I had the best intentions for this make. Well...not really. When I started early yesterday morning, I didn't have a clue what I wanted to make with my sweet summer milk. I considered Butterkaese but decided that I already had several young cheeses in the cave and in the fridge (so sorry, george
). I rolled through my mental rolodex and my make notes folder trying to decide on a suitable cheese to craft this luscious summer milk into.
I looked at the date, June 23rd, and a spark of inspiration was lighted. How about a nice Beaufort that would be ready for Christmas in 6 months? Okay, but it has to be more elastic and less crumbly than my previous 3 efforts.
1 gallon Pride & Joy Dairy whole raw milk
2 gallons Twin Brook whole creamline milk
8 cubes Alp D mother culture, thawed
1/16 tsp Propionic shermanii
1/2 tsp CACL in 1/4 cup distilled water
1/16 tsp Renco dry calf rennet in 1/4 cup chilled distilled water
Initial milk pH = 6.59
Cubes and PS added to cold milk.
Milk heated to 88F.
At pH 6.47, added CACL & rennet.
Floc time: 13 minutes x 3 factor = 39 minutes before cut.
Cut to 1 inch, rested 5 min.
Cut to 1/4 inch, rested 10 min.
Raised temp to 110F, stirring, within 40 min.
At pH 6.38, removed 1 gallon of whey for whey-brine.
Added back 1 gallon of 128F water, stirring, to sweeten the curds a bit. This is where this disqualifies this make as a true Beaufort, but I have had problems with
crumbliness in the past and I wanted to reduce that chance here.
Cooked for 30 min, stirring gently to keep from matting.
Drained whey.
Put curds to prepared mould with PlyBan.
Pressed under whey using 11 pounds pressure (press lever arm and piston) to knit the curds for 30 min.
Flipped, pressed under whey using 11 pounds for 30 min.
Flipped, pressed under whey using 11 pounds for 30 min.
Flipped, pressed under whey using 22 pounds for 30 min.
Flipped, pressed under whey using 2.6 psi for 30 min.
Flipped, pressed under whey using 2.6 psi for 30 min.
Dumped whey.
Flipped, pressed in pot using 4.9 psi for 4 hours.
Flipped, pressed in pot using 4.9 psi for 3 hours.
Out of press, pH 5.07, and into brine for 3 hours.
Out of bed (1:00AM), flipped cheese in brine.
Out of bed (4:00AM), removed cheese from brine, dried, weighed.
Placed in minicave to airdry at room temperature.
Tomorrow I'll put the cheese in the cave and begin rind treatment, which will most likely be a PLA & 3% brine wipe.
-Boofer-