Early blowing in grana type cheese

[dbarber5]

For the second time, I've had early blowing in a grana type cheese. I haven't had this problem in any other cheese I've made, so I'm wondering what's happening. I am following Caldwell's instructions from Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking for extra-hard washed curd cheese. I met all the ph goals except for the final goal at the end of pressing, which she recommends at 5.4 for a smaller wheel. I only got to 5.6. Almost as soon as it came out of the brine I could see the rounded top indicating early blowing. Any suggestions?

[Aris]

It must be your milk contaminated with coliform or yeast. You use raw milk?

[mikekchar]

> for extra-hard washed curd cheese. I met all the ph goals except for the final goal at the end of pressing, which she recommends at 5.4 for a smaller wheel. I only got to 5.6.

It may be unrelated, but that's not how you make a grana cheese.  Grana cheeses do wash the curd and are cooked up to 55 C.  Then you have a *very* long, low temperature pressing session after which you let it sit for a good day or so before you brine it.  The idea is to press at a relatively high pH (up over 5.7 IIRC), but you let it completely bottom out to around 4.6 or so before you salt it.  This gives it the grana texture and let's it age for a long time.

Do you have eye development when you make washed curd cheeses?  Your problem may be your water.

[Aris]

> for extra-hard washed curd cheese. I met all the ph goals except for the final goal at the end of pressing, which she recommends at 5.4 for a smaller wheel. I only got to 5.6.

It may be unrelated, but that's not how you make a grana cheese.  Grana cheeses do wash the curd and are cooked up to 55 C.  Then you have a *very* long, low temperature pressing session after which you let it sit for a good day or so before you brine it.  The idea is to press at a relatively high pH (up over 5.7 IIRC), but you let it completely bottom out to around 4.6 or so before you salt it.  This gives it the grana texture and let's it age for a long time.

Do you have eye development when you make washed curd cheeses?  Your problem may be your water.

So you salt at pH of 4.6? Isn't that too low? Linuxboy brine Parmesan at 5.2-5.4 pH. The texture is also affected by the cooking temperature and curd size when cooked.

[Bantams]

I've found all of Gianaclis Caldwell's recipes to be pretty awesome (at least the ones I've tried).
This is for Sprinz, right? 

Anyway, virtually anytime a cheese swells in the first 24 hours it is coliform contamination. Toss the cheese (sorry!)

I suspect you have low contamination levels of coliform in the milk and the fact that the thermo culture of the grana cheese doesn't kick in until halfway through the cook phase is giving the coliform time to proliferate. 
Or your milk source is variable and some days it is ok and others it is contaminated.

Either way, coliform is not ok and so I would find a new milk source or start pasteurizing. And the kind thing to do is tell the farm that they have a coliform issue.  Many dairies actually don't test their milk or make cheese so they have no idea that their milk is contaminated with coliform.