I can't find any info in google about actually making it, plenty of recipes using it in cooking- it is a greek hard cheese similar to parmesan?
I think there is a recipe in R.Scott's book: Cheesemaking Practice.
It should be made from sheep's or goat's milk.
Thanks Alex- is R Scott based in America?
I have been looking for this cheese for you and I think I've got it. Is this the same thing? It's spelled a little different.
Kefalotyri - Greek - strong flavored hard cheese, flat 30 cm diamter
Ingredients:
1 gallon Milk from goat, Sheep or both
9 ml Rennet
Salt
Procedure:
Warm milk to 90°F and add rennet sufficient to firm curd in 50 to 40 minutes.
Curd is stirred with wooden knife/rake rather than cut.
Scald to 107 to 133°F in 30 to 4 minutes. Stir then pitch curd for 10 to 15 minutes.
Push curds to end of the vat and removed whey.
Fill hoops and press out some loose whey.
Press curds with low pressure 220 pounds for 5 to 6 hours.
Place cheese in cheese cloth and repress to produce hard smooth coat.
Rub dry salt into cheese coat for 6 to 8 weeks. If cheese is dry use wet salt.
Cheeses are piled 4 to 6 high as they harden.
Waitawa, here is a review (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,297.0.html) of R. Scott's book.
Thanks so much to teh both of you- yes John I am fairly certain that is the one- awesome!
BTW
In Greek:
Kefalo = Sheep
Tyri = Cheese
I was in local Eastern Mediteranean Grocery Store in West Houston USA and took these pictures of Kefalotyri/Kefalotiri cheeses . . .
Great! Thanks very much for taking the trouble to do that.
I can't help but notice that this recipe doesn't use a starter culture!.... Gavin Weber's uses a Thermophilic, but when he went to fry it, it melted.... I plan on making a Kefalotyri this Saturday, and would like to make sure it doesn't melt when I make Saganaki with it....
The scalding temperature is a very wide range, 107 - 133 *F (Gavin used 113*F), and I would assume that it must be either the lack of culture, or the high temperature scalding are what give this cheese its high melting point?....
Please, if anyone has made this cheese, from either of these or another recipe, please post here ASAP....
Bob
I've never made this one, but if you want a non-melter you'll want very little acid development. Weber's recipe allowed too many opportunities for acid development so I'm not surprised it melted.
The recipe w/o culture would require high quality raw milk.
I looked up Saganaki recipes and it sounds like it actually does melt to some degree - you just need a thick enough slice so it doesn't melt in the middle by the time the edge is crisp.
Is it like a young Pecorino Romano?
A cheese that is dry/salty only can melt so much (think Parm) due to low moisture content. So I'm guessing that this cheese should melt a bit (normal curd formation, not like Halloumi or Paneer) but it's limited because it's a dry cheese (think Parm vs Jack).
Hello Bob -
I got your email. Been a long time sine I got to make cheese. Sometimes life gets in the way!
Kefalotiri is a typical famers cheese. Usually made at home with milk from their own flock. I haven't made this one but from what I have read over the years and in talking with Greek friends it's also a family style cheese.
Some people like it harder and drier than others depending on what they are using it for. For grating harder is better and adding to sauces it slowly melds adding flavor. For frying and adding to salads and pasta dishes a bit softer is better. This explains the wide range given in scalding. The hotter you cook the curds the more whey that is expelled and the harder and drier the cheese. You don't have to worry about killing the culture because there is none.
Hope this helps!
Thank you both for your help, most educational.... First off, I will be using a mix of pasteurized milk and cream.... 8 litres of 3.25% Homogenized milk plus 1 litre of 18% coffee cream.... This works out to 4.9% B.F., and a Protein/Fat ratio of 0.64 (based on the Nutritional information from Dairyland, the only kind of milk I can get).... This is about The P/F ratio that a "typical" Sheep's milk is supposed to have according to my research (although low on the BF), and I am trying to emulate that as much as possible, including the addition of 1/8 tsp. Calf Lipase.... The main purpose for making this cheese is for making Saganaki, so I want it to have as high a melting point as reasonable, balanced with the proper moisture for that use....
I would assume that starting from pasteurized milk I need a starter culture.... I have several Mesophilics, plus the Thermophilic packets from NEC, and some Su Casu from Danica.... for the latter, I understand that 1/8 tsp. is recommend for 1-10 gal. of milk.... Bantam, you stated that I should limit acid production, but I presume I need SOME, correct?.... Would the best plan be to use one of the Thermo's I have, or to use a Meso, and plan on killing it off when I scald the curds?.... Alternately, should I use no culture even though I am using pasteurized milk?....
Debi, based on your explanation of scalding temperature, for a first attempt at a Kefalotyri, should I use 120*F (right in the middle of the range).... I am certainly not interested in making a dry, hard grating cheese, it will either be used for Saganaki, and/or as a table cheese, if it is good enough.... Gavin Weber's recipe uses a 10 hr. brining, should I stick with that, or should I direct salt the curds before pressing?.... If so, how much salt?....
I really appreciate your help on this, I don't want to have a failure like Gavin did.... ::)
Bob
Again, I don't know this cheese so I'm just thinking out loud here...
I personally wouldn't age a non-cultured cheese, as it seems like it could more easily develop a pathogenic bacteria.
Traditionally it would have been made with raw milk, and in a manner that allowed for culturing/inoculation via the wood (bacterial biofilm on the vat, whisk, etc). Mimicking a traditional cheese with pasteurized milk in stainless steel is not the same - it needs culture added.
I would warm the milk to 90 and keep it there through renneting. Use a short culture time, just 5-10 minutes to hydrate. Hand milking an animal results in 89-90 degree milk by the time the pail is full (IME) so this is the default temp for initiating cheesemaking in virtually every recipe.
As for cook temp, I haven't a clue. Maybe different batches at 110, 120, and 130 and see which one is closer to your goal?
For culture, maybe try a tiny pinch of both meso and thermo to cover your bases?
Thanks, Bantam, for the advice, and in particular the clarification about the need for a culture with pasteurized milk (and the safety lesson, too).... I'll use 1/8 tsp. MA 4002, which is both.... AC4U.... ;)
Bob
I would go with the Thermophilic culture if you are going to go for the 120F temperature. You really shouldn't exceed 113F with mesophilic cultures.
Thanks, I was wondering about using a Mesophilic to develop some acid and then kill it off with the 120*F ?.... The MA 4002 has both, would that be OK, or would you use the Su Casu?.... Oh, and AC4U for your assistance.... 8)
Bob
We made the Kefalotyri yesterday, or at least what I hope ends up like a Kefalotyri.... ::)
I used the MA 4002 culture, a Floc. multiple of 2.5, and then scalded the rice-sized curds to 120*F, and direct salted them instead of brining (hoping to halt the acid production before pressing).... It has a nice creamy colour because of the high BF content of 4.9% from the 8 litres of Homo milk plus 1 litre of Coffee cream.... We had an excellent yield, the weight out of the press was 2 lbs. 14 oz. (1.30 kg.).... :o
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/Kefalotyri_251020_Email.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/2e73d257-f401-4a6b-87e9-02e3e2baf939)
It has a nice aroma from the 1/8 tsp. of Lipase.... After drying and aging, I am hoping that it will have a high enough melting point for a good Saganaki.... I'll let you know.... ;)
Bob
OK, so 6 weeks ago we made a Kefalotyri, and it is now ready to go into a colder storage location, at 44*F instead of the 55*F it has been at.... The initial aging was "naked" for about a week, but after constantly chasing mold, we vacuum bagged it.... Today we opened the bag, dried out the small amount of moisture, cut off 1/4 to try and rebagged it to be opened again at 3 months....
And here is a photo of the piece we are going to try as Saganaki tonight.... There was no off smells from the vacuum bagging....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/Kefalotyri_6_wks_Email.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/c4afe687-38ad-40c2-a3a0-608f3b6c057a)
This 1/4 weighs 10 oz., and has the delightful aroma of a mild Lipase cheese.... The texture is firm, creamy and slightly open.... Next time I will press it harder, and we will use a rectangular mould so it will be easier to cut into tidy Saganaki sized slices.... It slices well, and is delicious, a bit like a mild Manchego....
We heated a cast iron pan to about 400*F, and then added some EVOO.... When it just started to smoke, we turned the heat down to medium and added the cold, flour dreged Kefalotyri slices, cut about 1/2" thick.... It didn't take long to start to brown, and here is a photo after the first time it was flipped....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/Saganaki_Cooking_Email.JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/04aec8e5-ce54-4873-bf78-7cd2fc30d80f)
You can see that the cheese has not melted, and the inside is still not warmed through.... We turned it frequently until it was golden brown on both sides and the middle was soft and just starting to melt, then removed it from the heat.... We squeezed fresh lemon juice on top, flipped it on the pan, and put it on a trivet on the table.... This keeps it warm and soft during the meal.... Here is a photo of a piece cut on the plate....
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo221/rsterne/Kefalotyri_Saganaki_Email(2).JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/rsterne/a/51b71c5f-e26c-457c-b4e4-d8c7586aae7d/p/b630aeb6-dc91-4cea-8fea-bb45b8ec9a5b)
It is soft, moist and delicious, with no signs of the disastrous melting that Gavin experienced with his.... Having the pan really hot before you drop the cheese on it is a must!.... The Kefalotyri is delightful served this way, although at only 6 weeks it is still pretty mild.... I expect it to improve with age, although it will be hard not to devour it immediately.... ;)
Bob
AC4U! Looks amazing! ;D
Thanks, Mike.... it would not have been possible without your help.... 8)
Bob
This looks great! Would you be willing to post the full recipe?
AC4U!
-Matt
We will be doing another in a month's time, I can do it then if that works for you....
Bob
Hi Bob,
That would be awesome. Whenever is convenient for you.
I've previously tried a feta and a halloumi, with cow's milk, which both came out as slimy salty rubbery disasters, and both ended up going straight in the bin. There's a kasseri recipe in Mary Karlin's book, but that's just not the same as kefalotyri. I've made saganaki with both types (store bought), and kefalotyri wins, hands down. FYI, in a pinch, manchego can make a decent saganaki as well. Better than kasseri, anyway.
Cheers,
Matt
We tried Halloumi, so very bland we won't do it again.... I'll work on doing a detailed post of the Kefalotyri recipe when we make it next month....
Bob
We have done our second Kefalotyri, and I posted the Recipe here:
https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,19573.0.html (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,19573.0.html)
Bob
Quote from: mathewjones on July 19, 2021, 04:50:53 PM
which both came out as slimy salty rubbery disasters, and both ended up going straight in the bin.
Assuming you stored these in brine, I can give you a tip. Normally, slimy cheese is the result of too much "ion exchange" in the brine. In simple terms, your cheese is full of "stuff" and the brine is not, so the brine sucks the "stuff" out to the cheese. Similarly, your brine is full of salt and your cheese is not, so it suck all the salt into the cheese. This is what dissolves the cheese.
I recommend making a storage brine out of whey. Make your cheese and then make a whey ricotta (with no added milk or acid) from the whey. Timing is a bit ticky, but do your best (ideally you make the ricotta at a pH of 6.0, so about 3 hours into the make, usually). If making feta, reserve a small amount of whey before you make the ricotta because you'll need the culture from it. For halloumi, you don't want to do that -- just simmer your halloumi in the whey and cool it down. Add the reserved whey with culture back to the cooled whey when making feta and let it sit for 24 hours.
This gives you a whey that has about the same pH as the cheese (very low pH for feta and very high pH of halloumi). This is very important. Measure out the amount of brine that you want and salt it to 7% (this is the official PDO spec level for feta and halloumi). Most recipes suggest a brine that is *way* too high. Pasteurise the whey (bring it up to 72C for 20 seconds) and then let it cool. Store it in the fridge.
Next, with the cheese, dry salt it to 3% (weigh the cheese and measure out 3% of that weight in salt). Sprinkle on half of that salt. Wait an our and then sprinkle on the other half. Leave the cheese at room temperature for a few days until touch dry. If it dries quickly, then put it in your cave/fridge until at least 3 days have passed. This allows the salt in the cheese to fully penetrate the cheese and for the rind to equalise the moisture. Then you first salt cheese, the rind expels water quickly and gets hard. Then over the next few days it reabsorbs the water and has a similar texture to the paste inside. You want to wait until that has happened.
Then finally you put the cheese in the brine. No need to adjust calcium (in my experience) when using whey as a brine.
Brines are tricky things to get right, but once you get the hang of it, it's not that difficult.
Quote from: rsterne on August 23, 2021, 06:22:44 PM
We have done our second Kefalotyri, and I posted the Recipe here:
https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,19573.0.html (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,19573.0.html)
Bob
Ohhh, groovy. Thank you so much, Bob!. I was literally searching this board for a Kefalotyri recipe earlier today!
I'll definitely post pix of how I get on with your recipe, when I finally get up the gumption to try it. I hope you'll keep us updated too, with how yours is going all along the way. And the saganaki in the end!
Cheers and thanks very much!
-Matt
Quote from: mikekchar on August 24, 2021, 12:34:53 AM
Quote from: mathewjones on July 19, 2021, 04:50:53 PM
which both came out as slimy salty rubbery disasters, and both ended up going straight in the bin.
Assuming you stored these in brine, I can give you a tip.
Oops, sorry, I may have made a Cheese Forum faux pas here. I responded enthusiastically to Bob's Kefalotyri recipe (hell yeah!), but I missed the whole detailed explanation from mikekchar about what can go wrong with such cheeses and why my previous attempts might have failed (aw, hell no!). I'll read these both very carefully and probably come back with further questions. But thanks to both of you!
Cheers,
Matt