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Halloumi Cheese Making - Eight Recipes Compared

Started by Cheese Head, January 16, 2010, 05:27:08 PM

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Juan Fries Widdat

I really appreciate the work that went into this thread.

I made Halloumie with 2 gallons raw high fat cow milk, meso culture, rennet. I pressed at 20 pounds. The curds didn't stay together well, so I cooked them in cheesecloth. It was hard to tell if they were floating or the cloth was pulling them up. I did not make an albumin cheese with the whey prior to cooking the cheese. Cooled and then put in saturated brine at room temp 70*F, after 5 days the outside of the cheese was becoming soft and the brine looked cloudy, so I air dried and salted.

I'm curious as to why it became soft in the brine? Would a day long air dry first be better? Too warm a temp?

I'm not a huge fan of salty cheeses, but this one has developed enough flavor to be addictive. Grilled cheese and grilled fruit - and up all night drinking water.

Flound

Quote from: Spellogue on May 21, 2013, 06:24:04 PM
Found this topic as I consider my next batch of Halloumi this season.  Very informative.

Here are the make notes from the recipe I used last year.

FH6H.    Haloumi  6/25/12.
    1 gallon goat milk
    Starter none. Bring to 90F over 30 min.
    Rennet. 1/2 tsp veg set 10min                   
    Heat to 130 45 min.
   Cut 2" leave at 130 5 min.
   Use whisk to break into rice size curds.  Stir at 130 5 min.
  Layer with chopped fresh mint in cheesecloth lined colander, drain 60 min under 8 lbs saving whey. 
   Heat whey to 190.
   Slice cheese 1 1/2 inch thick.
   Cook sliced cheese in  whey 20 min. 
   Pack in 10% brine.

This recipe worked so well for me that I am loathe to make changes to it.
I still have a stash of it from last year stored in the fridge that is 10 months old and still eating great. 
It was a tad salty for my wife's liking, so I might try a 7.5% brine on the next make.  I used only ND milk last year but I'm going to make a batch from grade milk (Nubian/LaMancha).  I'm curious to see if the different breed's milk will make a noticeable difference in the cheese.

Curious as to what strength rennet was used...

Spellogue

This recipe used liquid vegetarian rennet from Hoeggers' Supply that I had from a kit.  It's pretty weak stuff.  I don't know the actual strength, but now when I make this recipe with powdered calf rennet and 1 gallon raw milk I use only 1/32 tsp rennet. 

Flound

Just because I'm a noob and don't know much,  I have to ask what is the strength of the powdered rennet you currently use is? I've never worked with it so I'm kinda clueless.

Spellogue

This powdered rennet is 1:100,000.  That seems to be the standard for powdered calf rennet.  Much of what is on the market isn't marked with any indication of strength.