Yesterday, I made my second attempt at cheddar. My first attempt had a very low yield so it was suggested that I add CaCl to the next batch. Things got weird as soon as I added the rennet:
Flocculation occurred at 4 minutes
Firm break at 14 minutes but held it to 16 minutes to cut
I heated everything very slowly and went an extra 45min to drain because my Ph was still high
After cheddaring the curd for 2.5 hrs, the Ph was still 5.7 so I milled, salted, and pressed it.
The curd all matted together very well and made a tight knit.
As I was reviewing the recipe, I am almost positive that I used three times too much CaCl. Would that explain the weirdness I experienced?
If my cheese has a Ph that is too high, is it salvageable?
Thanks,
Jason
QuoteWould that explain the weirdness I experienced?
Most likely.
Quoteis it salvageable?
It will need a few years of aging, but yes, should be. Might be a tad chalky in the end... depends on your moisture level. Try aging hot at 55F and sample at 60 days.
I understood that a cheese with a short floc time (this one seemed short at 4 min) will age faster. But I guess the extra CaCl trumps that? Linuxboy, it amazes me how your brain can process all these details and predict/tweak the outcome. I'm still working on it...
Susan
Quotecheese with a short floc time (this one seemed short at 4 min) will age faster
Aging is rather complex, but there are some constants. A cheese with lower moisture (say, parmesan) ages slower than a cheese with higher moisture (say, gouda). A cheese with more calcium (say, comte) ages slower than a cheese with less calcium (say, some continental varieties such as oh, idiazabal). This is for hard cheeses. Mold and blue type cheeses are different.
Floc time is about moisture in the curd, that's about it. A shorter floc time tells you that the milk is really good, or that acidity is somewhat high, or that you're using a lot of rennet. You use floc time to know when to cut, so that if you follow a normal stir and heat schedule, your moisture winds up being correct at the end without having to guess the moisture levels too much.
Jason you might want to consider some rind treatment to develope yeast which may help flavour your cheese.
Will protolytic yeast work on the paste with such low moisture level?