This is my first Caerphilly, also many other firsts for me: First time using the sink of warm water to heat, also first time using the flocc method. Thanks to who posted the excel sheets for cheese making tools, I have forgotten who you are, but brilliant work! Also using JeffHamms make notes, so see his original post for the reference for the original recipe!
Caerphilly (20/01/12 0945)
4L Un-homo Milk
4L UHT Milk
MO 030 Starter
½ tsp CaCl.
½ tablet vegetable rennet
2 tlbs salt
1) Warm to 32C add starter (1005 @ 33c ish) in sink of warm water (first time this method…)
2) Wait 30 min (target 1035 actual time 1035 )
3) add ¼ tsp CaCl in egg cup water (1036)
4) add rennet (1/2 tab, in water), stir (1040 temp 32c)
5) Floc time)… a long time! I cut at 1140 anyway. Curd soft but expected with UHT milk. Still firm enough to cut gently though.
6) Cut into 6mm cubes. (1140)
7) Rest 5 minutes to heal (1150 left 10 as curd soft)
Raise temp to 33 over 10 minute (filled sink with warm water)
9) Stir for 40 min with curds at 33c Swirled pot to stir initially, then @ 1200 I lifted curds from bottom of pot up, too hard to swirl now so will gently lift for a while then let rest. Temp 34c @ 1200. After 25 mins of tilting and swishing the curds are quite firm and I can stir gently with a spoon! Whoot!
10) drain after 5 minutes (temp is 34 C) 1235
11) drain in cheese cloth for 5 minutes to form curd cake (pressed with a plate and a large glass bowl full of water… 2kg maybe?)
12) cut into 1 inch slices, stacked (in the pot; in sink with warm water) 1250
13) Flipped stack every 5 minutes over 15 minutes
14) Milled into thumbnail size bits
15) Added 2 tbls of salt
16) Pressing in the sink balanced on 2 cups under 10ish kg (10 minutes; water in sink is 40ish)
17) Flip, salt, and re-dress
18) Press in the pot under 10ishKg (10 minutes)
19) Flip, salt, and re-dress
20) Press overnight under as much pressure as I can apply with my dodgey cheese press.
Unfortunatly i dont have any pix as my camera missbehaved and corrupted all of them.
Over all i was impressed with how it behaved being half un-homo and half long life milk. Its drying nicley and since no one told me otherwise i thought id rub salt into the outside. Dont know what that will do for it but thought id experiment anyway!
One question though. If i cut it at 2 weeks can i put half back in the cave and hope the cut surface dries out again so i can age the rest a bit longer?
