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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => RENNET COAGULATED - Brine Ripened (Aegean Sea) => Topic started by: Lennie on January 22, 2010, 12:39:58 AM
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I am picking up 2gal of fresh goat milk tomorrow night, wanting to make some nice feta. I have Ricki Carroll's book as well as Tim Smith's, but wondered if you all have any additional tips. Specifically, what pH do I shoot for with the direct add culture, before adding my rennet? Any other markers to be aware of? And would you add lipase to goat milk feta? I suppose you all brine this cheese? When I buy it, it is usually in good-sized blocks in what must be a brine. We particularly like Bulgarian feta.
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For rennet add after culture ripening, you're looking for a delta pH of .1. So, for example, from 6.6 to around 6.5, rennet.
Flocculation multiplier of 4x
Whey drain pH of 6.0-6.2.
Cut into pieces for brining at 5.4-5.5 for a firm style. Else, leave in molds to acidify until 4.5-4.8 for normal styles.
That is for a firmer style. For a softer style, drain pH is on the higher end (6.2), and don't cook as long, and let it drain in the molds to acidify before brining.
End pH should be at 4.5 if you like a sour feta to 4.9 if you like a creamier one that's not as crumbly. Yes, lipase is a must for flavor.
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Could you be more specific? :o
Thanks, I'll try and follow that as best I can.
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Hi Lennie;
I make goat feta regularly, from fresh milk. I have adapted a recipe from Fias Co Farm. They are online and have their recipe there. I don't use lipase.
I don't have a pH meter yet but think that would be very useful. I am attaching my adaptation of the recipe here.
I think the goat milk makes a delicious cheese.
Best of luck,
Pam
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Oh sorry, I didn't realize you wanted a recipe; thought you just wanted pH targets. Peter Dixon has some, they look similar to the notes I have for my makes.
http://www.dairyfoodsconsulting.com/recipes_bulgarian.shtml (http://www.dairyfoodsconsulting.com/recipes_bulgarian.shtml)
http://www.dairyfoodsconsulting.com/recipes_greek_feta.shtml (http://www.dairyfoodsconsulting.com/recipes_greek_feta.shtml)
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I was making a joke Linux. Your info was exactly what I was asking about.
But I'll peruse all of the recipes before embarking on this. I'm paying $8/gal for the milk so I'd like to have it come out reasonably close the first time.
Thanks everybody.
Now if only John would spend some time comparing these recipes and summarizing the results...hint hint!
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Picked up the milk tonight, the lady milks an Alpine goat. Milk looked nice and creamy, and didn't appear to be separating much although I'll be sure and top-stir a little.
Tomorrow morning I make feta.
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Lennie
- Good idea but I haven't (yet) compared Feta recipes, good idea on using pH points.
- Goat's milk should not separate into cream as fat particles are too small (http://www.cheeseforum.org/Making/Milk%20-%20Types.htm#Butterfat).
- Pictures of several Feta types here (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,2400.0.html), let us know how it goes!
linuxboy
- I haven't made Feta with goat's milk, and it is a subjective thing, but I thought you only added Lipase (http://www.cheeseforum.org/Making/Lipase.htm) with cow or sheep's milk to get the piquant taste, not with goat's as already built-in.
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No stores in our immediate area but when we visit Champaign IL there is a great Med store with fresh fetas, thats where we first got Bulgarian feta which we love. We always stock up on cheeses and spices, place is called the World Market.
I wondered why this milk wasn't separating like I remember fresh cow's milk doing. My grandparents were both dairy people, honestly I couldn't stand fresh cow's milk as a lad. Not even on cereal. Too much of a city kid I guess. After all, Hannibal is a metropolis of 18,000, biggest town in Northeast Missouri.
I added 1/4tsp lipase in my 2gal of milk, even though the milk supposedly has some I didn't want it coming out too bland, nor too sharp. I thought this would be a compromise for batch #1.
Starter is in at 86F, starting pH was 6.5. Just about where Linux estimated.
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The pH did drop to 6.43 at 30min and 6.39 by the full hour the recipe called for, so that seems right on the money. Rennet in now, stirred only for slightly under a minute although Carroll's directions say "stir several minutes". I think its well-mixed. I checked coagulation with a floating toothpick, looks like only 6min from the rennet things are coagulated so I'll let it go 24min and cut. The recipe called for an hour. I'll also check for a clean break to be sure the curd is ready to cut.
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I made a mistake, and failed to heed my next pH target. I cooked the curds at 86F with stirring for 20min, they looked pretty good so I drained them. Only after I'd drained did I remember to check the whey pH, it was 6.34. Sadly above even the upper boundary Linux posted. I suppose this cheese will be overly soft as a result, although I thought the curds looked pretty firm. I could still see some of the bigger curd looking rather soft, but most of it was nice. I'll let it drain a good 6+ hours and then see what things look like. If it is going to be soft I probably shouldn't brine it should I?
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With my softer Feta's I haven't found brining makes them much softer, certainly doesn't help through.
FYI, high % brine keeps it longer (http://www.cheeseforum.org/Making/Brine%20-%20Preserved.htm) but does make a very salty Feta.
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I may not brine at all. It doesn't seem as though the fresh feta in the deli case at the World Market is so salty. Do you suppose they take brined feta and soak it in milk or something to lessen the salt? Or simply use a lower salt brine?
Oh and the goat whey ricotta came out nice, it seemed to have some curd left in the whey as well. Made a good yield of ricotta that is draining now along with the feta.
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I cut the curd, some into 1x1" curds plus four large pieces. All in a 15% brine. Teh curd was quite stiff and kind of rubbery, I wonder what some aging will do.
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The stiff curd was because you drained whey at a higher pH. Aging should take care of it some, but I doubt you will get a crumbly feta, if that's what you were going for. It will be a more sliceable cheese than feta normally is.
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Very unforgiving stuff, this cheesemaking. I wonder how much longer I needed to stir the curds before they would have reached the proper pH?
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I guess whether the cheese is softer or harder, depends on your preferences. With mine, the less I stir the curd the softer the resulting cheese is. Interesting to see that the pH also plays a part in this. My recipe only gives a pH for the brine, so I am going to have to take some readings and see what I get.
But I prefer a softer cheese as it cuts nicely when adding to salads, and also mashes well when added to other cooking. As I have said before I also prefer the lower brine % of 12%, and have kept cheese easily for at least six months without any spoilage.
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I'll have to try a lower salt content, I made the 15% brine with CaCl2 an it was quite salty.
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We tried some small chunks tonight. Lo and behold, it tastes like feta! Very creamy but still holds together and it has lost the slight rubberiness it displayed before brining. It is softer than the blocks we usually buy, but not by much. It has a nice distinctive flavor already, and even the kids agree it tastes like feta. I'll let it age a little more but it is ready to go on a nice greek salad anytime.
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Glad to see that you like the final product. In the recipe section there is a recipe for pumpkin and fetta puffs, which go down well in my home.