Moosbacher - looking for the recipe

[Vnature]

Hi

Does anybody have any idea of how to make this popular Austrian cheese? It looks like a mix of Gruyère and Emmental but semi-hard. Which starter cultures should be used? Mesophilic or thermophilic? When to start washing the rind with b.lilens brine solution? Any idea would be highly appreciated. 

[Al Lewis]

Try and message Alp.  He would know if anyone does.  Haven't seen him on here in a while though.  I did find this but it's of little help. 

Moosbacher
(Imported Cheeses)
In a class by itself, Austrian classic Moosbacher is the only cheese that has a washed rind and large eyes (holes) in the paste, owing to a dual-ripening process. These generous-sized, pasteurized cows' milk wheels are wrapped in linen made just for this purpose, and the flavor has been described as a cross between Dutch Gouda and Alpine cheeses such as Appenzeller or Gruyere. Semi-firm and smooth, it tastes sweet and fruity with a creamy, melting mouthfeel, a bit of spice and pungency, and notes of toasted hazelnuts. While it makes a fine table cheese, it is also a superb melter.

Category
Alpine

Item #
2600

Animal
Cow

[reg]

That sounds interesting, will be following this thread for sure

[Vnature]

Can't wait anymore. I'm gonna make it either way. 

First of all I have made a kind of Baby Swiss. Used Ricki Carroll's recipe but with a few changes.

4 gallons of pasteurized milk.
1% of homemade Flora Danica mother culture
0.5% of LH100 mother culture
1/16 tsp PS (used last crumbs, need to refill)
15 ml liquid 10% calcium chloride
5 ml liquid rennet (otherwise a winter milk wouldn't flocculate in time)

Let's go.

Dissolved PS in a cup of milk to activate them.
Heated all the milk to 84F(29C)
Added calcium chloride
Added cultures and PS. 
15 drops of annatto dye. 
Waited 25 minutes

Added rennet
Floc point – 20 minutes (sooo bad, winter milk)
Multiplier – 3

Cut the curd mass into ½ inch pieces.
Waited 5 min and started stirring  them gently for 10 minutes.
Removed 1/3 of the whey.
Slowly added hot boiled water at 130F (55C) to reach 95F (35C). It took about 15 minutes, I'm not as fast as the Cheese Queen   

Stirred for 5 minutes more and then added remaining water to reach a curd temp of 102F (39C). It took about 10 or 15 minutes more (I was afraid to have the boiled curd so was not in hurry)
Started stirring at 102F. In 15 minutes I used the «fist test» and realized that the curd is well done. Maybe this happened because I was not in hurry adding hot water. 

Then I've been pressing the curd under the whey with 2.5 lbs of weight for 30 minutes.

After that I transferred the curd mass to the mold for pressing.
1 hr with 8 lbs
1.5 hrs with 9 lbs
1.5 hrs with 11 lbs
And finally 3 hrs with 22 lbs

Then I left the cheese to rest in the fridge for 12 hours.
Next day I've been salting it in a brine for 15 hours.

And now it's drying out in the fridge waiting for the rind.   

And the ugly b.linens are breeding in the flask looking forward to obtaining the new home.   
Tomorrow I'll start washing the rind.

Sorry, I didn't take pictures when cooking. The only one was taken a couple of minutes ago.

[Danbo]

Looks nice - I like the shape.

[Schnecken Slayer]

That's a nice looking wheel. ac4u

[nccheesemike]

Very nice looking cheese 

[DoctorCheese]

What mold do you use? Also, A cheese for you

[Vnature]

What mold do you use? Also, A cheese for you

Thanks 

I used an Anelli Lodi 6"х6" mold with no bottom. I made the follower myself using a jigsaw and a plastic cutting board.

[Vnature]

The news is not so good. B.linens I've been using for washing the rind is dead. Neither a sign of proper ripening nor a stinky smell..  Got new SR3 from Danisco. I've started washing my Baby from the beginning. 

[AnnDee]

Don't worry, once you get them going they are there to stay 
All my cheese that share the same cave as the washed rind all contaminated by the blinens.

[Vnature]

Thanks Ann 

Usually when a b.linens solution is ok it smells like hell.  But this time the bacteria brine didn't smell at all. But when I prepared the new one I felt that lovely stench of rotten veggies and a broken public toilet 

[Vnature]

After 1 month of daily washing with b.linens brine I've moved my cheese to the warm chamber. It's slimy and stinky as well. Now I'm waiting for the PS to start. Not sure if it swells enough because I was almost out of stock with my propionics.

 

[AnnDee]

Thanks Ann 

Usually when a b.linens solution is ok it smells like hell.  But this time the bacteria brine didn't smell at all. But when I prepared the new one I felt that lovely stench of rotten veggies and a broken public toilet 

Oh my  ...and I thought the smell of my over ripen raclette was bad, it didn't even have the unbroken toilet smell, let alone broken and public.   

After 1 month of daily washing with b.linens brine I've moved my cheese to the warm chamber. It's slimy and stinky as well. Now I'm waiting for the PS to start. Not sure if it swells enough because I was almost out of stock with my propionics.

Can't wait to see how your cheese turns up. Keep us posted please.

[awakephd]

Ann, the only "food" (and I use that term very loosely) that I associate with the smell of a broken public toilet - if you add in the smell of burnt onions and garlic as well - is durian.

Which brings up an idea - maybe this could be your next cheese experiment - durian cheese! Just don't send me any - I tried durian twice, and decided it wasn't worth the effort. My father, on the other hand, loves the stuff ...