Tenth Camembert batch based on Wiki: Brie/Camembert Cheese Making Recipe (https://cheeseforum.org/articles/wiki-brie-camembert-cheese-making-recipe/) started just 2 weeks after Make #9 (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9103.0.html) currently ripening. This batch also uses 3 US gallons / 11 liters of store bought Pasteurized & Homogenized whole cow milk. Decided to make using 7 hoops vs 6 in last batch as their current height averages 39 mm vs two store bought in fridge (yes sad) averages 33 mm.
MAKING
- Feb 17, 2012:
- 5:00PM: Poured three fresh 1 US gallon jugs of Kroger cheapo brand store bought pasteurized homogenized cow's milk from store into ~4 US gallon stainless steel stockpot on cooker, milk at 50°F, turned gas heat on low. Tricked and stirred in 3/4 teaspoon diluted CaCl2 to help get good curd set. Measured and sprinkled ~0.6 grams Danisco's Choozit Brand Mesophilic Starter Culture MM100, 4-5 puffs of Choozit Penicillium candidum VS strain spores, and 2-3 puffs of Choozit Geotrichum candidum Geo 13 strain spores onto milk and stirred in with skimmer.
- 5:45PM: Milk at 88F/31C, turned gas off. Melted ~0.8 grams powdered rennet crystals in 1 cup room temperature filtered reverse osmosis water, trickled into milk and stirring in 1 min with skimmer. Removed skimmer and covered while waiting for curd to set.
- 6:40PM: Checked curd set, good, cut curds into ~1 cm/0.5 inch diamonds, set aside for 30 minutes for cut curds to heal and start expelling whey, stirred cut curds gently very 5 minutes to minimize clumping, help expel whey, and to cut any large pieces.
- 7:15PM: Started ladling cut curds scooped up with plastic sieve into 7 hoops, all curds used and 1/2" / 1 cm left at top of hoops.
- 7:50PM: Pocked 3 fingers four times around peimeter into curd to try and remove any pockets of whey and reduce amount of pockets in sides of cheeses based on this commercial Camembert making video (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,2841.0.html) at 2:51 min.
- 8:15PM: Turned hoops, slight sticking to mats, peeling off.
- 10:00PM: Turned hoops, no sticking.
- Feb 18, 2012:
- 6:00AM: Turned hoops.
- 6:40AM: Removed hoops, about 1/2 the # of gaps on sides vs previous batch, poured 1/2 teaspoon dry salt on tops.
- 9:00AM: Cheeses slumping as too moist and not in hoops, moved carefully onto course mats to better drain whey (small weave trap whey in between threads due to capillary forces).
- 2:30PM: Turned partially barrelled cheeses and salted other end with 1/2 teaspoon dry salt per cheese.
- 10:30PM: Slight barrel shaping from removing hoops too early evened out to middle and not increased. Turned and placed cams in two large ripening containers and placed in cheese cave (fridge with external thermostat) to bloom with one end of lid fully cracked by handle clip to govern humidity.
BLOOMING
- Feb 19, 2012 Age 2 Days: Checked cheeses, no condensation inside ripening containers, no drained whey visible, cheeses damp to touch, left lid with one end propped open by handle.
- Feb 20, 2012 Age 3 Days: No condensation or drained whey, cheeses very damp to touch, left lid with both ends propped open by handles.
- Feb 21, 2012 Age 4 Days: No condensation or drained whey, cheeses slightly damp to touch, no bloom yet, left lid with both ends propped open by handles.
- Feb 23, 2012 Age 6 Days: No condensation, cheeses slightly damp to touch, no bloom yet, turned and left lid with one end propped open by handles.
- Feb 24, 2012 Age 7 Days: Still no sign of PC bloom, assume must have forgotten to add? Not good, puffed few spores onto top of each cheese and distributed with thumb.
- Feb 25, 2012 Age 8 Days: Still no sign of PC bloom.
- Feb 27, 2012 Age 10 Days: PC bloom started.
RIPENING
- Feb 29, 2012 Age 12 Days: Good PC bloom, patted down & moved to cold kitchen fridge.
- Mar 6, 2012 Age 18 Days: Good PC bloom, continuing to pat mold down and leave cheeses in high humidity cold fridge.
- Mar 17, 2012 Age 29 Days: Found had left cheeses unturned for few days and top had dehydrated and bottom was moist. Started consuming fisrt cheese, chose most moist one. Very messy to eat but nice, slightly too salty. Turned rest of cheeses to even out moisture content and development.
- Mar 21, 2012 Age 33 Days: Started consuming second cheese, chose second most unevenly developed cheese, still messy to eat but very nice, slightly too salty.
- Mar 31, 2012 Age 43 Days: Started consuming fourth cheese, beautiful and little too runny, not too salty.
NOTES
- Next batch insert fingers deeper and more vigorously and vibrate with electric toothbrush and obeserve if any bubbles rise tuo surface and once hoops removed see if less holes around sides.
- Next batch remove hoops later to minimize slumping.
- Next batch remember to turn cheeses every few days during ripening especially if dehydrating.
More pictures . . .
Hi John, I thought I follow your lead and use a little G.Candidum as well. The people I bought my cultures through said it helps prevent skin slippage. But, as I haven't had any of my previous attempts even start to ripen I wouldn't know :) But here goes.
-- Mal
Mal, here's a thread (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,7184.0.html) on Geo's function, and here's another (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,8755.0.html). I have it so I use it :), OK that's not very scientific.
I noticed you are getting 7 from a 3 Gallon make. I'm only getting 4 from 2 Gallons (8 litres) should I be trying for more rounds but with less height and weigh in mine and maybe try for 5 from 8 litres? Yours look great I'll post weekly photo updates on the rind and overall condition of mine and hopefully avoid repeating the same mistakes as last time.
-- Mal
Morning/Evening Mal!
- I think there is an optimal range in heights of white bloomy surface ripened type cheeses, I'm also trying to get these "right".
- 1 US gallon = 3.785 liters, so my 3 US gallons of store bought P&H whole cow milk = 11.356 liters /7 cheeses > 1.62 liters/cheese.
- I assume you are buying two 4 liter jugs so your make has 2 liters/cheese.
- My last batch used same amount of milk but 6 hoops so 1.89 liters/cheese and during ripening they still visually seemed a little tall, so I measured them at average 39 mm height and then measured two store bought and they averaged 33 mm, so I ratio calculated that 7 would get me close to target 33 mm height.
- But I removed my hoops a little too early and the cheeses slumped a little, so they'll end up less than 33 mm :-\.
Anyway that was my logic, I expect 4 is also fine. On my next batch I think I'll use a bit less milk and go for 6 cheeses as already lots to eat!
Hi John,
Well I've been keeping the cams just moist and wiping out their container every night and yesterday was day 4 and they are getting fuzzy. Finally !! I'm turning them over tonight to rest a further 4 days these are looking like they might be working. I'll pop some pics up on the #5 entry.