First post. :) Gouda Question. Milling Gouda curds???

[sandersonimages]

Thanks for your help! This Forum has really been helpful to me.

Question: I made a 5lb Gouda yesterday and got hung-up on the wording of a recipe. In Ricki Carrols recipe from her book it says, "Quickly place warm curds in mold, breaking them as little as possible". Which I took to mean; "Break the curd into very small pieces", but after reading it a dozen times I am beginning to think she meant, "Quickly Place curds into mold with minimal breakage".

Reading comprehension is apparently not my strong suit.

Anyway, I am brining a Gouda in which the curds have been milled quite small. It pressed into a somewhat sturdy round shape that I do not expect to deform much.  I was expecting a more wobbly cheese out of the press (200lbs final pressing w/8" follower). I have made Colby before and it was rather wobbly after pressing but hardened well during drying and waxing.
I'm guessing I removed way too much moisture and in 60 days I will have a hard cheddar-like cheese.

So what kind of cheese did I make? When should I try it? Should I brine it longer with the tighter curd?

I would love to hear your thoughts.

[Tomer1]

You will need much more then 60 days for a low moisture gouda.
Maybe its a good candidate for a reserved gouda

[sandersonimages]

You will need much more then 60 days for a low moisture gouda.
Maybe its a good candidate for a reserved gouda

So you are saying it WILL have moisture even though I milled the curds and the cheese appears rather dense after pressing?

Sorry, I don't have enough experience to know what to expect from my mistake.

Thanks!

[H-K-J]

hey Sanders you want to see a mistake this one blew up in the brine
my first one of this make and I won't know for at least 3 or 4 months if I saved it 
I think we all have them

[anutcanfly]

What type of milk did you use and how much?  The more info you give, the easier it is for others to help you problem solve.  With a Gouda you can expect one pound of cheese per gallon milk.  Some types of milk will give a higher or lower yield.  A low moisture cheese will need more time aging then a higher moisture cheese to develop a good flavor, either way you will likely have a tasty cheese. 

[dthelmers]

Your flocculation multiplier and curd cut size are going to have more effect on your moisture content then how small you broke up your curd when molding, in my experience. Just age it out to a respectable age and you should be just fine.

[sandersonimages]

Thanks everyone. I'm still excited about this cheese.

I used 5 gallons very fresh bagged whole milk from a nearby farm it is Homogenized and pasteurized. I like it because it does not get transported anywhere, the farm and the store are the same thing. I did use a little calcium Chloride in the milk.

Other than that I used Choozit MA 16 culture. and Veggie Rennet. Closely following Ricki Carrols recipe.

The cheese in in a saturated Brine as we speak and holding up nicely.

[sandersonimages]

Ok so after sitting in Brine all day the Cheese is developing cracks around the sides of the wheel. any thoughts? Can I even age the cheese with cracks? You can see that my mold has lots of holes (steam tray), could the cheese have dried too much during pressing? how do i heal brine cracks?

[Caseus]

I don't know the answer, sanderson.  I don't think you can fix it.   I had cracks like that in a Pepper Jack I made recently, and I simply waxed it when it was dry.  In fact, my cracks were much worse than yours.  I'm not sure how it'll turn out, but I'm hoping for the best.    Pepper Jack #1, poor knit, fissures

[JeffHamm]

I recall fied suggestion to rub salted butter into it.  This will seal the crack, and eventually takes on "cheese like" characteristics. 

- Jeff

[george]

Or if you vacuum-bag it after it's air-dried, very good chance the cracks will heal themselves over the aging period.  That's worked fine for me on quite a number of cracked cheeses, including cheddar types.

Oh, and I'd wait at least 3 months before opening this dude - gouda's WAY better at 3 months than at 2.   

[DeejayDebi]

Sealing the crack is the main thing. Sometimes you can rub them with a bit more brine and they will seal themselves.

[MrsKK]

I made a Gouda last fall in which the curds shattered during the make...I forged ahead anyway, figuring that it would be chicken food that day if I gave up on it or perhaps in the future, but not necessarily.  It turned into a very good cheese with great texture and flavor.  It holds up well for fresh eating and for cooking, melting nicely. 

I'd seal that crack with butter or lard and give it a chance.  While aging, make sure you've got enough humidity in the cave.  I'm not familiar with Ricki Carroll's recipe - does it instruct you to put the wheel in a ripening container for a week or so?  The recipe I have from Debra Amrein-Boyes has that step and it seems to allow a thin leathery rind to develop that protects the cheese from getting over dry.