Halloumi making tips

[campanaacres]

Hello, I'm getting into making Halloumi and am wondering when the best time to add the salt is.  I've heard several different things.  Mixing with rennet before adding, adding the salt separately before mixing, mixing the salt with cold water and then pouring it in, etc.  Does it matter when the salt is added?  Thanks in advance for any advice!

[MacGruff]

I noticed that no one has answered you, and I am a rookie at it myself.

However, I stopped by with a different question. I am following the recipe in Karlin's book. She suggested no salt in the milk at all. Once the cheese is cooked, and cooled, she has us putting the hard cheese in a brine for 5 days. That's the stage I am in right now. I tasted the cheese before brining, and now, every day while flipping it in the brine, and it is definitely getting the right flavor by being in the brine.

My own question has to do with why she has us cutting the cheese wheel - which is round, of course - into a rectangle?  Doing the geometry calculations, I noticed it increased the surface area slightly, but I am not sure if that's the reason? Or, is there a different one?

Thanks,

[campanaacres]

I know the traditional shape is round and when it's folded over the mint it becomes a half moon.  I don't know the history behind it, but I'm thinking of using a rectangle so it's easier to manufacture and store.  Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

[MacGruff]

It's been long enough since my question was posted that I have actually been able to taste the cheese post-brining.

It's good. Mint flavor was only apparent when you bit into a spot that had a smidgen of a mint leaf.

The consistency was right. I grilled quarter inch thick slices on the grill and served them on a grilled red pepper salad that accompanied a lamb souvlaki. The cheese took the grill marks well, and with a spritz of lemon juice, it fit right in - with one exception: the brine that she recommended is too strong. Next time I make it, I will cut the amount of salt in half.

The salt flavor permeated the whole block of cheese.

I like  your suggestion - campanaacres - about using a rectangular mold. Do you know where I can get one with a follower that will hold one gallon of milk?

Thanks!

[mikekchar]

I was going to say: 5 days in brine....  That seems like a lot, but some people make halloumi with the same level of salt as feta.  I assume an 8% brine?  But even then, after 5 days, the salt is going to equalise so you will end up with at least half of the salt in the brine in your cheese -- and that's if you are only using the same amount of brine as you do volume of cheese.  Some people do a lot more.  "Normal" cheese salt levels are about 2% by weight and there you've got at least 4% by weight, so it's going to be quite salty.  With traditional feta, it's common to soak the cheese in milk for a few hours before eating it, in order to reduce the salt level.  Milk is too expensive for me to do that, so I've never really contemplated ageing in brine.

[MacGruff]

Obviously, I agree with you!   

Being my first time making this cheese, I adhered to the recipe rather closely. She calls for a "Medium Brine" for the five days, which she defines elsewhere as "15% salinity: 19 ounces salt to 1 gallon water". I measured out 19 Oz of kosher salt and mixed it in to 1 gallon of water and that was what I immersed the fresh Halloumi in.

Here is a picture of what it looked like right after I cut off the round edges:



The green specs are pieces of Mint.

[campanaacres]

I work for  a metal fabricator so I'm going to have all the stuff made here.