Cheese #5 Havarti #1

[Caseus]

My fifth cheese make went well.  I had no disasters and I didn't make any serious process blunders (that I'm aware of) this time.  I made a 3.5 lb Havarti using the process that Debi described in reply #4 of her Havarti With Dill and Onions thread.  I used different cultures, and I brined in a saturated brine I had on hand rather than one made from the leftover whey.  I also referred to Havarti Cheese Making: Five Recipes Compared, Havarti #1, and the recipes listed in 200 Easy Cheeses and in Margaret Morris' book for information, inspiration, and comparison of process.

3 gallons pasteurized non-homogenized Jersey Milk
6 drops Annatto
1/4 tsp MM100
1/8 tsp Flora Danica
3/4 tsp CaCl2
3/4 tsp single strength liquid calf Rennet
1/4 cup coarse flaked non-iodized Salt (Morton's Kosher) 

Initial pH of milk was 6.61.  I diluted the 6 drops of Annatto in 2 ounces of distilled water and stirred it in as I began heating the milk.  Since I was heating my vat directly on a gas burner without benefit of a water bath, I brought the temperature up very slowly.  It took me 57 minutes to bring the temperature up to 86°F.  I sprinkled the culture on top when the milk reached 87.4°F and let it rehydrate for 5 minutes.  I stirred it in, and then measured a pH of 6.51. 

Question:  Is it normal for the pH to drop by .1 (from 6.61 to 6.51) over an hour of slow heating and 5 minutes after sprinkling the culture on top of the milk? 

After 30 minutes of ripening, I stirred in the CaCl2 diluted in 1/4 cup of distilled water, then stirred in the rennet diluted in 1/4 cup of distilled water.  The pH measured 6.46.  Flocculation was acheived in 11.5 minutes.  I used a multiplier of 3.5, so total setting time came to 40.25 minutes.  I confirmed a clean break, then cut the curds and measured pH at 6.45.  This is only .01 less than I measured 40 minutes earlier, so perhaps my earlier reading was off.  I would expect more of a drop over 40 minutes.

After letting the curds heal for 5 minutes, I stirred and cooked at 87°F for 15 minutes.  The temperature at the end was 86°F.  I removed 5 quarts of whey and replaced it in two additions.  The first addition was 2 quarts of 133°F water, bringing the temperature to 96°F.  That was actually higher than my target (from Debi's process) of 93°F, so I totally blew that.  I stirred for 5 minutes, then I then added 2 quarts of 100°F water to bring my temperature to 98.9°F.  I added the 1/4 cup salt and stirred it in well.   I stirred and cooked for 30 minutes at this temp.  At the end of the cooking time, I measured the pH at 6.23.  That was my last pH measurement.

I then drained the whey and hooped in a 7.5 inch diameter Tomme mould.  I pressed with 11 lb of weight for 15 minutes, flipped and redressed and pressed for another 15 minutes, and repeated that twice more.  Then I flipped and redressed three more times in the next hour.  Then I pressed for 3 more hours for a total of 5 hours.  I remove the cheese from the mould and weighed it at 3 lb 8 oz.  I brined in a saturated brine for 8.75 hours (based on 2.5 hours per pound of cheese), flipping halfway through.  The cheese is now drying in my cave.

I'm happy with the make, and I hope this cheese comes out tasting good.  I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of it.  But of course, the proof will be in the munching a few more weeks down the road.

[MacGruff]

Your cheese looks very nice and I hope you succeed in it.

Question - why add the Annato? Most Havartis I have ever seen have been very white (that is, unless they had seeds of some sort in them)

[Boofer]

Looks great!

Does the salt have any additives or is it just salt? I ask because my Morton's Kosher salt has "prussiate of soda".

-Boofer-

[Caseus]

Question - why add the Annato? Most Havartis I have ever seen have been very white (that is, unless they had seeds of some sort in them)

Because Debi did in that recipe of hers that I followed.  Also, just for the heck of it.  I used very little, so I want to see what it does to the color.  I used a lot more in the farmhouse cheddar I made, and in the Colby, so I'll have something to compare to.   

Does the salt have any additives or is it just salt? I ask because my Morton's Kosher salt has "prussiate of soda".

Ooops.  Yes it does have Yellow Prussiate of Soda!!!   I did not notice that before.   

Well, I also have picking salt that has just salt in it.  I'll use it from now on.

[DeejayDebi]

I used annatto in Havarti? Must have needed a change for some reason. Can't remember doing it. LOL

[Caseus]

Here you go, Debi.   Listed in your original post, "1/2 teaspoon Annatto".   Havarti With Dill and Onions

[DeejayDebi]

Looking back in my picture files it looks like I was coloring every other cheese so I wouldn't get them mixed up. It isn't needed. I will edit the post so no one gets confused.

[Caseus]

Your use of it is what gave me the idea, but I was aware that it wasn't typical for this cheese, Debi.  It was really just a coloring experiment for me.  I wanted to use the annatto to compare the color with two other cheeses I've used it in.  This one had the least amount of annatto, my first farmhouse cheddar had more, and the colby I did recently had a lot.   When I eventually cut into them, I'll get to see the effects of different levels of annatto.  All just part of my cheese coloring education.   

[DeejayDebi]

I do like a bit of yellow to my cheeses. My raw milk cheese is so pretty but the store bought stuff looks anemic in comparison!

[dthelmers]

Yeah, just made one from the Jerseys at Deerfield Farm. The cheese is butter yellow and smelling heavenly! Makes me glad for all this rain in CT, it's making the pasture quite lush!

[DeejayDebi]

Yes we need it. HArd to believe the water tables were so low after last year.

[MacGruff]

I recently used some Annato - but I was making a Colby!!!

At the time of the make, the cheese did not look very colorful and I was worried about it. However, when I cut it open after three months, the cheese had a nice and pleasant orangey color to it. Much more than after the make, but no where near that ugly orange that the commercial ones have.

I am thinking of getting another one made soon (need to find the time away from travelling...     ) and will use Annato there as well. But on a Gouda? don't think so...

[Caseus]

This was Havarti, not Gouda.  Still... 

[DeejayDebi]

Well it won't hurt anything and a bit of color is pleasing to the eye ...

[MacGruff]

As long as it tastes good, it makes no difference if it's yellow or not!

Gouda, Havarti - they're all good...