First cheese with questions : CamBZola

[zimmermannbp]

New to cheese making and decided to jump right in and try to make one of my favorite styles of cheese, Cambozola.
I am using the Camblu recipe from New England Cheesemaking (https://cheesemaking.com/products/camblu-recipe)  as a starting point. I have read several other recipes and watched several youtube videos as well.
I used store bought blue cheese that I enjoy to make a slurry in a blender. I tried to use mainly the blue mold and a small amount of the milk I was using for the cheese. Right or wrong I let the slurry sit out covered for two days before using.
I decided to go with the sink and sous vide method for temperature control. I used an infrared thermometer to measure the milk temperature.
I again deviated from the recipe by cutting the curd and allowing about a five minute "healing" time after cutting and stirring. I only stirred gently for 2-3 minutes each time.
Then I used a mesh screen in the whey and ladled off some of the curd. I then ladled 2-3 ladles into the mesh screen and then ladled it into the three molds. I did this until the three molds had about two ladles in each.
I then used a small syringe (3cc) with the needle removed to suck up some of the slurry (2-3 cc) and put that on the layer of curds trying to stay away from the edges. The slurry also developed a blue "skin" on top so I used part of that for one of the molds to see what the difference would be.
I then followed the same procedure to add another layer of curds and then another application of the blue mold and finished with the third layer of curds.
Unfortunately, I started my cheese making in the afternoon. So I stayed up until 4 am flipping the molds every two hours. I then flipped it again about six hours later and again just before the initial salting. I had them out of the molds for the initial salting of the tops. I flipped them after six hours and did that top and sides. I might have been better off leaving them in the molds. I got a slight bulge on each of the cheeses.
I then moved them to my tupperware style boxes with the lids open on bamboo mats. I flipped them twice a day for the 24 hours they were salted and drying. I used paper towels to remove moisture from the boxes and placed paper towels under the bamboo.
I then moved them to my dorm fridge in their boxes. I have it plugged into the ITC-308 temperature controller and set it at 54 F. 
I flipped the cheeses twice a day and continued with the moisture control.
After two days of this I used the cheese thermometer to poke holes in the top, bottom and sides. They were then moved back to the cheese cave in their boxes. I moved to flipping and moisture control once per day.
I made the white mold solution as directed, and allowed it to hydrate overnight in the spray bottle. Two days after the holes were made, I sprayed the top and sides as directed. I left the cheeses uncovered and at room temperature for two hours. They were then moved back to the cheese cave in their boxes and I continued flipping and moisture control once per day.
At the time of the hole poking, no blue mold was evident. Four days after the white mold application, I am starting to see some exterior blue mold, and not much white( at least that I can see)
Questions I have:
1. how long to wait on white mold before either respraying or wrapping?
2. When to change temp in Cheese cave (these CamBZola are the only ones in the cheese cave/fridge
3. Wrapping or not wrapping, when and why?

Thank you in advance!

Brian

[Aris]

I haven't made this yet but I plan to make this in the near future. I have good experience with blue cheeses and bloomy rind cheeses.
1. Blue mold needs oxygen so wrap it after it has aged in the box for 2-3 weeks (plenty of time for internal blue mold to grow). You should spray again with the white mold because the blue mold is starting to dominate.
2. After 2-3 weeks.
3. Wrapping prevents moisture loss especially if you age for over a month and it saves space because you no longer need to use a plastic box for high humidity.

[zimmermannbp]

Thanks for your response. I am on day 13 total. I am taking you suggestion and resprayed today. Below is a picture from today before the respray. I may repoke in a day or two and look to wrap in 5-7 days from today.
what is the preferred temp once I wrap?

[Aris]

38-45 f. As long as its cold, a regular fridge is ideal. The colder the slower the cheese will ripen but less ammonia and even ripening. Your cheese looks good and the white mold looks like it might eventually dominate the blue mold. Yeah piercing it again is a good idea.

[zimmermannbp]

Resprayed 2 days ago and repoked today. day 15 from milk in pot.
1. How many more days before I should wrap?
I am thinking around day 21.
thanks.

[Aris]

Day 21 is good and if you have a proper cheese wrap, it would still be able to breath and allow oxygen in so the blue mold continues to grow.

[zimmermannbp]

Thank you,
Bought some from New England Cheese making. I will be interested to see the difference from the slurry vs the skin versions.

[zimmermannbp]

15.4 oz cheeses, before wrapping on day 21. Put in  6 degree C fridge.

[zimmermannbp]

7 weeks after starting. Turned out pretty well for a firat cheese. comments and suggestions welcomed. Maybe more holes for more blue veining next time.

[Aris]

Looks like the white mold eventually dominated. The cheese looks good, has good blue veining and gooey creamy interior, well done. How's the flavor and taste? I hope mine will turn out as good as yours. I used water buffalo milk and won't soften because of the high butterfat. It might also have little or no blue veining because I didn't use blue mold powder, I used blue cheese slurry.

[zimmermannbp]

I used a slurry as well rather than the store bought packet. It has a good eather taste, not over powering blue flavor and a goog creamy texture. I am pleasantly suprised. I think re poking it helped. I spayed for the white mold as indicated in the directions

[Aris]

That is good to know. With my cambozola, I used a white mold solution made from a store bought brie rind and sterile water. I will post mine after 9 days.

[Aris]

Here's mine made from water buffalo milk and 34 days old. Decent blue veining for a Cambozola and mild blue flavor but this lost a bit more moisture than I want because it is a thin and small cheese at 345 g. Next time I will make it bigger and thicker.