Realizing that a true Tomme may be crafted with skimmed milk, I decided to build in a little extra richness by using part skim and whole milk.
1 1/2 gallons Twin Brook Creamery 2% creamline milk
1 1/2 gallons Twin Brook Creamery whole creamline milk
1 gallon Cozy Vale Creamery whole raw milk
1/2 tsp MA4001 (LL,LC,LD,ST)
1/16 tsp LH
1/8 tsp PLA
1/32 tsp Mycodore
1/16 tsp LM057
1/2 tsp CACL
1/16 tsp dry calf rennet
Started this make 1/5/12:
Milk started out a tad bit high: pH 7.02 (milk was fresh: pulldate 1/21/12)
I wanted to try to shortcut a mother culture. Typically I have been just adding the dry cultures to the milk. This time I warmed a cup of milk and added the cultures to it. When it read pH 5.24, I added it to the kettle which was reading pH 6.98 @ 86F.
It still took almost 2 hours to reach pH 6.56 @ 86F, at which time I added the CACL and rennet, both dissolved in cold distilled water. Yes, 2012 will be the year I move to the
mother.
Floc was in 16 minutes. I used a 3x multiplier.
Cut, rested 10 min, whisked to hazelnut-size, rested 10 min.
Washed with 1 1/2 gal 130F water, while raising kettle heat so that curds were cooked to 103F over 30 min.
Placed curds into Plyban-lined mold and pressed down into corners of mold.
Pressed in kettle, under whey, for 30 minutes using .75 lb wrench and 2 pulleys => 22 lbs. Flipped, stripped Plyban, and pressed naked under whey for 30 min. Got nubbins showing. Flipped, rotated wheel so nubbins weren't lined up with holes and pressed for 30 min. Flipped, rotated wheel, and pressed with level & piston weight alone => 11 lbs for 8 more hours (next morning).
pH 5.22: Into brine (pH 4.84) for 13 hours, flipped at midpoint.
Out of brine, dried with paper towels, placed into minicave, rested and dried at room temp for 2 days.
Into white cave with lid cracked @ 54F.
Today marks 2 weeks since I started this, my 40th cheese. The rind is different than I've seen before, so far. Seems like each of these Tommes have behaved differently. I intend to concentrate on washing with simple 3% brine to hydrate the rind, develop the linens, geo, and mycodore. At this point, it appears that the geo and mycodore may be coming out. There is a fine white dusting that appears to be a little gritty. I will keep that minimized.
I just wanted to point out that there are two ways I know of when "pressing under whey":
- pressing down on the curds in the kettle with your hands or a flat weight while the warm whey still covers them.
- pressing the curds in the mold while it sits in warm whey.
I choose the latter method and have pictured it here.
With this make, I may have been a little too aggressive with the pressure while under whey...hence, the
candles on the cake, or nubbins.
-Boofer-
