Cranked out a Bel Paese yesterday. What a simple recipe. Limited cooking, no pressing, age in the regular fridge.
I'm looking forward to trying this one soon.
Bonus was a very high yielding whey ricotta.
Sounds interesting care to share the recipe?
8 quarts whole milk
1/4 tsp thermophilic culture
1/2 tsp calcium chloride in 1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp liquid rennet in 1/4 cup water
18% Brine solution
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Heat the milk to 108°
Add the culture - let it rehydrate for 3 minutes and stir
Add calcium chloride and stir
Add rennet and stir for no more than 1 minute
Wait for a clean break - 40 minutes
Cut curd into 3/8" cubes
Use a baloon whisk with a plunging motion
Let it rest 5 minutes to heal the curd
Stir gently for 30 minutes
Let settle for 5 minutes
Remove whey to the level of the curds (reserve for ricotta because it's so rich)
Dip the curd out of the pot directly into the mold
No cheese cloth needed
NO PRESSING
Cover with the follower and let it rest for an hour
Flip it over with a drain board underneath and drain for 7 hours
Flip it EVERY HOUR while draining
Brine for 7 hours, turning at the halfway point
Dry with a paper towel
Ripen in a Ripening box in the NORMAL refrigerator
Drain the water every couple of days and flip - first 10 days
At 10 days, start washing with simple brine twice a week and keep flipping for 3 weeks
Ready to eat
Can wrap in foil and age for an additional 6 weeks in the normal fridge
Thanks. I'll give that a try. You use pasteurized milk right?
Have a pot of raw goat milk feta on the go right now. Its my first try with raw goat so needed an easy cheese to test for floc times so I know how much rennet to use for next time.
I make all my cheeses with raw goat milk. Two things I've learned--if you making a recipe that is standardized for cow milk drop you temps by about 3 degrees for the goat milk. Also, I use only 50% of the rennet that is indicated--otherwise floc times are almost instantaneous.
Good luck
Quote from: River Bottom Farm on April 22, 2018, 06:23:06 PM
Thanks. I'll give that a try. You use pasteurized milk right?
Have a pot of raw goat milk feta on the go right now. Its my first try with raw goat so needed an easy cheese to test for floc times so I know how much rennet to use for next time.
Yes, I'm back to using pasteurized milk. You can certainly make this with raw milk as well.
Thank you Thewitt. I'll probably make it with some raw cow milk and want to make sure I don't over acidify it with too much culture. I have had issues with recipes made for store milk if I don't adjust down on the culture some.
Just to clarify the balloon whisk step is supposed to come after the rennet step to mix in the rennet, not directly after cutting or the curd would be broken right?
No, the balloon whisk is to cut the curd after the clean break is achieved.
Thank you Thewitt!