:00; continued to climb to 36.2)
2)   Add 2 ice cubes Meso (1 FD & 1 BMlk) and 1 ice cube thermo (1:00)
3)   Ripen 40 minutes (target time 1:40 actual time 1:40; Temp:  35.8 (temp crept up in sink)
4)   Raise temperature to 40 C (reached at 1:48 actual temp: 40.0) (1 kettle boiling to sink around 40 C works well)
5)   Add ½ tsp CaCl (1:52)
6)   Add 0.7 ml rennet (1:52) (0.7 ml by mistake; I usually use 0.6)
7)   Floc time = 9m 30s  3.5 * floc = 33m 15s min until cut (Floc is a bit short, and probably was 9 min)
8)   Cut at 2:25:15 into 3 cm cubes wait 5 min (start 2:27) then cut into 1 cm cubes (curd not as soft as first make)
9)   Curds settle 5 minutes (start 2:37min), then remove approx 3 1/3 litres of whey (1/3 orig. volume of milk)
10)   add 60 C water until you reach 42 C
11)   stir 45 minutes (start time: 3:07 – until 3:52)
12)   drain and move to mold
13)   press lightly (10 kg; 0.71 PSI) 6 hours (start time: 4:00 – pressed in pot in sink of 40 C water 15 min)
14)   flipped/redress at 4:30 ; upped weight to 15 kg/1.08 psi at 5:00 (seems to have retained fluid).
15)   flipped/redress 6:20 and decreased weight to 10 kg 0.71 psi (it’s looking about right now)
16)   Finish Press Time 10:00 
17)   20 minutes water (10:00-10:15; bit short)
18)   Brine (saturated 8 hours ) 10:15-6:00 am) weight after brine: 1422g.  Density 1.15 g/cm3

This one is about 200g heavier than the 2nd make.  Probably due to using the cross-stitch screen to help hold curds back while draining whey with the 2nd.  A lot of curds stuck to it that time.  Or, this make has retained more fluids.

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

Just been air drying this.  It's another moist one, and I've found that Butterkase can take some time to dry out.  Anyway, not sure if it shows up in this photo very well, but there is some pinkish/reddish colouration developing.  I've had wild b-linens develope before, but they seemed more orangish.  Will keep an eye on this and see what happens.  I think it's due in part to having it sit on the cross-stich mat because it was on the bottom after flipping where I found this.  The grid was retaining moisture.  I've moved it off onto just a set of chopsticks to get better circulation around the cheese.  Still very damp to the touch.

- Jeff

[Boofer]

Nice knit. So what's the flavor & texture like in your Butterkase?

I tried a commercial version recently and liked it a lot.

Thanks for detailing your make. I may use it down the road as a guidepost.

-Boofer-

[JeffHamm]

Hi Boofer,

The first one I made retained a lot of fluid (i.e. was 1.8 kg from 9L of milk + 1 L cream).  It ended up with quite a sharp flavour.  The 2nd was made from just 10 L milk, and it turned out mild flavour, but not bland.  Buttery and similar to gouda.  It had very good texture as well.  I'm hoping I can replicate that one this time.  It seems to have more fluid that the 2nd but less than the first though.  I'm thinking I should have increased the pressing weights.  We'll see.

- Jeff

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

Definately getting a red smear developing on one side.  This is a tricky one, it seems, as it can retain a lot of moisture.  This could produce a tang or sharpness to the final result that is not a characteristic of Butterkase (which should be mild and clean tasting).  It may turn out that way, and the red smear might go well, so we'll see.

- Jeff

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

Well, it looks like my 3rd Butterkase is developing in a 3rd way!  It was developing some b.linens type activity, which became very pronounced on one side.  At first I thought I would try and remove this so I salted and brushed it.  Then, the next day, I decided that I would try to develop it rather than defeat it.  I left it to just develop on it's own, but it really was only on one side and it wasn't intensifying after my attack on it (well, not intensifying very much).  So, for the past week or so I've been light brine washing it every other day, and trying to bring it around to both sides.  This is starting to get it to spread, and the other side is colouring up.  The Photo below shows the more intense side, which probably doens't look hugely covered since there's nothing to compare with as it's a nice even coverage.  Anyway, it has a definate aroma, but not too strong.  Both sides have a give to them, so the cheese is softening a bit underneath, but there's no fear of a finger breaking through to the other side or anything like that. 

As I've indicated, this cheese seems to be the most challanging for me to get consistent.  I've made it 3 times and this will be (effectively) a 3rd different cheese.  Still, the first two were very tasty, and I'm hoping this one will be too.  It seems promising.  I figure it will be ready in about a month or so.  Will leave a report, for good or for ill.

- Jeff

P.S.  The flash lightens up the front a bit, but basically, it's a fairly even coverage of golden/reddish smear.  The surface, when I wipe with 3-5% brine, "mucks up" a bit as the smear spreads around nicely. 

[pliezar (Ian)]

It looks really good Jeff.  It will be interesting to see how the flavour will be effected by the linens and your differences in the make.  Has it lost a lot of weight during your drying process? I know you had indicated that this one was heavier out of the press.

[JeffHamm]

Hi Ian,

I haven't weighed it yet, but was planning to so will let you know about any weight loss.  This one was a bit heavier than my 2nd make, but much lighter than my 1st (which was a monstrous 1.8 kg, excess moisture).  I think it will turn out to be a tasty cheese, and different from the other two.  The tweaks to the make procedures have been minor, but it's very sensitive to the implimentation of those procedures.  I haven't pressed under whey with these, and I bet that would go a long way towards creating consistancy.  Next time I make this, and there will be a next time, I will try and remember to do that.

- Jeff

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

Ok, it's down to 1128g, so it's lost 294g since comming out of the brine.  It's only been 4 weeks since make day, so it's only 28 days old.  The 2nd one, at 61 days, had lost 324g and was down around 930g (which is when I cut it).  I would expect the rate of moisture loss to slow down, so we could be on a similar tragectory.  Hmmm, I should take regular weighings to determine the weight loss profile.  Anyway, the b.linens are now starting to show up more intensly on the other side.  I figure I'll wash it for another week or maybe two, and then it should be fine to be left alone. 

- Jeff

[JeffHamm]

Hmmm,

This one has just developed a fairly large split along one face (the one I was trying to get the b.linens to spread to, which they have).  It's not too dry in the box, since if anything, this is the most humid of all my ripening containers and I've never had a problem with splitting before.  It does appear that the cheese has swollen a bit though?  I've not had problems with contamination before, apart from wild molds and b.linens developing on the outer surface, but could the regular washings with brine cause the cheese to swell?  It's only 30 days old, so I'm hesitant to cut into it to see what the internals are like.

Any ideas?  This is a new one for me.

- Jeff

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

Well, here's the cheese with the crack.  It hasn't split the whole cheese in two, but it's like the "skin" has split.  I'm presuming gass buildup or something internal has happened and the b.linens have perhaps tightened the rind overly so?  Anyway, I'm about to cut it as it's getting worse, rather than better, despite having tried to bind it and increase the cave humidity a bit.

- Jeff

[fied]

What was your humidity profile, Jeff? It needs to be around 85%. It doesn't look like a gas blow-out to me; more like it was over dry.

When that happens to my hard and semi-hard types after about three weeks, I usually bind them and fill the cracks with salted butter. The butter, after a few weeks gets to be cheese-like.

You can eat BK at around 4 weeks, so all's not lost.

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

Well, I've cut into it and nothing nasty oozed out or exploded into the room, so it doesn't appear to have been posessed.  I've had a small taste, and there are no "off" flavours.  It's a very moist cheese, and the flavour is clean.  It doesn' t have the sharpness of the first time I made this, and I suspect if it had had time to age longer it would have developed a much more pronounced and complex flavour profile.  Right now, it's just a simple tasting, moist cheese.  I think, from what I've read, this is what Butterkase is sort of like.  Mild and moist, good in sandwhiches type thing.

Ok, I admit it.  I paniced!

- Jeff

[JeffHamm]

Hi fied,

That's what I think it looks like too, but I've never had any cheese crack on me before.  And, as I'm wiping down the walls of the container each morning and evening (condensation) I don't think it's too dry.  Although I don't have a humidity measuring thing, but this was also in the container where I kept the lid closed while all the others are cracked open to reduce the humidity in them!  so this is the moistest, and none have cracked before.  However, this is also a very moist cheese, and perhaps the rind dried out faster than the internals, resulting in the split.  That's my current thoughts, but I've been known to be wrong before!

- Jeff

[fied]

It looks good, though. You can always re-cave some and wait for more flavour to develop.