making butter and ice cream for ages now.
Interested in cheddar though. been wanting to move up to aged cheeses. Tell me how.
Some things to know before starting to make cheddar:
Flavor and texture are controlled by the amount of lactic acid that is produced during fermentation and lactic acid is controlled by the amount of starter culture added and time and temperature.
Rennet is part of the stomach of a slaughtered cow, sheep, goat or deer that has been salted and dried. The amount of rennet added depends on the type of animal because sheep rennet is different from cow, etc. Enzymes in the rennet cause the milk to coagulate. Animal rennet is hard to make but there is natural rennet made from plants that you can buy in either liquid or tablet form.
Ingredients:
1 gallons of milk
Starter (this is available commercially)
Rennet (this is available commercially)
Salt
Heat milk to 85 to 88 degrees and stir in starter (I use about 2% by weight of milk). Let it sit for an hour in a warm place. Try to maintain the temperature close to 85-88 degrees.
Heat back to 88 degrees and mix in the rennet (I use about 1% by weight of milk). After 5 minutes, stir, then remove from heat, cover and leave in a warm place. Wait till it sets, when the curd is firm to the touch.
When the curd is firm, cut completely through both ways to release the liquid and loosen the curd from around the sides of the pot. Cut the curd into small pea size clumps then stir.
Place the pot back on the stove and VERY GRADUALLY increase the temperature to 100 degrees. This should take about 30 or 40 minutes.
Next comes a process called ‘pitching’. Stir in a circular motion causing the curds to sink to the bottom at the center of the pot. Turn off the stove and wait till the liquid is still.
Remove as much liquid as possible and dump the curds into a sterile cloth draped over a pot. Tie the cloth and place on a tilted tray or hang it to let the remaining whey drain off. This takes about 15 or 20 minutes.
Untie the cloth and cut the curd into four slices and stack them. Place a cloth on top. About every 15 minutes, rearrange the slices of curd so the ones on the inside are on the outside. Repeat this until all have the firmness of baked chicken.
Cut the curd into pea size pieces and lightly sprinkle with salt and roll them.
Line a cheese mold with sterile cheesecloth and add the curds. Wrap the cheesecloth over the top and place a follower over the top. Apply SLIGHT pressure for the first hour. You want to remove the remaining whey but not the fats. After an hour add more pressure, about 20 lbs., to remove the trapped air. Leave it this way for 24 hours.
Remove the cheese and wrap it in new cheesecloth, put it back into the press and apply 20 lbs. of pressure for another 24 hours.
Remove and dip the cheese in hot water to smooth the surface.
Store the cheese at 64 to 70 degrees and let it dry until a rind begins to form.
After the rind forms, seal the cheese completely with cheese wax.
Aging is the most important part. Put the cheese in a dry place at a temperature of 45 to 52 degrees. Turn it every day for three weeks then every other day after that. Let it age for one to three months depending on how mature you want the cheddar.
Note on the cheese press. I made a crude one out of a wooden pail and used a circular piece of lumber for a cap or follower. I put this under a stand I made and used a small jack to apply pressure. You could also use weights.
