So my milk got a little older than I like (I usually save up 3 days raw milk from the cow and then make cheese but this is like 5 days old) and I thought I'd pasturize it before making cheese. I've been heating it slowly (emphasis on slowly... like all day) to bring it up to temperature while I did a whole host of things. Now as it has reached about 115 f the whole thing fell apart and is reforming looking something like Mozzarella. So what the he!! I sprinkled some lipase powder on top and I'll see if it becomes..... provolone (no rennet and only wild bacteria)? This milk was not skimmed - whole cream.
Given the circumstances I'll still bring it to 145 f and then stretch in 180 f whey and I'm thinking it should be safe to eat if it works.
It this a function of too slow a heating? Wild Bacteria? or.....?
some of the best discoveries are made this way. let us know how it works
I have that happen to me quite a bot with store bought milk. There must a scientific explanation behind this. Even if it is different for the different kinds of milk. Good post Connie, awaiting to see the responses.
Here's how it turned out: I never did get the stretch on the provolone. The evening got late and I was not certain if the ph was going to do it's thing. I was encouraged because the mass of matted curds in the pot had much better flavor than any other cheese at this point. So, after heating the curds to 180 f internal temperature, I pressed them very lightly and just for a half an hour. The really were congealed and just needed shape. Then I put it in brine until morning (about 5 or 6 hours).
The resulting cheese is sort of dry and pretty salty, but it has decent flavor and will work on salads or as a feta replacement. The flavor of the curds was actually better than the final cheese.
No great discoveries here but I managed not to waste 4 gallons of milk!
Quote from: ConnieG on September 22, 2010, 03:08:57 PM
No great discoveries here but I managed not to waste 4 gallons of milk!
That is important!
Sorry you didn't get what you were hoping for, but glad that the milk did not go to waste. Raw milk does some amazing things almost on its own, doesn't it?
I tried using some older milk to make mozz once and it wouldn't stretch, either. Maybe it gets too acidified or something else is going on.