John's Cheese #051 - Feta #6

[Cheese Head]

Previous batch almost used up, time to make Feta using this recipe with my Dad visiting from Vancouver Canada!

MAKING

• Oct 16, 2009, 2:30PM:
  
  
  • Poured 2 US gallon/7.6 litres of store bought pasteurized homogenized whole cow's milk from fridge into stockpot on smallest gas burner ring on stove.
  • As milk pasteurized, to standardize, trickled and stirred in 1/2 teaspoon diluted CaCl2.
  • Measured ~0.5 gram Danisco's Choozit Brand Mesophilic Starter Culture MM100 onto mini digital scale, tapped off onto top of milk and stirred in.
  • Measured ~0.5 gram Danisco's Brand Mild Calf Lipase onto mini digital scale, tapped off onto top of milk, stirred in.
  • Turned gas on low and warmed and occasionally stirred milk to 90 F/32 C.
  • Set aside for 1 hour for culture to ripen.
• Oct 16, 2009, 3:45PM: Measured ~0.45 gram CHR Hansen Brand powdered rennet onto mini digital scale, diluted in 3/4 cup cool water, trickled into milk while stirring in thoroughly for 1 minute. Set aside for curd to set.
• Oct 16, 2009, 5:00PM: Checked for clean break, good, cut curds into 1 cm/0.5 inch cubes and left to rest 10 minutes.
• Oct 16, 2009, 5:10PM: Stirred cut curds occasionally to ensure don't knit, turned gas on once to add a liitle heat, forgot switched off, measured at 100F, 10F too high! Continued to occasionally stir for 45 minutes.
• Oct 16, 2009, 6:00PM: Bailed out excess whey, ladled cut curds into 4 camembert hoops on mats on draining board beside kitchin sink. A lot less curds than normal as cooked longer (45 min) and as accidentally increased temp too high mid way through.
• Oct 18, 2009, 6:15PM: Turned cheeses in hoops.
• Oct 18, 2009, 6:35PM: Turned cheeses in hoops.
• Oct 18, 2009, 7:00PM: Turned cheeses in hoops.
• Oct 18, 2009, 8:00PM: Turned cheeses in hoops.
• Oct 18, 2009, 10:30PM: Turned cheeses in hoops.
• Oct 19, 2009, 6:00AM: Turned cheeses in hoops.
• Oct 19, 2009, 10:30AM: Placed in fresh 2 liters of ~16% NaCl table salt brine with little CaCl2 & little white vinegar and placed in fridge to age.
• Oct 27, 2009, Age 11 Days: Cut open one of feta's, crumbly, nice piquant taste, too salty as in ~16% brine.
• Mar 25, 2010, Age 5 Months: Finally broke and started eating 3rd feta, still crumbly, nice piquant taste, again still slightly too salty as in ~16% brine.

NOTES

• Next time 1 gallon of brine is adequate for 2 US gallon batch of Feta.

[Cheese Head]

Pictures #1 . . .

[Cheese Head]

Pictures #2 . . .

[webster37]

waitting your pictures 8)

[Alex]

Wellcome Webster,

Please introduce yourself and experience with cheese makeing.
Pics, John uses to save place for future pics he will attach.

[Cheese Head]

Welcome Webster, few pics posted now, more in similar threads if you are interested in making Feta, also, in OP there is link to recipe/procedure page, have fun!

[Tea]

I must say CH, that looks a fine batch of fetta.  Congrats.

[Cheese Head]

Thanks Tea, I'm still trying to get a harder Fetta, so cooked longer and accidentally at higher temp, resulting curds were more dense, thus reason for larger vacancies on sides.

[DeejayDebi]

Looks very nice John. How'd you texture come out? Looks very firm.

[Cheese Head]

Debi, just ate 1/2 one on salad tonight, nice and crumblier than my previous batches, but still not dry crumbly like I'd like.

I think to be crumblier maybe it has to drain out of brine like the ones in the store pictures here.

[DeejayDebi]

All the feta I have ever eatten was crumbly but very very dry almost salty chalky. I don't think I have ever eatten good feta.

[Tea]

You need to try the recipe that I posted. 

[DeejayDebi]

I will one of the days. I have so many recipe to try yet. Sheesh!