I can't believe I haven't made a cheese since last Sept! I hadn't realised how busy things have been until I looked at my notes. Anyway, made a caerphilly today and, despite my long hiatus, things seem to have gone fairly well. Cheese is in the press at the moment, so will finish off the notes and details, and add a photo tomorrow when it comes out of the press. Fingers crossed all is well.
This Caerphilly protocol is one I found in an old New Zealand newspaper (from early 1900s). There was enough detail for me to put together this make procedure, and I'm quite pleased with the cheese it produces. However, there are at least 3 other protocols used on the forum, and all produce excellent results, so find one you like and go for it. If you're new to cheese making, caerphilly is one of the few hard pressed cheeses that really is good in about 3 or 4 weeks. I find it a very useful cheese to have in the cave while aging others for extended periods of time. It sort of runs diversion for them.
- Jeff
Traditional Caerphilly (Modified for Home Cheese maker) Feb 15, 2015.
9 Litres Homebrand Standard (3.3g fat/100ml 3.1 protein)
2 Litres Homebrand Light Blue (1.5 fat/100ml 3.7 protein) (total = 0.93:1 f:p ratio)
4 ice cubes meso (MW3)
¼ tsp CalCl (50%)
7.0 ml Renco Rennet (65 IMCU)
2.5 tbls salt + extra for rind rubbing during flipping.
1) Add starter and CaCl2 and warm milk to 30 C and remove from heat and wrap in towels (30.5 C)
2) Ripen 30 minutes (time 7:36 – 8:15; temp 30.5 - 30.4)
3) Add rennet (time 8:17:00 – Floc Time : 8:30:00 = 14m 00sec 4x mult = 56m 00sec Cut time = 9:13:00)
4) Cut into 2.5 cm cubes (9:13 – 9:19)
5) Stir and slowly raise temp back to 30 C (start temp 30.1 - ??.? C; time 9:19 – ?:??)
6) Maintain temp and stir 1 hour (9:19 – 10:19; until curd is slightly firm; note, longer stirring at this stage can reduce the time to drain later; temp at end : 31.5 C)
7) Let settle for 10 minutes (9:19 – 10:29)
8) Remove whey (10:29 – 10:49)
9) Put curd in cloth in pot and drain. Twist 5 times (count the 1st one at the start) over an hour to tighten it (every 12 minutes), but not too tight – whatever that means. Prop up one side of the pot and put curds on the high side (so the whey drains away from the curds). Remove whey when you tighten the cloth. (??:?? – ??:?? – ??:?? – ??:?? – ??:??)
or (as done this time) wrap in cloth bag, place a board/follower on top with a 2 litre jug of water as a weight. Flip every 20 minutes (at 11:20 and 11:40)
10) Mill to small bits (squeezed between the fingers like a potato masher; 11:50)
11) Add salt (2.5 tbls)
12) Place in cloth bound moulds, press in with hands
13) place under light pressure (~1 PSI; 12.5 kg on 5.625" mould = 1.1 PSI) 10 minutes (12:00 - 12:10)
14) Flip, rub with salt, redress and press ~1.5 PSI (15 kg on 5.625" mould 1.3) 20 minutes (12:12 - 12:30 – I'm using the bullet mould this time, so no flipping. Just redo cloth, and resit the cheese after salting the out side on some flips – not this one, too open.)
15) Flip, rub with salt, redress and press ~1.8 psi (20 kg on 5.625" mould) 20 minutes (12:35 - 1:00)
16) Flip, rub with salt, redress and press ~2.21 psi (25 kg on 5.625" mould) (1:00 - 7:00)
17) Upped the weight to 30 KG (2.66PSI) (7:00 - 6:30 am);
18) Out of the press it was 1576g, and (14.5 x 9.25) - 206 = 1527 cm3 for 1.19g/cm3. Knit was excellent. (-206 due to shape of the mould)
Made ricotta (raised to 91.8 C, add ¼ cup cider vinegar 11:45, waited 30 minutes or so, scooped and drained. Got 396 g, added 4g, 1-2% salt by weight)
Air dry 3-5 days and move to cave and age 3 weeks, flipping twice daily (80-85% humidity, 10-12 C).
Wednesday, Feb 18, 2015: Still air drying. Salted the outside with 2 tsp of salt as the cheese is weeping lots of whey. Want to prevent mould growth while the rind is firming up.
Cut Tuesday, Mar 10, 2015: 13.5 x 6.85, 1156g = 1.18g/cm3. Paste is good and solid, no mechanical holes or gass bubbles. Has a nice smooth, moist, and creamy mouth feel, but solid. Very good "tang", with no hints of bitterness or any off flavours at all. Perhaps the best caerphilly yet (or it's just been so long and I've really been missing some of this! )
Jeff, I was just thinking the other day that it has been a long time since I've seen you post. Nice to see you back at making some cheese!
12th?! Wow... ;D
Hi Jeff. Looking forward to your usual great follow-up reports.
Glad to see you again Jeff. As always a pleasure to watch your makes. ;D
Thanks all! Good to be back in the saddle, as they say. Anyway, I've updated the make notes and added a photo of the cheese out of the press. The weights tilted a wee bit, and some of the curds eeked up the edge of the mould creating quite a lip, but it should be fine in the end. While I like this mould in terms of the size, and it's good for these 11 litre makes, I'm not happy about the bullet nose. It looks nice, but it makes it hard to flip the cheese in the press, so I've taken to just removing the cheese, redressing, and resitting it in the mould. I prefer being able to flip it as it means pressing from different angles and I think that can be a good thing to get a decent knit. Anyway, this came together fairly well, and as it was fairly warm yesterday, my forgetting to press in the pot doesn't seem to have caused a problem. It's a long time since I've made a caerphilly, and it's one of my personal favorites, so I'm looking forward to it.
- Jeff
That mold would be awesome if it had a follower with a matching radius like many of the Kordova molds. I bought a edam mold that does but it's way too small for anything. LOL http://stores.cheeseconnection.net/3-pound-edam-cheese-mold-and-follower-lid/ (http://stores.cheeseconnection.net/3-pound-edam-cheese-mold-and-follower-lid/)
Yah, if it had a curved follower it would be great as you could flip the cheese and get a cool cannon ball shape. Alas, the follower is flat, and so I weep wee tears for cheese that only could have been.
- Jeff
Yeah, I looked at buying Kordova molds once, then I looked the other way when I saw the price. LOL
I have this mould... It's brilliant for making round Edams etc. :-)
Looks like the one I have. Can you fit 3 pounds of curd in it?
Barely I think... But maybe I can get a bigger version...
Quote from: Al Lewis on February 16, 2015, 06:02:20 PM
Yeah, I looked at buying Kordova molds once, then I looked the other way when I saw the price. LOL
Al, if you want a Kadova mold I'll send you one (we'll just have to work out the barter arrangement). I've got some on hand: the baby gouda 1kg and the larger 2kg. Once I sell these I probably won't order more (Holland is kind of hard to deal with as far as pay options are. Paypal? Forget about it! :(). These molds are unbelievable as far as ease of use (imange a life not having to redress cheeses :D). Just have to remember to do chemical sanitizing - the mesh doesn't like boiling water.
Thanks a million John but actually I'm set for molds. I'm getting a Manchego mold in March but have about everything else I'll ever need. I will however keep you in mind in the future. I only just found your site. If there's anything I can do for you please don't hesitate to ask. Always happy to help out a friend.
Quote from: Al Lewis on February 16, 2015, 11:40:17 PM
If there's anything I can do for you please don't hesitate to ask. Always happy to help out a friend.
Thanks Al. You already help a lot of us here with your sage advice (especially when sage goes so good with sausage 8)).
Just over three weeks, so time to cut into this caerphilly. Normally I would advise anyone just getting into making cheese at home that press cheeses really do require about 2 months minimum, and some much more, before they are really ready. Caerphilly, however, is the one exception and I find this cheese is one of my very top favorites when cut into at 3 or 4 weeks, and that it doesn't age well. This one is no exception, and in fact I think this might be my best caerphilly yet. The texture is wonderfully moist, and has a smooth creamy consistency to it. The flavour has a strong tang to it, like sour cream, which is the flavour I associate with caerphilly. It is a young, tangy cheese. There's absolutely no bitterness, and no off flavours of any sort. The paste has no mechanical openings but it is nicely solid all the way through. I've had my share of ho hums, but this, I'm very pleased to say, is not one of them. It has been awhile since I've made a caerphilly, and as it is generally one of my favorites, I'm quite relieved to find it's come out well. The one I made before this was made last year on Feb 2nd, but I didn't cut it until Sept 6th. I wasn't pleased with the outcome, and my notes just say "Curious flavour. Not cheddar like". This one, as you can see, has produced a rather larger stream of comments. :)
A great way to jump back in after a pause in cheesemaking! AC4U.
I love the Caerphillies that I make, and the speed with which they are ready. I tend to alternate making a Caerphilly and a Lancashire just to keep cheese in the pipeline while I wait for some of the longer-aging makes.
Wow great outcome Jeff the natural rind on this is beautiful
AC4U ;D
I just opened the one I made on November 27 (without lipase :P) mine is much more crumbly though.
Very nice. :D A cheese for you.
Thanks all!
Andy, I also use both Caerphilly and Lancashire as my "temptation diversion" cheeses. Butterkase is another one I'll throw into the mix as it is good at 2 or 3 months too.
Thanks H-K-J! I would like to reduce the black-spot I get when the humidity is a bit high, but it doesn't influence the flavour so I'm not too fussed. And it does add character. :)
- Jeff
You are the master of Caerphilly - one more cheese for you! :-)
Jeff----Being the King Of Caerphilly----you are the one to answer this question------I have made 4 Caerphillys--- --three were disappointing -----the 4th turned out very well------I used a recipe that Scanersky had posted https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,12885.msg100098.html#msg100098 (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,12885.msg100098.html#msg100098) ---the only difference, I used 4002 culture and aged 6 weeks----everyone loved this cheese.
Can you compare her spread sheet to your latest, greatest, and see if and what is different. I know that's a lot to ask, but up until this last Caerphilly I was convinced it was a loser cheese----now I'm thinking it's a great cheese----if I can reproduce the results.
If you don't have the time, I understand---all's well.
Qdog
lol! Hardly the master or king, but I admit, I like caerphilly and recommend it to anyone new to cheesemaking. It's a great cheese to learn from.
Anyway, qdog, I've had a quick comparison of the two protocols, and here's what I've noted:
Differences noted:
I used only P&H store bought cow's milk, scasnerkay used P&H cow + 1 cup raw goat milk
- Potential difference are cultures from the goat milk plus, well, it's goat milk and it may add some additional flavours
Cultures: I just used store bought buttermilk, this has similar types (but probably different strains and proportions) of bacteria as is found in flora Danica.
- Again, we're dealing with differences of cultures, which can result in different flavours. However, I've made Caerphilly with buttermilk, flora Danica, and MW3 (which only contains Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris and Lactococcus lactis susp. lactis.) and all have turned out very nice.
o Potential difference : I may just like Caerphilly more than most people so anything in that flavour ballpark is really good to me! ;)
We both warm the milk to about 30 C (86F), pretty typical milk temperature for a UK type cheese.
I ripened for 30 minutes, scasnerkay ripened 60 minutes – as scasnerkay is using a pH meter, she's tracking the cultures as they work. I'm basing mine on previous makes that have worked for me because I don't have a meter. Depending upon the acidity curves, we could be at the same, or different place in the action right about now.
I add my CaCl2 before warming the milk, scasnerkay adds hers after ripening period. CaCl2 is to help strengthen the curd as P&H milk tends to form weak curds and you get shatter sometimes. I read way back someone's post where they found adding the CaCl2 earlier works better for them. I started doing that too. Haven't made a systemic study of this though, but it seemed to help. Could be confirmation bias. Anyway, the main difference would be we may have different curd strengths for many reasons (i.e. different brands of milk is enough to consider this as a potential source of difference), and curd strength influences moisture and fat retention.
I cut my curds to about an inch, scasnerkay cuts to ½ inch. Cutting smaller curds results in more whey expulsion. All other things held equal (which, as we see they are not) I would suspect my make would result in a moister cheese. This is good for my purposes because I'm cutting at 3 weeks. If I wanted to age a caerphilly out for a few months, or more, then cutting the curds smaller is the way to go because too much retained whey will result in off flavours.
I hold my curds around 30 C the whole make, though the actual temp will rise and fall a bit as I move the curds in and out of the hot water bath, they usually stay within 30-32 C. Scasnerkay has a cooking period, where the temperature is raised from 30 – 33.3 (86 – 92), which again is a process that helps with whey explusion. The raising of the temp will help force more whey out of the curds, so again, like the smaller cut size, scasnerkay's protocol is aiming towards a drier cheese, more suited to longer aging and mine is aiming towards a moister cheese that is to be ready very quickly.
We both stir for about an hour, again, a process to remove whey, which in this case is equal for the two protocols. After that, there's draining, salting, hooping, and pressing. We both salt the curds, which halts the acidification, and press overnight.
So, in the end, the major differences between the makes that I've spotted are:
1) Different cultures are being used
2) Procedures in my protocol are aimed towards higher moisture retention, suitable for cutting when young, while scasnerkay's protocol is aimed more towards a drier cheese that is more suitable for extended aging.
So Jeff, after making 12 of these, what do you consider the best texture and taste for a Caerphilly?
Thanks a million, Jeff------that was more helpful then you can imagine-----very clear and precise answer----and I would bet, very helpful to others, too. I think her P/H markers helped me take out some of the guess work that I was dealing with in my previous makes. Once again, thanks for taking the time.
Qdog
No problem qdog. Glad it was helpful. It was a good exercise for me as well as it forced me to look carefully at what I do and think "why do I do it that way?", etc.
Al,
For the caerphilly I make, and given the time I cut into it, I expect it to have a good tang to it, sort of sour but not as in "off", like sour cream. The paste should be moist and crumbly. It should have a good creamy mouth feel. I tend not to salt the rind during pressing so much any more, though when I did I would expect the salt to be noticeable, but not to the point where it is overpowering. Basically, it should have a strong flavour profile, not subtle at all, but not one that might scare someone who is a cheese newbie but rather make them go "oh, that was refreshing and nice".
- Jeff
Thanks Jeff. I want to make one of these but have never eaten it so I need to know if it came out right. Make sense? Now I know!
Hi Jeff, a cheese for such a detailed answer to qdog's question. Very helpful.
No problem Al. And yes, makes sense. When trying to make a new cheese, especially one you've never actually tasted before, it can be tricky to tweak your protocol if you're not sure where you're trying to get to. If you follow the protocol in this thread (first post), you'll see step 9 has two options (the bag and twist versus put some weight on it methods of removing whey). I found this make protocol in an old newspaper (Marlborough Express, Volume XL, Issue 15, 18 January, 1907, page 4; found this in an internet search a few years ago). I did it that way at least once, maybe twice, but the cheese turned out too dry the last time I did it (as per the warning in the article; which I'll paste below in case anyone is interested in working from the original). The weights version has worked better for me, but I should work on my "twist the bag" technique to improve it.
Anyway, it's a really nice cheese, and the way I make it, it is not suited for long aging (I aged one out to 7 months, and while edible, it wasn't worth repeating). For a longer aging version, cut smaller, stir more, and maybe instead of keeping the temp at 30 for an hour and stirring, include raising the temperature to 33 to 35 C over the first 30-35 minutes of that period.
So, here's the original article, and a few extra bits and bobs that I found with respect to some of the measurements:
Caerphilly Cheese:
Marlborough Express, Volume XL, Issue 15, 18 January, 1907, page 4
This is one of those makes of cheese for which there is at the present time a steadily growing demand. So large, indeed, has the consumption of this cheese become (writes C.W. Walker-Tisdale in the Farmer and Stockbreeder) that we know of one firm of cheese merchants which is having Caerphilly specially manufactured in New Zealand, Holland, and Denmark, and sent to it in order to make the supply anything like equal to the demand. It appears to me that the prospects for this cheese are better than for almost any other variety, and considering the number of Cheddar makers who are turning their attention to Caerphilly makes, the production of Cheddar cheese is likely to suffer in consequence. The advantages of producing Caerphilly cheese as compared with Cheddar are: 1 Greater weight of cheese is obtained, as it is sold fresh when in a moist condition. 2. Being sold at the end of a fortnight after making, very little storage room is required. 3. The sale being effected so soon after making, money is quickly returned for the milk, which is not the case where Cheddar cheese is made, as this does not fully ripen and become ready for market in a less period than three months. To manufacture this cheese new milk is taken, regulated to a temperature of 86 deg. Fahr., and rennetted in the proportion of one drachm of rennet to three gallons of milk (rennet being first diluted with cold water.) In the course of about an hour the curd will be firm enough to manipulate, which can be tested by seeing if it breaks clean over the finger. It may then be cut by using American knives' (vertical and horizontal), and reduced to small cubes of about 1in in size. When all the curd is reduced to this size the temperature of the whole contents of the vat should be raised to 86deg. Fahr., as by this time it will probably have fallen several degrees, so should be raised to the same temperature as that at which it was rennetted. The curd must now be stirred by hand for about an hour, or until it becomes slightly firm in nature. Some makers stir the curd for thirty minutes, allow it to pitch or settle in the bottom of the van (sic; I assume vat) for ten minutes, when it will be time to draw off the whey. The whey is now drawn off, and the curd is placed in coarse cloths and placed on a table to drain. To help the expulsion of whey the cloths are tightened now and again by taking three corners and using the fourth as a binder. This drainage is allowed to go on for about an hour, during which time the cloths will have been tightened about five times. This tightening to expel the whey must not be excessive, or the curd will get too dry. The curd is now broken by squeezing it in the hand and out between the fingers, almost as a potato-masher works. It is next placed in the tin moulds, which are lined with cloths to receive, and the curd pressed in with the hands. The curd in the moulds is left for two hours before being put to press, during which time only small weights are put on the followers to keep the curd together. The curd in the moulds may now be turned and put to press under just a small amount of pressure – say, 5cwt or 6cwt overnight. In twelve hours' time (next day) the cheeses are taken out, rubbed with salt, turned, and replaced in the mould with a fresh cloth, and put under a pressure of about 10cwt. Twelve hours later this process is repeated, the total amount of salt used being half an ounce to each pound of cheese. On the third morning from making the cheese may be taken out of the press and removed to the curing-room, which, if the cheese is to be ready for sale in two weeks' time, should be at a temuerature (sic) of 65deg. to 20deg. (sic : 70?) Fahr. If not required to be ripe so soon it must be kept at a lower temperature. In some cases makers prefer to salt their cheese by brining them instead of rubbing with dry salt. This may be done by having the cheeses partly immersed in brine for a couple of days or so, being careful to turn them frequently. The common size of the Caerphilly cheese is 6lb, but they are made in sizes from 5lb to 10lb each. In the case only of the larger cheeses the pressure may be increased to 15cwt instead of 10cwt for full pressure.
----------- end of article -----------------------------
For noting: cwt is a hundredweight, or "centum weight". In the UK (and here in New Zealand), 1 cwt = 112 pounds, while in the US it equals 100 lbs.
And a drachm is 1/8th of a fluid ounce according to "thefreedictionary.com"
I've also found reference to the traditional sizes being 10 inches in diameter and 8lbs. Assuming 10 inch diameters then 5cwt would produce roughly 7.13 psi, 6 cwt would give 8.56 psi, 10cwt = 14.27 psi, and 15cwt = 21.40 psi
Thanks for the cheese Schnecken Slayer!
After having done this, I think it's probably a good idea to do this when you see a protocol that is different from what one does. This comparison process, along with the thoughts as to what change it might produce, can really help sharpen the understanding of why we do things. It certainly made me think a lot about why I do things in this make, and what changes might produce larger and smaller effects on the final cheese.
- Jeff
Thanks again! I get the measurements, wife's from London. LOL AC4U for your helpful nature! ;D