First Lancashire make - Illustrated. Update #1 30 Day Taste Test

[Dulcelife]

So, thanks to JeffHamm and his fabulous looking Lancashire on a post here, I have made his make (more or less), my make of the week.  After completing the process I was pleased with the simplicity of the recipe although I still blew past the target temperature as is often the case with my custom digitized food warmer based cheese vat.  Not having to cook or wash the curds is really nice as there is one less variable to err on.  If this is a good tasting cheese similar to the one imported brand I tried, it will be an oft-repeated make to play and tweak.  Maybe, even arriving at a custom make.
3 gal raw whole Jersey .
1/8 Tsp MA4001 (wanted some thermo in there)  Kept dosing low for raw over active milk.
½ Tsp Calcium Chloride (per M. Morris: “too maintain cheese making consistency”)
¾ Tsp Single strength veal rennet.

June 2, 2012
10:32am: Inoculate 88F pH6.72 milk with MA4001 culture.
10:37am: Stir down 20 strokes ripen for 45 min.  Temperature 89F.
11:22am: Temperature 90F, pH6.66
11:24am: Stirred down rennet 20 strokes, hit timer and floated small cup.
11:35am: Milk flocced: 11 min. X 3.5 = 38.5 = curd cut time of 12:02pm.
12:02pm: Clean break!, start curd cut to ½ inch cubes.
12:06pm: Done cutting curds, let heal 10 min. Temperature 90F
12:16pm: Start gently stir for 10 min.
12:26pm: Let rest for 15min.  Temperature 90F
12:43pm: Drained curds into warmed muslin lined colander.
      This took a while to fit all the curds, let drain and consolidate them.
12:50pm: Place back into vat, flattened down manually, Temperature of curds: 88F.
01:05pm: Drained expulsed whey, flipped the wrapped cake and covered vat.
01:25pm: Drained whey, unwrapped, cut and stacked the cakes.  Covered Vat.
01:36pm: Flipped the cake and covered vat.
01:41pm: Commenced milling to approximately 1 ½ inch cubes.
01:45pm:  Tossed with 1 Tbs. cheese salt. (per M. Morris), and commenced molding.
01:52pm:  Began first light pressing (10% of 100lb.on spring press).
02:30pm:  Flipped, redressed and returned to press at 33lb (30% of 100lb. spring).
03:20pm: Final press at 50lb. (50% of 100lb. spring). pH6.28
 03:20 – 11:00pm:  Worked my way to 80-90 % of the fully compressed 100lb. spring as whey expulsion slowed.
5:30pm: pH6.17
June 03 2012
03:30am:  Unmolded and set to dry.  Whey pH5.19

[Boofer]

I like that Old World look with the cheese draining bag. Very classic. There's a video somewhere in here with an old woman in a cheesemaking chalet (I guess) wrapping her curds in a cloth, placing a board on top, and then a large stone on top of the board.

End product looks good.

-Boofer-

[JeffHamm]

Looks really good!  These are best young, around 2 to 2.5 months.  I don't vac bag or wax them, just air dry 3-5 days, and then just keep at 10 C and flip twice daily, keeping humidity at a level thta doesn't crack the rind. 

- Jeff

[Dulcelife]

Update:

June 04 2012
4:30pm:  A little clammy so I set them out at room temperature 77F to air out for a while.
   Weights are 1lb 9.7oz and 1lb 10.9oz = 3lb 4.6oz on day 2
June 05 2012
5:30am: Placed back in non humidified cave.
June 06 2012
5:55pm:  Nice and dry.  Nice rind has formed no mold yet.  Good smell.
   Weights are 1lb 8.6 oz and 1lb 9.6oz = 3lb 2.2oz on day 4
6:00pm: Place in ripening box in cave; 52F @ 85%rH.

[DeejayDebi]

Looking very nice now keep it going!

[Dulcelife]

June 16, 2012
5:40pm:  White mold forming.  Rubbed down with vinegar brine.
June 23, 2012
7:00pm:  Rubbed down with vinegar brine.

I continue to rub down with saturated vinegar brine to keep down the mold.

Really looking forward to this in a month or so.

[JeffHamm]

Hi Dulcelife,

I get the same thing.  I keep a nail brush in the cave and just brush the white mould down.  I think it's normal for these to develop a dry, almost sandpapery, rind.  (I get this on most of my cheeses unless I wax them).  It doesn't penetrate into the paste.

Oh, and to be fair, I got the make from MrsKK and I think she got it from Sailor?  It's been floating around on the boards for awhile.

- Jeff

[Boofer]

I think it's normal for these to develop a dry, almost sandpapery, rind.  (I get this on most of my cheeses unless I wax them).  It doesn't penetrate into the paste.

I believe that's Geo. When I use PLA I get the dry, gritty, white growth. I like it. It shows me that I'm on the right track with my rind maintenance. I think naturally occurring Geo acts the same.

"PLA is a direct set culture mix which contains Yeasts, B.Linen and Geo. It is used for aromatic ripening and complex rinds and can also be used to wash cheese. The Geo and Yeast deacidify the surface so that the B.Linen can grow on it. The yeast also produce aroma. If used in the milk (meaning not just in the wash/spray) the yeast produces aromatic properties that are the results of gas production when it dies off. If used in combination with bloomy cheese it may expose itself later after the PC have settled and show as orangy strikes below. If used for washing, expect it to produce a very light and rather faint orange color - this isn't the crazy orange B.Linen and doesn't smell or look like that strain. Don't over use it because it may eventually overwhelm the cheese quality."

A good rind protector.... 

-Boofer-

[Dulcelife]

Well like MrsKK often does, I had to try at 30 days.  There was quite a bit of Geo? mold mostly around the centers of both sides of both wheels.  I brushed off really well, placed one wheel back in the ripening box and cut the other in half for a taste.  One half will be oiled and placed back in the box the other I will nibble on every week or so.

I like the natural rind and the whole look both outside and within.
The texture is like a young cheddar, not yet crumbly, some flexibility and creamy in the mouth.
The taste is of a young cheddar but, with a buttery taste and a moldy short lived aftertaste.
Melts nice in the MW, smooth yet stretchy.

All in all, I like it and look forward to maturing a bit more to see how it develops.

[JeffHamm]

Looking good!  This make, with the 3.5 floc, will be moist rather than crumbly.  It should continue to improve and peak around 2 to 2 1/2 months.  It may not have a huge flavour just yet, but it should increase.  My last one had a very nice sharp flavor at 2 or 3 months.  The high moisture content is designed for quick aging rather than long term aging.  If you want to age one out though, cut the floc multiplier back to 3 and stir a bit longer to expel more whey.

Well done.  A cheese to you.

- Jeff

[Dulcelife]

Thank you for the cheese my friend.  The 3.5 multiplier and the low dose of culture was intentional as I was quite tired of crumbly and over acidified.  On the next run at this cheese I will need to remember to cut the rennet down as well in trying to get that 15 minute floc.

I have also come to the conclusion that 60 days is the minimum ripening time and impatience is not worth it.  It appears that at the 30 day stage it is really difficult to appreciate the differences in the cheeses and they are pretty much all similar.

[Boofer]

Nice looking cheese. Impatience moves to the back of the line! 60 days or more! Alright!   

-Boofer-

[Dulcelife]

Hey Boof mahn:  I've gotten a lot of good info from you as well, above and beyond your insane humor.

Don't forget to sniff that cheese.

[JeffHamm]

Hi Dulcelife,

Yah, 3.5 in this make is normal (I think this is Sailor's protocol, and the 3.5x targets a creamier result).  I agree that 60 days is a good target, though I do find that caerphilly is good at 3 weeks (there are a few makes floating around) and so makes a good cheese to have on the go if you're trying to stretch one along.  An 11 minute floc is fine.  You should be targeting a floc window of 10 to 15 minutes, so you're in the zone now.  But tweak it to where you want it to be, just know that you're in the good now.

- Jeff