For all of our budding cheesemakers! this is a fab blog.
Cheddar
Ingredients:
Heat milk to 21C, add the DVI starter, and leave for 45 minutes.
Heat to 30C and add rennet diluted in plenty of boiled and cooled water.
Leave for around an hour until curd is ready, then cut into 1cm slices.
Heat to 40C over the course of 45 minutes, stirring gently by hand.
Drain the curd using cheesecloth or muslin, and leave to consolidate into a single mass.
Once the majority of the whey has drained from the curd, place on a tray and leave to rest for half an hour.
Slice the consolidated curd into strips about a centimetre thick, and place on top of each other in cheesecloth and leave to drain for 15 minutes.
Re-stack the slices with the inner slices becoming the outer, and leave for another 15 minutes.
This stacking is to allow gas inside the curd to escape, as well as draining more whey from the curd.
Slice the curd into small pieces and mix in some salt.
Pack the curd into a cheesecloth-lined mould, and press lightly (around 7kg) for 1 hour.
Increase pressure to around 14kg and leave for 24 hours.
Dip in hot water at 66C for a minute to smooth the rind, then allow to dry at room temperature.
Wrap loosely in muslin and place in a cool (8-10C) dry place, and turn daily for 3+ months.
Still got over a month to wait to taste this one, but the smell is amazing already!
Source: http://handyface.wordpress.com/
- 10 litres Gold Top Jersey whole milk
- 5ml vegetarian rennet
- DVI starter

Gold Top milk

Heating milk
Heat to 30C and add rennet diluted in plenty of boiled and cooled water.

Cutting the curd

Scalded curd

Draining the curd

Further draining

Consolidated curd

Sliced consolidated curd

Curd stacking
Re-stack the slices with the inner slices becoming the outer, and leave for another 15 minutes.

Gas holes after stacking

Milling the curd

Packing the curd

After pressing

After a hot bath
Wrap loosely in muslin and place in a cool (8-10C) dry place, and turn daily for 3+ months.
Still got over a month to wait to taste this one, but the smell is amazing already!
Source: http://handyface.wordpress.com/