Greetings fellow cheesemakers, I had my first attempt at producing a Morbier type cheese last week, everything went well until I put the cheese into the brine for an 8 hr bath, I am using the Morbier recipe from '200 easy homemade cheese recipes' by Debra Amrein-Boyes.
I split the curd into 2 moulds and let them sit for 10 - 12 Min's, then instead of using ash, I decided to experiment with powdered Kelp for the layer, keeping a small 'boarder around the edge of the cheese then placed the second wheel on top and placed it into the press with a light pressure of 7 kg (approx 15lb) and as I said all went well until the brine bath. Could the kelp be the problem, I have read on this site of other people having the same splitting problem.
This week I had another go at a Morbier, this time I made a paste with the powdered Kelp and brushed it on with a basting brush, again leaving a 25mm (1 inch) boarder, this time I only had it split on one side.
Any suggestions as to why it is splitting,
This is the Morbier from my second attempt
Quotethen placed the second wheel on top and placed it into the press with a light pressure of 7 kg (approx 15lb)
IMHO, PSI too low. Should be at least 5. You're fusing two planar surfaces together, and that takes heat and weight to pull off.
Thanks for the advice LB, will try a heavier weight next time. I returned the cheese to the mould last night after it came out of the brine and added a follower and a 2.5kg weight, will leave it for 24 hrs to see if it will help 'heal' it.
Please excuse my ignorance, but what does 'IMHO' stand for?
in my humble opinion = IMHO :)
After brining, might be a bit difficult to fuse them together. Hope it helps, though.
2.5 kg is WAY to light.
Thanks for clearing that up for me LB.
Sailor Con Queso: The 2.5 kg weight was just to see if it would close the split, I may try a heavier weight if it is still split, but I don't hold out too much hope for it to 'heal' so will add more weight next time I try a Morbier. Thanks for the advice. Every little bit helps.
Well, my 2nd attempt at a Morbier has ended the same way as the first, it also has completely split in two, now I have four 1/2 Morbier cheeses, oh well, I will carry on with the process and see what happens in a couple of months.
How much weight? You have to fuse that outer edge. It needs at least 5 PSI, preferably 10+. That's several hundreds of pounds for that mold. And try to keep the cheese warm so it fuses. One more thing to try is coat with less kelp or leave a larger band of uncoated cheese. It's not fusing enough.
At what temp are you going into press?
Perhaps try to press this one under warm whey for 20-30 minutes before going to your press?
I used the weight suggested in the recipe of a light to medium weight, between 10 & 15 lb(4.5- 7kg) so next time I will go start with 35lb(13.5kg) for the first hour then 40lb(18kg)for 12 hours. The recipe does not call for pressing with warmth, so I will try pressing it in warm whey for the first 20 -30 mins, then flip and repress overnight. I will also leave a wider boarder when I apply the kelp.
Thanks LB & Tomer1 for your helpful suggestions
Recipes are great untill they dont work so well :)
Yes that's right. I keep a record of my cheesemaking so I can look back at my last efforts and tweak them if needed.