Butterkäse (Buttercheese)

[philipc]

I finally found a recipe for German Butterkäse. A .PDF version can be found on the web site of the "Agricultural Center for Cattle, Grassland, Dairy Farming, Game and Fishing",
Baden-Württemberg Germany.
http://www.landwirtschaft-bw.info/servlet/PB/show/1303191/LAZBW62_12%20halbfeste%20Schnittk%C3%A4seherstellung-BUTTERK%C3%84SE-Art.pdf

Here is my translation:
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Development of a semi-hard cheese; Butterkäse (Named for its softness and yellow color).
Butter Cheese is made using pasteurized, or germ free raw cow milk. Butterkäse has round shape, and 50% fat content. The skin is smooth, with a somewhat yellow-brown color. The rind should be soft without holes. The taste should be mild with a light acidic taste. Production for 10 liters

Ingredients:
•   10 liters cow milk
•   200 milliliter Mesophilic starter culture
•   100 milliliter Yogurt
•   0.2 grams Calcium Chloride (only if using pasteurized milk)
•   4.5 milliliter liquid Rennet (diluted in water) , thoroughly mixed
•   16% brine solution (or cheese salt if not brining)

Heat the milk to 42°C and maintain the temperature. Stir in the starter culture and the yogurt. Stir in the calcium chloride (if using). Let set covered for 8 minutes. Mix in the diluted rennet. Let the milk set for 12 minutes, maintaining 42°C, until a clean-break.
Curd cutting should be done quickly (under 15 minutes) maintaining the 42°C temperature. Initially cut the curds into 5 centimeter cubes. Then slowly cut them 3 to 4 times more until the curds are the size of hazelnuts.
Let the curds rest for short time to heal, and to expel whey. Ladle the curds into a mold with a bottom (or cheese cloth lined mold); don't let the cheese cool. The temperature of 42°C must be maintained throughout the entire draining process!
Set the mold on a draining mat and place a second mat on top of the mold. At the beginning the mold is flipped every 30 minutes, later on the flipping is reduced to once an hour until 5 ½ to 6 hours (pH. of 5.3). The salting process begins.

The 1.5 kilogram cheese is now salted in a 16% brine solution at temperature of 14°C for 5 hours. The cheese can also be dry salted instead of brining. After drying the cheese is aged. The aging room should have a temperature of 6°C to 8°C , and 90% humidity.
During the aging process turn and wipe down the cheese 2-3 times a week. Minimum aging time is 3-4 weeks. To improve the taste let the cheese age up to 3 month, without letting it dry out.

Possible cheese defects:
•   White slimy cheese is the result of a temperature below 42°C during the draining process
•   Acidic cheese will have curds that are small, chalky, crumbly, white and dry
•   Excess rennet & or excess whey will produce a bitter tasting cheese

[CheeseSnipe]

Thanks for posting! Have you tried it yet? I'm going to give it a whirl.

[medomak]

Ladle the curds into a mold with a bottom (or cheese cloth lined mold); don't let the cheese cool. The temperature of 42°C must be maintained throughout the entire draining process!
Set the mold on a draining mat and place a second mat on top of the mold. At the beginning the mold is flipped every 30 minutes, later on the flipping is reduced to once an hour until 5 ½ to 6 hours (pH. of 5.3).

I assume we are talking about a cheese press here?  Does it give any instructions about how much weight/pressure to use?

This sounds really good and since you aren't cooking the curds after you cut them, you don't have to deal with raising the temps on the curds in a linear fashion like cheddars call for  (go from 86 degrees to 102 degrees over 40 minutes, no more than 2 degrees every five minutes).  That part I find the most difficult to be consistent.

Thanks for posting this.

Dave

[CheeseSnipe]

medomak, After a detailed review of this recipe and two others I found last night in other forums, there appears to be some details not quite right.

As for weight, I found 45lbs mentioned. The steps to wash the curd (like a gouda) are also missing. And the temps mentioned are the finishing temps not the starting temps (based on the other two recipes.) I'm hoping to clean up and repost my version (untested yet) to see if it helps. Maybe someone with more expertise can refine further.

[CheeseSnipe]

Ok, so here is the first attempt. I took the recipe from philipc, the one from Bella, and another one from a Canadian cheese forum and merged the pieces that made the most sense (to me).  I will post comments once I see how these variants turn out.


Butterkase Experimental-1

Ingredients: 
2 gal cow milk
1 pkt Thermophilic starter
6 Tbsp Yogurt
Annatto coloring (optional)
1/4tsp Calcium Chloride (only if using pasteurized milk)
1 tsp liquid Rennet diluted in water
16% brine solution (or cheese salt if not brining)

Heat milk to 95F. Stir in the starter and the yogurt. Let sit 20 minutes.

Heat milk to 108F. Stir in the calcium chloride (if using). Let set covered for 8 minutes. 

Mix in the diluted rennet. (mine started to setup within one minute so do this quickly) Let the milk set for 12-15 minutes, maintaining 108F, until a clean-break.

Curd cutting should be done quickly maintaining the 108F temperature. Cut the curds into 1/2 inch cubes. Let the curds rest for 5 min to heal, and to expel whey. (mine started to solidify into one big curd again so you may have to cut multiple times)

Pour off excess whey (to curd level) and add back hot water to original volume maintaining temperature of at least 108F. Stir occasionally for 45 min to keep curds from matting.

Pour off whey. Ladle the curds into a warmed mold with a bottom (or cheese cloth lined mold); don't let the cheese cool. The temperature of 108F must be maintained throughout the entire draining process.

Option 1- Set the mold on a draining mat and place a second mat on top of the mold. At the beginning the mold is flipped every 30 minutes, later on the flipping is reduced to once an hour until 5 ½ to 6 hours (pH. of 5.3).  Notes: these instructions to me seem to describe an unpressed cheese. Butterkase has a light spongy texture so it's hard to say for sure if it's pressed or just compresses under it's own weight. I will try both variations.

Option 2- Place mold in cheese press, pressing lightly for 30 min. Remove, flip, redress and press lightly for another 30 min. Remove, flip, redress and press at medium pressure for 12 hours or overnight. Notes: I used 20lb for the initial pressing and 45 for the final. Butterkase naturally has small holes throughout. Mine seems more firm, like that of a soft Gouda (but I won't know until I cut it open how much airspace is in it)  so I'm thinking if I press again I will use a lighter pressure throughout.

The 2lb cheese is now salted in a 16% brine solution at temperature of 57F for 5 hours. The cheese can also be dry salted instead of brining. After drying off, the cheese is ready to be aged. The aging room should have a temperature of 43-46F and 90% humidity. 

During the aging process turn and wipe down the cheese 2-3 times a week. Minimum aging time is 3-4 weeks. (though one source recipe said its edible in as little as a week). To improve the taste let the cheese age up to 3 month, without letting it dry out.

Possible cheese defects:
•   White slimy cheese is the result of a temperature below 42°C during the draining process 
•   Acidic cheese will have curds that are small, chalky, crumbly, white and dry
•   Excess rennet & or excess whey will produce a bitter tasting cheese


If anyone sees flaws or has advice on perfecting, let me know.

[pliezar (Ian)]

The Univerity of Guelph has something similar to this on their site
http://www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca/cheese/sectionf.htm#semihard  Called a Brine Brick  that might help with the recipe

[CheeseSnipe]

pliezar, thanks for posting. I was actually going to make a brick cheese next (slightly more bland and more dense than the butterkase). I'm going to try to infuse lavender into it since its such a bland cheese. I wanted something that wouldn't overpower the herbs.

[JeffHamm]

Hi CheeseSnipe,

That looks interesting.  I'm wondering, though, isn't the yogurt and thermophilic starter redundant?  Is this a result from merging the various recipies you've found.  I would think one would just add 1 package Thermo OR 6 tbls yogurt. 

I'm interested to hear how this turns out.  Hope you will post a photo and let us know the taste you're getting.  This might be a good one to add a slurry of blue if it turns out moist but bland.

- Jeff

[CheeseSnipe]

Jeff I thought the same thing. I wasn't sure why both would be needed so I just did it. I wasn't sure if it was a texture thing or some other unknown factor. It was in philipc's original verson. The other two specified starter culture, or thermo started. The yogurt did not break down well so I scooped out the bits that didn't desolve. I would just use DS thermo starter next time. I also noted that the starting temps varied. Some had it at 108F the entire process and one had it start lower and raise so I went with the later to ensure the bacteria had a better chance to propogate and not get too hot at the start.

[zenith1]

Philip-thanks for sharing the website and recipe-good work.

[JeffHamm]

Hi CheeseSnipe,

I notice that in PhillipC's post above he has 200 ml of Mesophillic Starter and 100 ml of yogurt, although the temp's look all wrong to me for mesophillic.  I've seen a few cheeses where a mix of meso and thermo are used though.  I've not used yogurt as a starter before, but it sounds like it's a bit "chunky"?  Anyway, looking forward to seeing the end result.

- Jeff

[CheeseSnipe]

Jeff, I caught that too. The temps are too high for meso so I switched to thermo. Also the 200ml works out to be 13 Tbsp so obviously this is referencing a culture not a direct set starter.

[JeffHamm]

I've been doing some snooping around, and I found this recipe posted on another board (which you might have already?)

Butterkase, German butter cheese = VERY mild! You will need to buy a new culture from Glengarry or Danlac, for this cheese, RA 24 (Rapid Acidifying 22, 24 or 26) It acidifies the cheese very quickly, allowing the short ripening time.


Warm 12 – 15 liters of milk to 39C, add ¼ tsp of culture and let it melt 5 minutes on surface of cheesemilk, then with a long whisk stir well into the milk and let it ripen for 45 minutes, holding 39 degrees. Add ½ tsp rennet, dissolved in ¼ cup cool water and stir well with whisk. Let set to clean break, still holding 39 degrees. Cut the curd in ½ inch and stir gently for 15 minutes. Let curds settle and remove 1/3 of whey and replace with really hot water. You want to bring the temperature up to 42 degrees, while stirring and continue to stir for 10 minutes. After let curds settle and remove as much whey as possible and then drain curds and press cheese at increasing pressure to 45 lbs, for 12 hours or overnight, redress (flip and change cheese cloth on round) twice during this time. Remove cheese from press and brine for 12 hours/ two pounds, flipping at half time. This amount of milk will give you over 4lbs of cheese so brine for 24 hours. Let cheese ripen for 4 weeks at ten degrees, turning every day for the first week. *Now my neighbour says that they eat this after one week, it melts beautifully for grilled cheese sandwiches.

[JeffHamm]

I also found this on this forum in my searches:

ButterKase
Thermophilic starter
Rennet
•   Heat milk to 35C
•   Add starter – 20 minutes
•   Heat to 40-42C
•   Add rennet
•   Cut curd into small squares
•   Stir and allow to settle
•   Pour off excess whey and add back the water to volume
•   Stir every now and then for ¾ hour
•   Ladle into a mould

Hope this helps?

- Jeff

[JeffHamm]

I've also found descriptions of a red/gold rind?  Might this be a light b.linnens wash? 

Having read a bit more, it's stated to be a red gold natural rind, so no.  Hmmm, but a light wash might not be a bad variation...

- Jeff