Attempting my first Caerphilly today. I've been inspired by Canadian Kiwi Jeff, Tiarella and OzzieCheese Mal who have all posted great examples of this cheese, and many other forum members who have also posted their recipes and techniques. Up to now, I've concentrated on soft ripened cheeses and Fetta, so after attending a Cheddar cheesemaking class a couple of weeks ago, to make sure I understood the basics of these styles, I'm ready to have a go.
My recipe is from "Home Cheesemaking" by Neil and Carol Willman, an Australian book that I have used extensively.
8 litres fresh cows milk from a local farm, pasteurized at home
Add 160ml MA16 meso mother culture and 1.5ml CaCl, ripen for 30 minutes at 32C
Add 1.6ml rennet floc time 11:30 time 3 = 32:30 minutes rennet time
Clean break, cut into 1cm cubes and rest 5 minutes
Stir continuously for 15 minutes, very gently initially so as not to break up curds
Stir another 15 minutes while heating to 35C
Hold at 35C and stir another 15 minutes.
Let curd settle for 30 minutes to develop acidity
Drain whey and pile curds on sides of vat
Trim curds pile to a neat block and let sit for 30 minutes, removing whey as it drains
Cut curd into finger length chips and pile on side of vat, then drain for another 45 minutes (this is where I am currently)
Cut into 25mm cubes and mix in 8g salt (this seems like a very small amount of salt?)
Pile into hoop and leave for 20 minutes before pressing
Press for 1.5 hours, remove, redress and then press overnight.
Brine in 20% solution, dry and store. I'm proposing to use a vacuum bag for this one.
Here are some photos:
I'll post an update later today.