We just made our second Kefalotyri, and since the first one was such a success, I thought I would share the recipe and technique with you. First, here is the recipe:
Kefalotyri Cheese
(Recipe loosely based on Gavin Webber's "Little Green Cheese" Video, and a recipe from here on the Cheese Forum, with the assistance of Members)
It takes about 6 hours from the start to the overnight pressing.
Equipment Needed:
1/2 tsp. 1/2 Tbsp.
3/16 tsp. Flocculation Bowl
1/8 tsp. Both Curd Cutters
1/4 cup Whisk (Small)
3 Stainless Cups Two Timers
Rectangle Mould Cheese Cloth for Mould and Colander
Skimming Ladle Colander
Slotted Spoon Butter Knife
Dinner Knife Two Thermometers
Ingredients:
8 L Homo Milk (3.25%)
1 L Coffee Cream (18%)
Total – 9 L at 4.9% Butterfat
1/2 tsp. Calcium Chloride, dissolved in ¼ cup cool water
1/8 tsp. Culture (MA4002)
1/8 tsp. Lipase, dissolved in ¼ cup cool water – let sit 20 min.
3/16 tsp. double strength Liquid Rennet, dissolved in ¼ cup cool water – let sit 30 min.
2 Tbsp. Salt (4 X 1/2 Tbsp.)
Method:
Heat the milk to 90° F. While heating, add the calcium chloride solution and stir well to combine, and add the lipase solution (we used mild Calf lipase) and stir well. Sprinkle the starter over the surface of the milk, wait 2 minutes for the powder to rehydrate, then stir well. Cover and allow the milk to ripen for 40 minutes.
Add the diluted rennet through a skimming ladle and stir gently with an up-and-down motion for 30 seconds. Top stir for 30 seconds. Cover and let sit at 90° F based on the flocculation time multiplied by 2.5X. Check for a "sloppy" break (about 30-40 minutes). The curd is quite fragile, so handle with care!
Cut the curd vertically into 3/4" columns. Rest 5 minutes, but each minute gently agitate the pot to make the columns of curds sway a bit and discharge some whey into the spaces between. Cut the curd horizontally into 1/4" pieces. Rest 5 minutes, again shaking the pot gently to separate the curds and help them heal. Use the whisk gently to reduce the curds to about 1/4".
Heat the curds to 124° F by increasing the temperature slowly over a period of 60 minutes (3° F every 5 minutes). Using the slotted spoon, gently stir the curds while heating them. Curds should eventually reduce to rice size. Check the curds with a grip test. If still soft, cook longer, maintaining the temperature. About 10 minutes extra worked OK. Curds should compress into a ball when squeezed in the palm, and then separate easily when teased with the thumb. They should be springy. Let the curds rest for 5 minutes to settle in the pot.
Pour off the curds and whey into a cheese cloth lined colander. Allow to drain. Separate the curds by hand until the consistency is like scrambled eggs. Add the salt 1/2 Tbsp. at a time, mixing the salt in gently but thoroughly with each addition. Wait 2 minutes and repeat 3 more times (4 X = 2 Tbsp. total)
Lift the curds in the cheese cloth and place into the mould, fold over the cloth and place the follower on top. (If they won't fit, use a Medium Cylinder mould.) Slowly increase the pressure to 10 lbs. (~0.5 psi), insuring the whey only drips out, not flowing in a stream. Once at 10 lbs., press for 15 minutes. Remove from the cheesecloth, gently flip, and using the proper cheese cloth for the mold, press as follows, flipping and redressing the cheese each time:
20 lbs. (~1 psi) for 30 minutes
40 lbs. (~2 psi) for 60 minutes
85 lbs. (3.5 psi) overnight (10-12 hours) Keep the room at 72° F.
The next morning, turn down the heat in the room. Flip the cheese, trim if necessary, and press at 10 lbs. for 30 minutes without the cheese cloth to remove cloth marks.
Air dry at 55° F (cool room temp.) for 3-5 days or until well dried, flipping twice daily. Wax the cheese or vacuum bag it, and age it for 6 weeks at 55° F in the cheese cave, flipping daily. If you vacuum bagged it, open the bag and dry it, and re-bag. Age for another 6 weeks in the kitchen wine fridge (46° F). Turn it weekly.
Sample the cheese. Vacuum-bag or re-wax the remainder of the brick and age another 3, 6 and 9 months. (max. 1 year from date of making cheese). This cheese can be used to make Greek Saganaki (fried cheese).
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/Saganaki_Cooking_Email.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/04aec8e5-ce54-4873-bf78-7cd2fc30d80f)
That is a photo of Saganaki made from our first make of Kefalotyri.... It can also be eaten as a table cheese.
Photos of this make in the next post....
Bob
Here are the photos I took during our make....
Here is our Cheese Kitchen.... It used to be one of our Motel units, now dedicated to making cheese.... We use a water bath on a burner for heating.... The mix of 8 litres of 3.25% P/H whole milk and a litre of 18% cream is to emulate the high Butterfat content, and Protein/Fat ratio, of Sheep's milk, as is the added Lipase....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/01_Kitchen.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/d2d35cea-9eee-471d-9a48-ea6a5a42940e)
Adding the MA 4002 Culture, 1/8 tsp.... Calcium Chloride and Lipase were already added during heating.... Next it ripens for 40 min....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/02_Culture.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/9909a82f-bfcb-4000-bbcd-e32db291245e)
Adding the Rennet.... We used 3/16 tsp. Double Strength, but you could use 3/8 tsp. of single, of course....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/03_Rennet.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/39f2aff5-c730-406d-a942-7a61e89d6940)
I use a small plastic bowl to test for Flocculation.... In this case it took 17 minutes, times 2.5 for a setting time of 42.5 minutes before cutting....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/04_Flocculation.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/d5bcbfd6-8b4a-4a67-bf91-6d0cd682c6fb)
When we checked the "break", it was a bit sloppy, as expected.... We cut the curds into 3/4" columns, let them rest 5 minutes, but each minute moved the pot gently back and forth to make the columns wave around like kelp in the ocean, to get them to start releasing whey.... Below is my horizontal curd cutter positioned, ready to make the 1/4" horizontal cuts....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/05_Curd_Cutting.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/9cadc46d-8b33-4733-9015-b2d098b5aced)
Continued below....
Bob
Continuing from above.... After the horizontal cuts, allowing the curds to heal for an additional 5 minutes, while shaking the pot gently to help them separate and heal.... we gently used a whisk to cut the curds into about 1/4" pieces....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/06_Whisking.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/fe925784-91ed-4c7e-9563-49c17c7c82cf)
The curds are now cooked by heating slowly to 124*F over one hour (about 3*F each 5 min.).... By the time they are done, they have reduced to about rice-sized grains....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/07_Cooking.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/1d3a56e4-3fbe-4f2b-b566-d686288a6ce4)
Now it's time for a little "art".... Compress a small quantity of curds in the palm of your hand to squeeze out the whey.... Then tease the curds apart with your thumb.... If they are not cooked enough, they tend to stick together, and the drier they become, the easier they are to separate.... Individual curds become more springy as they cook more.... It takes a while to develop the "feel" you need, but once you do, you can judge when to stop cooking the curds to within about 5 minutes....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/08_Grip_Test(1).JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/f09ffe63-a78f-42a4-ae45-f8c588b61e14)
The curds have been drained, and separated by hand into small pieces.... At this stage they look and feel much like scrambled eggs.... Add 1/2 Tbsp. of salt, mix in gently but thoroughly, and let stand 2 minutes for the salt to absorb.... Repeat 3 more times for the rest of the salt (2 Tbsp. total).... Salting the curds directly at this stage is critical to halting acid production.... It that continues, and drops the pH too far, the cheese will melt when fried for Saganaki....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/09_Salting.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/fbe0cedb-04c3-49b1-a4e8-4b197f0694cf)
Continued in the next post....
Bob
Continued from above.... We gather the salted curds in the cheesecloth and transfer them into the mould, folding the cloth over the top.... You start by pressing VERY gently.... the whey would be just dripping out, not running out in a stream....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/10_Pressing.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/99e59541-28f7-45ce-889f-c532b85ee189)
Increase the pressure to 10 lbs. and hold it there for 15 minutes.... Remove and unwrap.... It will be fragile and look about like this....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/11_10_lbs.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/50aad2de-df8c-4a1d-b365-e87c93db12f1)
Use the proper cheesecloth (cut for the mould), flip, rewrap and press at 20 lbs. for 30 minutes, at which point it will be nearly knit.... It was interesting how little whey came out in this 20 lb. pressing, and virtually none after this....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/12_20_lbs.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/24f25aef-4c5e-4c25-8890-5a386b9d9f1e)
Flip, rewrap, and press at 40 lbs. for an hour.... Fully knit now, and ready for the final pressing overnight....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/13_40_lbs.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/2d201c99-fc6e-43c4-88ba-531ac65b51f4)
We pressed at the maximum our press can go with single springs, which is 85 lbs. (3.5 psi) for 12 hours (overnight).... We then unwrapped it, trimmed off the ridge from the follower, flipped it and repressed for 1/2 hour at 1/2 psi (10 lbs.) without the cloth to remove any cloth marks.... Here is the result....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/14_Kefalotyri.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/566238ef-aff4-4dfa-8776-16e0b5970b63)
At this stage, it weighs 2 lbs. 11 oz. which represents a yield of 13.5%.... It will now sit for a few days to dry (and loose a bit of weight) before we wax it....
Bob
I found this diagram a while back while surfing the Internet....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/pH_and_Melting.png?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/ff356598-ca10-4f38-8db2-8c1eb22cf798)
It shows the pH range you want to have for a cheese to melt easily.... but importantly for making Saganaki, it shows why you must halt acid production while the pH is still high (above ~ 5.8 ).... Too much acid, and you will end up with a gooey mess like Gavin did when he tested his Kefalotyri.... :-[ .... He brined his cheese, instead of salting the curds before pressing.... It continued to acidify overnight, causing it to melt when he fried it.... :(
I chose MA 4002 to get some initial acidification, but the Meso bacteria will be killed off when cooked to 124*F, leaving just the Thermo remaining during that stage.... Then the salting should look after that.... That was the theory, and it seemed to work.... Our first Kefalotyri we stopped cooking at 120*F, but increased it 4*F this time to make the cheese slightly drier.... I guess we will find out in 3 months if that was the right decision.... 8)
Bob
Neat! I like the idea of a cheese you can age AND fry when you want.
That you for the very nice instructions. Kefalotyri is another cheese I have never heard of. Why is it Halloumi is so bland but this cheese is not?
Possibly because Halloumi is eaten young.... or the cooking it in 170*F whey may have something to do with it.... All I know is, we didn't enjoy it enough to make it again.... In addition, it doesn't even soften, it remains rubbery even when grilled on the barbeque....
The Kefalotyri, on the other hand, is awesome.... The aging from the ST, and the flavour of the Lipase, can't hurt.... ;)
Bob
When I make halloumi, I use a small amount of aromatic mesophilic culture (about half of what you might ordinarily use). Then looking for a pH of about 6.3 (at a rough estimate -- no pH meter here) for the final cheese. It makes quite a big difference. I think it's important to get a good buttery flavour from the culture. Traditionally you use no culture in halloumi, but you use raw milk. It makes no sense to me to make halloumi with pasturised milk and add no culture. YMMV. I really love halloumi, but then I like a lot of fresh cheeses that other people might find bland.
This is an utterly superb, detailed and helpful tutorial on a delicious cheese that it's hard to find recipes for!
I'm gonna try this as soon as I build the wall-mount press that I've been planning. My current spring press is way too small and wimpy for this cheese.
Thanks!
I had difficulty finding a good recipe as well.... Gavin's looked OK, but his results were disappointing.... He used a Thermo culture.... The video showed the cheese melting all over the frying pan, and he soaked it up with bread to make a grilled cheese sandwich!.... The recipe here on the Cheese Forum, by DeejayDebi, was quite different, and had a temperature range of 107-133*F (hotter gives a drier cheeese).... No culture, but raw milk....
https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,2233.0.html (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,2233.0.html)
Gavin brined his after pressing overnight (which the members here said over-acidified it, causing it to melt).... The other one salted the outside of the cheese over a period of days.... I discussed the options with the members here, and decided to use MA 4002 to get an initial acidification from the Meso bacteria, which were then killed off by cooking at 120*F plus, leaving only the ST to finish the acidification.... I took the chance and hoped for the best, and it turned out great!.... I think the key was the direct salting of the curds before pressing, to halt the acidification.... The results are in that thread....
This time I decided to bump the temperature up to 124*F, just to see the difference in dryness, and how it melts.... Best of luck Matt, please let us know how it works for you.... 8)
Bob
Check on reddit for /u/solitary_kidney's posts on /r/cheesemaking. They make Kefalotyri often and are an amazing resource for Greek cheese in general.
Thanks, Mike.... I'll have a look....
Bob
After drying for 4 days it now weighs 2 lbs. 7 oz., a yield of 12.3%.... It is now waxed and in the Cheese Cave at 55*F for 6 weeks, after which it will go into our Beverage Fridge to continue aging at 46*F until 3 months old....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/15_Waxed_2_lb_7.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/6b639868-f422-442d-8010-00bc23ed1041)
At that time we will cut off a couple of 1/2" thick slices for Saganaki, and give you a report in both threads.... The plan is to use it every couple of months so that we use it up within a year.... We should get 10 servings (5 each, assuming no company) with each slice just over 1/2" thick.... This is the reason for using a rectangular mould....
Bob
Awesome. Can't wait for the next update. I'll post mine too when I have one, in this thread if that's ok.
And before I forget again, AC4U!
Thanks for the cheese!.... and yes, please use this thread to let us know your results.... 8)
Bob
Ok, I took my first attempt at kefalotyri out of the press this morning. I basically followed Bob's very detailed recipe, with a few "modifications".
The biggest modification is that after heating the milk, adding the CaCl2, lipase and mesophilic culture, I realized that I had completely run out of thermophilic culture (DOH! - idiot!). So I attempted to compensate by blending some greek yogurt with NC water and adding that to the milk, hoping that would provide a thermophilic culture. We'll see.
This was also my first time using the flocculation method (which works exactly as advertised, much to my surprise), using this big a volume of milk in my new 5 gal pot, using my new 8" Tomme hoop and using my new DIY wall-mount cheese press (picture below - I'll post details in a separate post).
During pressing, the cheese was very wet and soft, so I didn't flip it because I was worried it was going to fall apart. Even after the 50 lb pressing, I thought it was still too delicate. So I just increased to 100 lbs (2 psi) without flipping overnight.
For some reason I still can't get the inline image formatting to work when I paste a URL from my Google Photo account, so I'm posting them as attachments. Any advice would be welcome.
- My new DIY wall-mount cheese press. With two 8 lb jugs as weight, this configuration is 100 lbs (2 psi).
(https://photos.app.goo.gl/jE7HXYpBhUs2o83z8)
- The kefalotyri after overnight pressing at 100 lbs. There are some creases from the cheesecloth, and it still feels a bit fragile. It's still slowly weeping some clear liquid, so I'm hoping it will firm up as it dries.
(https://photos.app.goo.gl/Uy9DCMqMpvEyJm6c9)
and now we wait.... 8) ::) ;)
Bob
Three months later, and it's time for the reveal, and our first Saganaki from this Kefalotyri.... 8) .... We tasted a sliver before frying the pieces, and it is like a mild Manchego.... in other words absolutely delicious.... Here it is being converted into a wonderful Saganaki....
We use a cast iron skillet, with olive oil, heated until it just starts to smoke....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/Saganaki_Email.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/ab03aa1f-117d-43e4-8524-d35b9590bc77)
After grilling to a golden brown, it is removed from the heat, and fresh lemon juice squirted over it....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/Saganaki_Lemon_Email.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/7e081f06-7361-4682-bae8-94978d705622)
Then, it's time to enjoy.... The Kefalotyri is gooey on the inside, but firm enough you can cut it into cubes and savour every bite....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/Saganaki_Gooey_Email.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/1c9337fa-89f8-4e07-bade-99937c03a069)
Here is my wife Diane's recipe for our Saganaki....
QuoteSaganaki
(Made With Our Own Kefalotyri Cheese)
Kefalotyri Cheese (about 8 oz.) – Cut it into 4 - 2 oz. pieces that are about ½" thick
Olive Oil
Flour
Lemon
Make sure the Kefalotyri is cold. Heat a cast iron pan on medium heat and add some olive oil (about 1 – 2 tbsp.). When the pan just begins to smoke slightly, put your cheese in cold tap water and dredge it in flour (put the flour on a plate and place the cheese on the plate and tip it and make sure it is all coated in flour).
Place the flour-dredged cheese on the heated cast iron pan. NOTE: It is crucial you pre-heat your cast iron pan! Sear the cheese until it is browned on top and bottom and starts to soften. I like to turn it with two forks. Remove the pan from the stove and place it on a trivet. Squeeze lemon juice (1/2 lemon) over the hot cheese. Let it sit for about one minute to allow the cheese to continue to soften right through. Turn the cheese over, leave it on the cast iron pan and serve while hot and softened. YUM!!!
Without bragging (OK maybe a little bit) this rivals anything we have ever had in a Greek restaurant.... We will be making a Kefalotyri every year, giving us a delicious Saganaki every 3 months....
Bob
That looks great and made me hungry :) Happy Thanksgiving and AC4U
Happy Thanksgiving to you as well, and thank you!....
Bob
Hi Bob and Diane,
My kefalotyri (following your make recipe) still needs another few weeks to reach 3 months. We'll see if I can last that long. Your saganaki looks fricken awesome. I hope my cheese will look that delicious when I fry it.
Thanks Diane for the saganaki recipe. I've made it before with store-bought kefalotyri and kasseri (frankly, I would skip the kasseri next time. And halloumi? Don't even get me started on what a waste of time that is). When I've done saganaki, I first pierced the cheese all over then marinated the cheese in either brandy (greek grappa or ouzo would be better) or vermouth, before drying it and dredging it. I'm not sure this really adds anything, I don't think the cheese really soaks up much of the flavor at this stage. Then at the end after frying, I squirt it with a bit of brandy/ouzo and then lots of lemon juice, just before serving.
I do NOT let it catch on fire or yell "OPA!' or any of that stupid crap.
Anyway, thanks for the delicious update. I'll post my success/failure on this thread later.
Cheers,
Matt
ACFU!
Thanks, Matt.... I hope your Kefalotyri turns out as awesome as ours has.... One of the first cheeses we made was an Halloumi, and what a bland piece of rubber it was.... ::) .... I'm glad we didn't give up on finding the perfect Saganaki cheese!....
Bob
Thanks for the excellent recipe. Unfortunately the ph level dropped to 5.1.
Is there any hope of saving it?
I don't work with a pH meter, so I can't actually tell you what the pH of my Kefalotyri is.... To be honest, I think the trick in not having it melt when making Saganaki is to have the skillet hot enough to start smoking the Olive Oil BEFORE you drop the coated cheese on, keep turning it, and stop when golden brown.... Ours turns out soft in the center, but not runny.... Try it and let us know!....
Gavin made the mistake of putting the cheese in a cold skillet and then heating it, and it melted all over the place!.... ::)
Bob