Hi,
My last make of this has been a real success, so I thought I would give it another go and have one ready for the holidays. This is a very easy make for those just starting out, and the cheese is ready in 2 to 3 months, so a good compliment to caerphilly. The store didn't have smaller bottles of cream though, so I was forced, forced I tell you, to up the cream to 500ml. I have now found the official limit of my pots, which is 11.5 litres (actually, I'm pretty sure they over-fill the milk bottles, so the limit is 11.5 listed). This over creaming may over do it as sometimes less is more (in fact, next time I make Mozz I'm going to move towards less cream as I think that may be part of my problem). Anyway, this make seems to have gone well. Cheese is in the press for the overnight press. Will post photos and end-results as they become available.
- Jeff
Staffordshire Sunday, Oct 20, 2013. Sunny. Air pressure:1011 19 C 66% humidity
from (
http://www.ukprotectedfoods.com/staffordshire-cheese-pdo/)
11 L whole milk (Budget Blue TOP; 3.2g protein/100ml 3.3g fat)
500 ml cream (Pams; 2g protein/38g fat for 100 ml) (total = 5.63g and 3.51g/pro / 100ml; 0.63:1 p/f ratio)
Starter 1 cube mw3 * 1 cube buttermilk
7.9 ml Renco rennet (65 IMCU)
2.5% salt by curd weight
½ tsp 50% solution CaCl2
6.26” tomme mould
1) Add CaCl2 to milk during prep.
2) Add starter
3) Warm to 32.5 – 35 C (34.0 C 7:23 am)
4) Ripen 60-75 minutes (7:23 - 8:??; ??.? C at end)
5) Ensure temperature between 31 and 33 C, if not warm to midrange)
6) Add rennet (7.9 ml Renco) (8:26:15 temp 33.0 C)
7) Floc time 8:36:15 = 10m 00sec 3.5x floc = 35m 00sec cut time 9:01:15 (NOTE: in original info, rennet to cut is described as 45-50 minutes in one place, but in same document as 35-45 minutes, so multipliers anywhere between 3.0 and 3.5 look good)
8) Cut curds (size not specified so I go with 1 cm cubes); heal 15 min (9:08-9:24)
9) Keep temp at 30-32 C and stir for 40 minutes (9:24-10:05; 32.7 C)
10) Allow curds to settle 30 minutes (10:05-10:35)
11) Remove whey (whey off requires 35 minutes in large batch, so settle for 30 min above; done 11:03; placed 3 litres of whey on top of “sacked” curds to help expel whey)
12) Break curds every 15 minutes over 45 minute period (11:18 & 11:33 & 11:48)
13) Mill to thumbnail size and add salt (2.5% by curd weight curds - 1902g x 0.025 – 47.6g)
14) Mix salt by turning curds 4 times (more will dry out curds too much)
15) Move to cloth lined mould, press at 2 PSI over night at 21-25 C) (10 kg = 0.72 PSI for 30 min11:05- 11:35 , then flip/redress and 20 kg 30 minutes 12:42- 1:12, and then flip/redress and 30 kg = 2.15 PSI 1:15- 6:30 then 35.2 kg overnight 6:30 pm - 6:00 am.)
16) Cheese out of the press 1700g 15.6 x 7.7 cm = 1471 cm3 = 1.16g/cm3 (great knit)
17) Age at 7-10 C, turn daily for a week, then weekly
18) Age 2-4 weeks (mild) or up to a year.
Got 538 g ricotta; raised to 92.2 C, added ¼ cup apple cider vinegar & 8 g salt (1.5% by weight).
During affinage, after a week, start wiping down with a saturated brine (leaving the down side dry). Do this for 10 - 14 days, after which, just wash if blue mould shows up. It may pick up a wild b.linens, which is fine, but don't let it get too out of hand and brush it back to the cheese after a month. You aren't trying to keep this a pristine rind, but just free from wild blues, etc.