Hi there fellow goat person! You can see by my atavar what breed I have at
www.caloakgoats.comGouda, Goat’s milk adapted from cow milk version in Karlin's 'Artisan Cheese Making at Home'
My goat's milk Gouda (made many times, sometimes smoked or 'blued') is adapted from Karlin's 'Artisan Cheese Making at Home'. I've eaten these anywhere from 2-16 months aged, sometimes vacuum-packed or waxed, all good. Depending on how high the butterfat and protein content (stage of lactation), the yield can vary but is usually the yield is about 4.5-5# milk to 1# cheese. I usually go for 3-4 gallons of milk (8#/gallon) for a batch (or up to 6 gallons) and like to press in large to extra large tomme molds using the pneumatic press my husband built me.
For 3.75-4 gallons of milk:
1/4 teaspoon MM100 added to milk at 84F in waterbath, allow to hydrate on milk surface for ~2 min and then stir in gently with up and down motion, 20 strokes with cheese ladle.
Ripen 45 min at 84F
Add 3/4-1 teaspoon (higher amount with low solids milk, lower amount with high solids milk) CaCl2 in 1/4 cup water (I pasteurize my milk) and stir in as above.
Add 3/4-1 teaspoon (higher amount with low solids milk, lower amount with high solids milk) animal rennet in 1/4 cup water and stir in as above.
Clean break in about 45 minutes with high solids milk, can take up to 75 minutes with low solids milk. Be sure you have firm curd. Cut into 1” curds in 2 directions and let rest 5 minutes. Cut again in all directions into ½” curds and let rest 5 minutes. Stir slowly and gently 15 minutes while bringing curd to 86F. Rest 5 minutes and during that time heat ~1 gallon water to 130 F. Ladle off about 1/3 of the whey and replace with hot water gradually, bringing the curd temperature up to 92 F while stirring slowly and gently over a 15 min. period. Let settle, then remove whey down to the level of the curd. Add 110 F water to bring the curd temperature up to 95-96 F and stir 20-30 min. at that temperature, with longer stirring time for desired drier, longer-aging cheese. Let settle 10 minutes to knit together at the bottom of the pot.
Prepare a pot or deep pan to accommodate mold(s) so that 1-2” of whey can cover the molds for initial period of forming cheese. Place damp Plyban-lined (or fine cheesecloth) mold(s) into pot/pan. Scoop enough whey out from curd to half-fill the molds+pan, leaving the rest of the hot whey with the curd. By hand, break curd mass into 1" chunks, distributing in mold and moderately pressing by hand to fill in gaps. Fold tails over and smooth, covering with follower. Add 6-8# weight to follower (gallon jug of water weighs 8#), or ~5-6# weight per 1# final cheese weight. Allow to press lightly under whey for 15 min. Remove mold(s) from whey and press as follows, depending on size of 'make':
8" tomme mold -- press at 10# for 30 min, unwrap, flip, rewrap and press at 15# for 6-8 hr
Extra large tomme mold (4-7 gallons milk) -- press at 10# for 30 min, turn and redress. Press 15# for 30 min, turn and redress, then press at 25# for 30 min, turn and then 25# for 8 hours for largest volume (6-7 gallons milk) for moist, short-aged Gouda, or up to 50# for 8 hours for drier, long-aged Gouda.
Actually, I usually remove the Plyban before the long press and leave it off as I'd rather get the little blips all over the cheese that can later be rubbed off than have Plyban folds in the cheese surface.
Brine in 18% salt brine for ~3-4 hours/lb cheese, flipping once during brining, at 50-55 F. Air-dry at room temp (but not above 72F) on sterilized rack in loosely covered plastic container until dry to the touch (2-7 days, flipping a couple of times per day and removing any moisture from container). Ripen at 50-55 F, 85% RH (relative humidity) for 1 week, turning daily, then wax coat (or vacuum seal) and age at 55-64 F and 80-85% RH for at least 2 months, turning weekly. If any moisture shows in the vacuum-sealed package, open, air dry at 55 F 1 day and reseal. Some very small internal holes (eyes) may develop during aging (these are different from curd ‘pockets’ where curd was not well-knitted). Eyes are more likely to develop at higher temperatures. The cheese will be ripe in 60 days to 6 months for moist cheese, or 1-4 years for drier cheese.
Do not air-dry near any other fermented foods (bread dough, beer) as yeasts will be picked up from the air and may later grow on the rind as a contaminant.
The main changes from cow milk recipes is slightly lower CaCl2 and rennet amount and ~2 degrees F lower final temperature during 'make'. Also goat milk curd tends to be softer so requires very gentle handling.
Cheers!