Derby Cheese Making Recipe

[DeejayDebi]

Derby  - adapted from recipe from the Family Cow   
Creamy ivory to a rich yellow, mild flavored  cheese is sometimes compared to mild cheddar, and has a similar texture but lacks the unique cheddar flavor. It does tend to have a buttery, creamy flavor, and it melts    
   
Ingredients:   
1 gallon of whole milk   
Mesophilic starter of you choice   
Rennet per manufacturers instructions, dissolved in 1/4 cup cool water   
2 tablespoons  salt or to taste   
   
Procedure:   
Heat milk to 84°F .    
Add starter culture, mix well,  cover and let ripen 30 minutes.   
If you want to add amatto for color do it now. Mix well.   
Add  rennet, mix well, cover and let sit 45 minutes.   
Cut the curd into 1/2" cubes.   
Let curds rest for 5 minutes.   
Slowly raise temperature to 94 degrees, gently stirring the curds. This should take 30 minutes.   
Let the curds settle for 30 minutes.   
Drain the  curds in a cheese cloth lined colander for 30 minutes.   
Cheedar curds by cutting into four slabs. Stack one slab on top of the other, reversing the order every 20 minutes for one hour.   
Tear slabs into pea sized pieces. Sprinkle salt over the curds. Mix well.   
Place curds into a cheesecloth lined mold.   
Press with 10 pounds pressure for one hour.    
Flip cheese and press with 10 pounds pressure for one hour.    
Flip  cheese again and press with 50 pounds pressure for 24 hours.   
Air dry cheese on a mat for several days until dry to the touch. Turn twice a day.   
Wax cheese and age it for 1-2 months at 50-55°F turning it twice a week.   
   
When herbs are added to Derby cheese, they are cut in with the cheese curds. Therefore, they are pressed with the cheese and they age with it.   

[MrsKK]

Tammy posted this recipe way back when...she's the same KFC member who posted it there, I'm sure.

I've made Derby a couple of times, but haven't been too thrilled with it.  But that's just me!

[Sailor Con Queso]

Cheshire is similar to Derby but has a little stronger flavor. My English friends like it much better than Derby. You might also want to try a Caerphilly, nice Welsh cheese in the cheddar family. Another one is a Wensleydale.

[DeejayDebi]

I prefer a real sharp cheddar to an almost cheddar but some people really like the mild flavor of this cheese.