Farmhouse Cheddar using Linuxboy's Process and Dthelmers' Recipe

[LittleSeed]

Hi there!
I'm going to attempt my first hard cheese this weekend and have decided to go with a Farmhouse Cheddar as it seems like a good starting point. I came across dthelmer's recipe using linuxboy's processs and am intrigued! I would love to give it a try. Only problem is that I don't have MM100 or Flora Danica on hand. What I do have that could possibly sub is a mesophillic culture pack that contains Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, and Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis.

Is it worth giving it a try with the cultures I have, or should I wait until next weekend to try the recipe as it was intended to be made? I'm so excited to make a hard cheese and I'm a little concerned that my enthusiasm might be leading me astray here - especially as I really have no idea what effect swapping cultures would have.

Thanks so much for your help!

[linuxboy]

Make both

That recipe I created is a very exact formulation. Meaning if you want to make extended shelf life curd, you have to make them as I wrote. If you make something like Dave made using the idea, it will be very different from stable curds, but should still come out quite tasty as a cheese. Play around with it

[LittleSeed]

Great! Will do I am planning on trying the cheese after 3 weeks. Can Farmhouse Cheddar be aged like a regular cheddar, or is it better eaten younger?

Thanks so much for getting back to me so quickly! Very cool to hear direct from the source

[linuxboy]

Can Farmhouse Cheddar be aged like a regular cheddar, or is it better eaten younger?

Depends on your pH levels at rennet and drain, and terminal post press.

[dthelmers]

Littleseed,
The oldest that any of these has gotten was eight weeks, so I don't know how they might age. When I'm making one that I'm going to age, I follow a more conventional make. Nothing succeeds like success, so I follow the make for the cheeses I like. This fast ripening cheese that I make is because I teach crafts to a lot of people, and my style is to try to give them an early success so that they will develop interest enough to build their patience and skills for better stuff that takes longer. I think this recipe is good for the impatient, as it can be eaten quite soon. Caerphilly is another one like that. But for the real great aged cheddars, go with another recipe and the very best milk you can find.

[Tomer1]

Given that it already packs some flavour at 8 weeks im assure its higher moisture then traditional cheddar?

[dthelmers]

No, not a higher moisture content. It's about the same dryness and texture as a Caerphilly - that is, slightly crumbly and drier than mass market cheddar. It's the extended pre-ripening time with MM100 that seems to be giving it increased flavor.

[Tomer1]

Interesting,
Im looking for a "general purpose" fast ripening sandwich cheese (other then gouda) to be eaten during the week. (I usually reserve the good stuff for friday night diners or spacial ocassions).
Maybe this is it, is it slicable or too crumbly?

[dthelmers]

I think it's too crumbly for a sandwich cheese, but maybe cutting the curd larger and extending the flocc time might make the difference. I'll try edging the next ones toward more moisture and see what it does. I make butterkaese with sazon seasoning sometimes for my (grown, but still young) kids. That ripens quickly, melts nicely, and is sliceable.

[JeffHamm]

There's also a quick ripening Lancashire make that MrsKK uses and I think Sailor developed it?  That might suit your purposes for a sandwhich cheese.

- Jeff

[LittleSeed]

That was fun! I'm so proud of my first cheese, I can't stop checking on it as it's out every few minutes as it's out drying. I'm glad I went with a "cheese for the impatient" for my first go as I'm already having to stop myself from breaking into it. Imagine if it was a gouda...

I followed Dave's recipe but made several changes based on what I had on hand. This is what I tried:

2 Gallons pasteurized, non-homogenized, whole milk (Ronnybrook - good stuff)
1/8 teaspoon Mesophillic culture (this from New England Cheesemaking Supply - Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis )
1/8 teaspoon of Streptococcus Thermophilus
1/2 teaspoon of liquid calf rennet dissolved in 1/2 cup of cold filtered water
1 tablespoons of kosher salt

and used Dave's instructions:

"Heat the milk to 76ºF and add MM100
Let ripen to pH 6.4, about 3 hours. It will smell buttery.
Increase temperature to 92ºF and add S. Thermophilus. Let ripen for a half hour.
Dilute the rennet and stir in for 30 seconds, about fifteen up and down strokes with a strainer.
If using the flocculation method, the multiplier is 3. Otherwise, check for a clean break at 30 minutes.
Cut the curd into 3/8" cubes and let rest for 10 minutes.
Heat to 102ºF taking 20 minutes to do it, stirring very gently at first, then more thoroughly as the curd hardens and shrinks.
Target drain is pH 6.0. If you're not using a pH meter, this is when the curd really wants to mat and feels more solid, like well cooked scrambled eggs.
Drain through cheese cloth in a colander, lifting, turning and pressing the curd to get whey to flow out.
Gather up the corners of the cheese cloth and put in a mold and press at about 2 psi (light to medium pressure) for one hour.
Take out of the mold and tear into olive sized pieces. Toss with the salt, and place back in the mold and press at about 3.5 psi (heavy) over night.
Let air dry, turning over twice a day for several days until the surface feels like a clammy handshake.
Age in the cheese cave."

I changed the press weight because, well, I don't have a press or stackable weights and ended up borrowing barbells from the gym downstairs! It was pretty crazy trying to rig the 50lb barbell so I reduced the weights. My thinking was that a lot of Farmhouse Cheddar recipes use a lighter weight for pressing. I guess I'll just have to wait for that cabot like texture Dave was describing until I have a better setup. 

I made the cheese on Sunday, pressed overnight, and have been letting it dry at room temp outside of my "cave" covered in cheesecloth. I'm hoping that does the trick! It looks like it should be ready to go in the cave tomorrow morning.

I have one question - my cheesecloth skills are pretty basic right now and my dressing left big wrinkles in the wheel (see below). Will this be a problem as it ages the 3 weeks?

Thank you for all of your help! I'll let you know how it turns out in a few weeks

[fied]

Looking at the curd marks as well as the wrinkles, you might try keeping the curds warm when pressing, if not all the time, then at least up to the final press. Yes, you probably will have problems with mould settling in those cracks. If you do, brush it away with a mixture of a weak brine and vinegar, then use a soft toothbrush to get into most of the crevices. Don't worry if you can't get it all off before a rind forms; you might end up with an interesting slightly blue-veined cheese.

Cheese-making, like all skills, needs a lot of practice, so don't be discouraged.

[dthelmers]

I press the salted curds at around 5.6 psi, or about 160 lbs on my 6" mold. I use a Dutch style press to do it. One of our forum members sells a Dutch style lever press on ebay for $79, a good investment if you like to do cheddars often, as I do. Or if you really take off on cheddars, another member has a pneumatic press. A good press is a worthwhile investment. There are also plans for an inexpensive diy press, I believe called the "Off the Wall" press. Seems like you can't have too much pressure on cheddars!

[LittleSeed]

Just thought I'd give a little update! We're 2 weeks in on this guy and everything looks great. No mold in the crevices from my sad sad bandaging job! I can't wait to eat it next week

Thanks again to everyone for all of their help and advice!

[matnewman]

Seems like you can't have too much pressure on cheddars!

Has anyone tried pressing at a really high pressure?  I'm imagining a small cube of cheese-essence!