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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => RENNET COAGULATED - Hard Cheddared (Normally Stacked & Milled) => Topic started by: JeffHamm on January 21, 2012, 05:49:53 AM

Title: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: JeffHamm on January 21, 2012, 05:49:53 AM
Hi,

Well, today I decided to make another Dunlop.  I've made this twice now, and both times the taste was good, and both turned out very similar.  The first I made in a 6.25" mould, the 2nd in an 8.5" strainer.  The 2nd was to get a flat disk of a cheese, which is the traditional shape for Dunlop.  However, that may work for a 10 kg cheese, but you lose more cheese to rind on a 1 kg cheese.  Still, even the 2nd one was very good.  So, it's back to the 6.25" mold again.

Anyway, this one has a long pressing schedule (over 2 days) and involves putting the cheese in hot water (66 C) for a minute to warm it up part way through the press.  I think this would also wash off the lactic acid and salt from the outter surface, which might help prepare it for developing some sort of natural rind?  Anyway, it usually picks up some wild geo and other stuff.  I'll probably try and brush this all down and just toughen up the rind. 

Here are my notes.  The knit, after the opening couple of press and flips is really good already.  It was the first time I made it too.  So, things are progressing well.


Dunlop : Saturday Jan 21, 2012.  Cloudy, with sun, 24/25 C.

10 litres homebrand standard
3 ice cubes ripened buttermilk
0.6 ml microbial rennet IMCU 750
½  tsp Calcium chloride 50%
2-2.5 tbls salt

1) Warm milk to 30.0C. (reached at 10:54 am; 30.5 C)
2) Add the starter (Time: 10:54   : temp: 30.5 0C)
3) Ripen 1 hour (target time 11:54)
4) add ½ tsp calcium chloride in egg cup of water (11:54; 29.9 c; raise back to 30)
5) add 0.6 ml rennet in egg cup of water (time: 11:58 : temp: 30.6 0C)
   Floc time = 13m 0sec.
6) floc 3.5x = 45 m 30 sec = cut time: 12:43:30
7) Cut into broad bean size cubes (1 cm?) & stir (12:43; heal 10 minutes; 12:57)
8) raise temperate to 360C over 20 minutes (start time: 1:00   end time:1:19; temp : 36.6 0C; rise started at too slow a rate, then rose quickly.  But, curds seem really good all the same).
9) cook 20 minutes  (start time: 1:19   end time: 1:47 ooops)
10) drain whey
11) put curds in cheesecloth in collandar, pressed with 2 l whey 15 minutes (1:58-2:13)
11) cut into several (6) broad slabs
12) stack, & change slabs several times over 30 minutes  (start time: 2:13   end time: 2:43 ; in pot placed in sink of warm water; around 40 C; flipped every 10 minutes)
13) Mill into small pieces (thumbnail size)
14) sprinkle with salt (amount not stated in recipe; I used 2.5 tbls)
15) wrap, place in mold in pot, press lightly (5 kg 0.36 PSI) for 15 minutes  (start time: 3:00   end time: 3:13)
16) press heavier (25kg; 1.79 PSI) for 3 hours  (start time: 3:15   end time: 6:15) ; knit exceptionally good at this point; better than some others after all night.  Still emitting whey.
17) flip & redress, press overnight (35.2 kg; 2.53 PSI)  (start time:  6:15   end time: ?:?? am)
18) remove from cheesecloth, and dip in 660C water for 1 minutes  (?:??am – ?:?? am)
19) redress and press for 24 hours  (35.2 KG; 2.53 PSI start time: ?:??am   end time: ?:?? am; ????g)
20) air dry until dry to touch (moved to box on , Jan ??th)
21) Ripen 10-150C, 85% humidity.  Ready in 6-8 weeks (can age longer; bandaged or waxed)
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: JeffHamm on January 21, 2012, 06:37:40 PM
Hi,

Ok, just before it goes for a spa treatment, I weighed and measured it to see how it's going.  It weighed in at 1370g, and is 15.5 cm across and 5.5 cm tall, for a density of 1.32g/ccm.  The knit is superb all the way round.  This was the case with the first Dunlop I made as well, although that one ended up having the weights shift during the 2nd, post-hottub, phase of the pressing.  Most cheeses that I've made would be finished now and on to the air drying phase.  I'm not sure what more the extra day of pressing will do for the internal knit, but as it does get a flip when it goes back into the press, it may help reduce mechanical openings.  With pressing in the pot it's not like it's hard to get a good knit with this one.

Anyway, barring any futher weight stacking disasters, this one appears to be on the road to producing a nice result.  Fingers crossed.

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: anutcanfly on January 21, 2012, 10:14:37 PM
Looks great!  How long will you age it?  I read that it develops a wonderful flavor if you let it age 6 - 12 months.
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: JeffHamm on January 21, 2012, 10:29:47 PM
Hi anut,

I'm not sure.  The other two I had around 6-8 weeks and it was quite good.  I'm building up quite a supply, so I might be able to stretch it.  Will see how it goes, but not real plans on this one.  Hmmm, with a cheddar, cheshire, and derby all aging away, I could add this to that collection for a cheddar type fest at some point. 

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: anutcanfly on January 21, 2012, 11:54:44 PM
Hi Jeff,

I'm now limiting myself to only long term cheeses as my refrigerator is starting to fill up with cheese that's done.  I wouldn't be surprised if there's enough cheese in my cave for the year! 

A cheddar fest is a great idea!  I'll try to put aside a wedge of each cheese until I have a nice sampling gathered up.
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: JeffHamm on January 22, 2012, 04:52:12 PM
Ok, it's now out of the press weighing in at 1272g, and a more careful measurement puts it at 15.5 x 5.8 cm, so a density of 1.16 g/ccm.  It expelled an additional 100 g of moisture over the past 24 hours in the press, so it was still doing it's job.  The knit is fantastic all round (unfortunately the camera is hiding somewhere, but it looks like above), and no "Tam O'Slanter" this time, so I'm quite pleased.  Of all the cheddar-types that I've made I've found this to produce the best knit.  I don't have a press so I'm limited to stacking weights.  Anyone who is also without a decent Dutch press for cheddar types might want to give this one a go to see how it works for them.

Anyway, I'm quite pleased with the result.  Hopefully the taste result is consistent with the previous makes of it.

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: anutcanfly on January 22, 2012, 09:17:45 PM
The can't find the camera excuse...  ;)  I'm sure it will be wonderful!  You careful note taking, as always, impresses me... You're even measuring for density!  You deserve a whole wheel, but I don't want you to get fat... so here's a wedge.
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: JeffHamm on January 22, 2012, 09:26:34 PM
LOL!  Thanks anut!  I admit it, I like to measure stuff (other than my own weight and volume, and lets not even start on how dense I am!  LOL).  What I should start doing is a daily weight, and plot out the change in weight as the cheeses air dry.  This would give me an idea of the moisture loss, etc.  My first couple of cheeses seemed to come out around 1g/ccm.  Now that I can increase my pressing weights, density has gone up (fewer mechanical openings, which increase volume with little contribution to weight; as the cheese dries out, the whey that might be trapped in them evaporates, and density should drop).

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: anutcanfly on January 22, 2012, 09:37:06 PM
How did you know what I was going to ask about next?  >:D  You bring a question to mind that I had not thought about.  Does the moisture that remains in the cheese eventually become evenly distributed, or do pockets of moisture persist?
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: JeffHamm on January 22, 2012, 10:59:56 PM
Hi anut,

I would think there would be a moisture gradient, as the rind is obviously drier than the interior, although the distribution probably becomes more "smooth" in it's distribution (less pockets and dry patches) as it should work to even those out over time. 

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: JeffHamm on February 03, 2012, 06:26:33 PM
Hi,

Well, here's some interesting data for those who like to measure stuff.  I decided to make a study of this cheese, in terms of the moisture loss as it air dries and while in the cave.  I took the first measurement when it was flipped during the pressing (after 2the first overnight press, it's put in hot water for a minute, then pressed for another 24 hours).  That is "day -1", with "day 0" being the weight after the full press schedule.  Then, each morning I weighed the cheese and recorded it.  Basically, the weight loss is fairly constant around 20g per day.  Once you shift to the cave, it slows down to around 4 g per day.  My scale only seems to measure in 2 g steps, so most days are 4, with a couple of 2 and 6's. 

As we approach the 2 week mark, the 4 g/day loss is maintaining itself, but I assume at some point this will slow down even more as the rind firms up even more and as the moisture drops.  Of course, everyone's cave will operate differently.  But, having measured a couple other cheeses as well (just not for as long), these amounts seem consistent between different cheeses (a Lancashire and the Wensleydale that I've removed from wax).  Of course, all these cheeses have been made in the same mould so a different shape would produce a different surface area and affect moisture loss.

Taking these measurements might help with tweaking your cave humidity levels.  If your cheeses are cracking, that would probably occur in a cave that's too dry, which would have a more rapid moisture loss, etc.

- Jeff

P.S. the zeros on day 13 and 14 for "daily loss" are because it's only day 12 today!  Ignore them.
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: anutcanfly on February 04, 2012, 01:32:29 AM
That will be interesting to follow.  I'm curious to see what amount of weight is lost daily after a rind has developed, say 4 weeks or more?
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: JeffHamm on March 02, 2012, 06:22:05 PM
Hi all,

Well, I've decided to wax this one for long term storage.  I've eaten my first two Dunlops early, and they were very good, but I would like to see how the flavour developes after 8 months or a year.  It's pretty much steadily lost about 4 g / day since moved into the cave.  It's now 1010g, and the rind is looking very nice.  It's developed a bit of geo, which I've kept brushed back to just a dusting.  One or two black spots, but these are very small compared to previous makes.  They are also only surface blemishes as they do not penetrate the rind nor do they seem to affect flavour.

Anyway, here's the cheese before it's waxing.  And also the daily measurements of it's mass.

- Jeff

Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: anutcanfly on March 03, 2012, 05:04:00 AM
The line is different than I imagined it would be.  I thought that after first few weeks, and the formation of a good rind, the daily loss would be less, and the line on the graph going down more gradually.
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: JeffHamm on March 03, 2012, 06:14:13 AM
Hi anut,

There's a very slight tendency towards that.  Early on the moisture loss tended to be 4 or 6 grams on any given day (with one 2 thrown in for good measure; my scale only measures in 2 g steps ; if it flickers between two numbers, like 4 and 6, I put 5).  By the last week or so, it was 4 or 2 grams, so there was a wee shift.  It's very subtle though, and isn't visible in the above graph. 

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: anutcanfly on March 03, 2012, 04:24:45 PM
Hi Jeff,

What temp and humidity was your dunlop aged at?

Anut  :)
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: JeffHamm on March 03, 2012, 06:25:02 PM
Hi anut,

Temp is 10 C.  I don't know the humidity as I don't have any hygrometers.  I get a bit of condensation on the walls of the ripening boxes each morning, and wipe this down if it's enough to drip down the walls. 

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: anutcanfly on March 03, 2012, 09:18:20 PM
I finally got extra hygrometers so I could keep track of the cheeses in containers that are all over my house. I'm glad it did as my cave is too humid (90 to 95%) and the cheeses I put in there drop weight very slowly.  With a hygrometer I was able to keep my overweight gouda at 75% humidity by cracking the lid and within 3 weeks it had dropped a pound and developed a nice rind.  Which is good as I wanted to age it a year or so.  Without the hydrometer I would likely have cracked the rind trying to do that.   The unexpected bonus was that I never had to rub it with salt or vinegar.  Just a brushing now and then.  It will be too warm in the house for me to develop rinds and age cheeses soon, but it was sure nice while it lasted.
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: JeffHamm on March 04, 2012, 12:28:03 AM
I should pick up some hygrometers, except things are generally working fairly well in that department so I've not had any pressure to pick one up.  But, given that I do like to know stuff like this, it would be fun to get a couple.  I'm keeping any eye out, so I'm sure I'll find one soon.

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: anutcanfly on March 04, 2012, 02:59:38 AM
I just got some of the cheap ones that only cost $12.  I calibrate them and write the adjustment needed on the top, ie +4 to displayed humidity.  I prefer the ones you can actually adjust, but they cost more. 

Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: DeejayDebi on March 11, 2012, 09:21:32 PM
Nice looking dunlop Jeff. A cheese for you!
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: JeffHamm on March 11, 2012, 10:20:42 PM
Thanks DeejayDebi!  I was very pleased with the make and how this one was aging.  I'm planning on letting it sit around for some time to develop some nice flavours.  I've cut into them before around 6 to 8 weeks and it's nice, but I want to take it out a year or so.  I've got a lot of cheeses in hibernation right now.  Next year should be interesting.

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: DeejayDebi on March 11, 2012, 10:46:57 PM
The rewards are huge for one who is patient!

Maybe I should put that in a fortune cookie! ;D
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: JeffHamm on October 27, 2013, 06:40:54 PM
Well, here's a blast from the past!  I noticed a few spots under the wax on this one, so yesterday I removed the wax and tended to it.  It's almost 2 years old now.  It had that fruity aroma I associate with waxed cheeses, which I think is something fermenting on the surface of the cheese.  It wasn't wet, like I've had if I wax too early, but in the photo you can see a "crust" that forms.  I scraped much of that off and will let it air out for a week or so in a ripening box with my week old Staffordshire.  When I left it out on the counter to air out yesterday, it cracked a bit (not surprising) so the box should help readjust to the outside world. 

Anyway, after a day, some scraping, etc it now weighs 972g, is 14.8 x 5.1 cm, and has a density of 1.11 g/cm3.  Overall, looks to be in good shape (the spots that needed tending are on the far side, but pure coincidence I assure you! :) ).  Once it's aired out and the fermenting aroma has cleared, it might be time to taste test it! :)

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: Spellogue on October 27, 2013, 10:11:28 PM
A two year old dandy!

I'm giddy with anticipation as I await the cheese-cutting ceremony.  Do you have special plans for the event? 

Please be certain to give a full and detailed report of the tasting.
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: H-K-J on October 27, 2013, 10:36:21 PM
A cheese to you ;D (WOW 2 years) nuff said 8)
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: Boofer on October 28, 2013, 12:11:01 AM
It had that fruity aroma I associate with waxed cheeses, which I think is something fermenting on the surface of the cheese.
Yeah, I've had that. :P

Wow, 2 years! I'm anxious to hear what the flavour flavor (had to drop that "u" because my MS Word said I was misspelling the word.) and texture is like. Very curious.

Funny thing...I've got a piece of an Esrom (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,8405.msg59006.html#msg59006) that is two years old and it is still very much a treat. Vacuum-sealing does it right. :D

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: JeffHamm on October 28, 2013, 03:11:41 AM
Thanks all!  It's still a couple months short of 2 years, but close enough (Jan will be the 2nd birthday).  I'll do some resuscitation work on it, to bring it out of hibernation, then decide on what to do next.  This one was over a month old when I waxed it, so I'm not sure how much longer I have to age them to not have them still surface ferment.  I think I have to work on more moisture expellation during the make (stir more vigorously on those that are going on long sleeps). 

Oh Boofer, don't listen to MS word's spell checker.  Drops u's all the time, and thinks lite is a word!  Go figure.

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: JeffHamm on November 08, 2013, 04:46:39 AM
Cut this one today.  It's about 22 months old.  Weighs in at 956g, 14.7 x 5.0 cm, so 1.13 g/cm3.  Nice aged cheddar taste.  I can still detect a flavour that I associate with waxed cheeses, but nobody else has mentioned it.  The texture is quite nice, a bit crumbly, which I like.  I'm very pleased with the outcome, which is a good thing!  It's a long time to wait only to find out something went wrong!

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: JeffHamm on November 09, 2013, 05:30:33 AM
Had some in a bacon and cheese toasted sandwich.  Melts nicely, and makes a really tasty treat!  Big thumbs up from the kids.  Very big smile on my face.

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: Spoons on November 09, 2013, 05:44:24 AM
2 years in the making! Well done! Super glad it turned out well for you!

One cheese for you! :D
Title: Re: My 3rd Dunlop
Post by: H-K-J on November 09, 2013, 03:12:00 PM
MMMmmm That does sound YUMMY :P