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Oct 04, 2007 7:53 am Post subject: Colby Recipe/Pressed Cheese 101 Hi, Sondra requested this recipe so I thought I’d post it here
for everyone.
For any recipe you can use Buttermilk for Meso and Yogurt for Thermo at a rate of 1/4c per gallon of milk. After you master the
recipe you can order the more expensive cultures and see if you notice any difference. Sometimes you will and sometimes you won’t.
What makes different cheeses have different flavors is the process you take it theough. Different temps and times make a huge
difference in flavor and texture. Colby is a mild, softer cheese. To achieve a creamy, tender Colby texture you need to keep your
temps low. Really watch it close. To attain that mild Colby flavor you will wash the curds with cool tap water to stop the progress of
acidification.
Remember to sterilize everything with boiling water and/or bleach water (1/4 c bleach per gallon of water) I put everything into my
cheese pot (stainless steal, not aluminum) and boil it and bleach spray my counter. You can maintain low temps by placing your
cheese pot in a sink of warm water but always check the temp of the sink water. I start with it 3-5 deg. Warmer that I need. So for this
recipe which calls for 86* my sink water would be 90* This all sounds a lot more complicated than it is, I promise :D
Colby Cheese
While cheese is resting put a kettle on and boil water. Remove some of the sink water and add boiling water to gradually increase the
temp of the curds to 100*. Stir gently to keep the curds from clumping together. Hold temp for 30 min
Drain whey to the level of the curds. Add cool tap water to bring the temp to 80* Stir gently to keep the curds from clumping together.
Hold temp for 20 min
Lift curds in a colander, drain for 20 min, add 1T salt, mix well
Place curds into a lined press (I use PlyBan instead of cheese cloth in my press, I love it)
Press
20lbs 30 min
flip and rewrap (so it won’t stick to the cloth or plyban)
30lbs 30min
Flip/Rewrap
Overnight at 30lbs
Air dry for a few days, wax, age at 50*-60* for 8 weeks flip often.
Since this cheese dosen’t require a long time to age you can wrap in plastic then age it in the fridge. I won’t tell the cheesemaking
purests :wink:
Christy
_________________
Spoiled Goats Give Sweeter Milk
~~~~Nubian Dairy Goats~~~~
Sondra:
Basic summer soft cheese recipe
Bring milk to room temperature (75-80 degrees F). Add buttermilk and rennet dissolved in water. Cover. Let sit at room temperature
for 12-24 hours depending on how tart you like your cheese (note, cheese becomes tart faster with warmer temps, and slower with
cooler temps). Line a colander with butter muslin and pour cheese into the colander. Hang to drain if possible. If that is not possible,
tie the butter muslin in the colander over the cheese and every couple of hours use a spoon to scrape the cheese away from the muslin
so it can continue to drain. Drain for 8-12 hours. After the whey has drained off, add salt and any herbs or flavors you want to add. I
like to mix in strawberry allfruit or honey and canned crushed pineapple. I also like adding chives or things like that to the plain
cheese.
Sara (Saanengirl)
Sondra:
Mozzarella Cheese (no fail)
2gal milk
3tsp citric acid powder
1/2tsp liquid rennet
1/8tsp lipase (believe me, that's plenty, you can really taste it)
1/2cup cool water divided in half
1/4cup warm water
1) Dissolve citric acid powder in 1/4cup cool water, add to milk, stir well
2) Dissolve lipase in 1/4cup warm water, add to milk, stir well
3) Slowly warm milk, on low, to 90*F
4) Dilute rennet in 1/4cup of cool water, add to milk, stir well
5) Turn heat off allow milk to set for 15min to achieve a clean break
6) Cut into 1 inch curds, set in a 105*F water bath for 10min (it is okay for the curds to mat together some )
7) Drain curds into a colander kneading lightly to express whey (start heating whey now if you are making ricotta)
Break curd apart and 2tea salt, knead lightly
9) Place the curd into a microwavable and cook on high for 1min., knead to express whey
10) Cook on high heat again for 1min, cheese will be very hot and there wont be much whey this time, the cheese will begin to stretch.
11) Stretch and fold cheese a few times then fold into a ball, rinse in cold water, place in a small bowl to mold, and refrigerate
Cheese will last 2 weeks in the refrigerator or can be frozen.
Christy
Sondra:
Vinegar Cheese
Bring FRESH milk to about 185 degrees over medium heat in stainless steel pot, stirring constantly. Stir while slowly pouring 1/4 or
up to 1/2 cup white vinegar per gallon of milk. Remove from heat. The milk will begin to separate into fine curds and whey.
I usually put my pot onto a rack and cover the pot with a splatter screen. Allow to cool until it's safe to pour. Pour into a fine
cheesecloth (cotton handkerchief or muslin) lined stainless steel colander. Tie the ends and hang to allow to drain for 30 minutes to
two hours. The longer you allow to strain the drier and more crumbly the cheese. Once done draining turn cheese into a mixing
bowl. Add 1 tsp Mrs. Dash Italian Medley or Mrs. Dash Garlic seasoning, 1 tsp minced garlic and 1 tsp salt per gallon of milk used.
We LOVE this cheese on crackers or salads, etc. Keeps one week refrigerated, or can be frozen in smaller portions for later. We also
make this cheese and just season with salt to use as ricotta. Use the whey to make pancakes or biscuits or french bread!
Sondra:
MONTEREY JACK CHEESE
1 gallon pasteurized milk
2-4 oz. buttermilk
1/4 tsp. rennet
Cool/heat milk to 88F. Add buttermilk and stir.
Ripen for 15 minutes.
Mix 1/4 tsp. rennet with 1/4 C. cool water and add to milk. Stir for 1 minute. Allow to set, undisturbed, for 30 minutes to allow curd to
develop.
Cut curds into 1/2" cubes and let stand for 5 minutes.
While stirring gently, heat slowly for 1 hour. Try to increase temperature about 2F every 5 minutes. Do not exceed 100F. Shut off heat
and stop stirring.
After curds have sunk to bottom of pan, remove whey to 1" above curds.
While stirring, add cold water to reduce temperature to 85F. Stir curds an additional 5 minutes.
Drain curds well. Add canning salt or plain un-iodized salt to taste.
Place curds into a sterile muslin cloth. Shape into a ball and tie ends tightly with a string.
Flatten ball and place on a dinner plate. Place a 2nd plate, upside down, on top. Apply medium weight (6-8 pounds) atop second plate.
Press over night at room temperature.
Carefully remove cloth the next day.
Air dry cheese by placing on a clean cloth towel and covering with cheesecloth. Turn cheese until it is dry on the outside.
You can either wax and age this cheese for 2 weeks to 2 months, or, eat it fresh.
* 1 gallon milk
* 1/4 teaspoon (1packet) cheese culture or 1/4 cup buttermilk
* 1/8 teaspoon Flora Danica (optional)
* 1/2 teaspoon liquid rennet
* 1/4 cup cool water
* Coarse salt
Warm milk to 86 degrees F and stir in cheese culture or buttermilk. Set one hour to ripen. Mix rennet into cool water and stir into
milk. Cover and allow to set another hour to coagulate. Cut curds into 1/2-inch cubes and allow to rest five minutes. Stir gently for 15
minutes, keeping the curds at 86 degrees.
Pour curds into a cheesecloth-lined colander, tie the bag of curds and hang to drain for four to six hours. Slice the cheese ball in half
and lay the slabs of cheese into a dish that can be covered. Sprinkle all the surfaces with coarse salt, cover and allow to set at room
temperature for 24 hours.
After 24 hours, salt all the surfaces with more coarse salt and let it rest for two hours. Place the cheese in a covered dish and
refrigerate for five to seven days. Use within two weeks or freeze for future use. The cheese will keep at room temperature for months
if marinated in oil.
Cut or break the cheese into smaller pieces, about 1 to 1-1/2 inches. Use a clean jar that has a tight-fitting lid. Layer the herbs first,
then the cheese. Repeat until the jar is full. Leave abut 1/2 inch of space at the top. Pour oil over the cheese and herbs, filling the jar
until the mixture is completely covered with oil.
Place the marinated feta on a cupboard or shelf. Refrigeration is not necessary as long as the cheese is completely covered with oil.
Air won't be able to get in, and the cheese won't mold. Enjoy it straight out of the jar or crumble into your favorite salad. The cheese
gets better with age.
Some herbs to consider are rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, marjoram, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic cloves, dried hot peppers, peppercorns,
basil, oregano or onions. My personal favorite combination is rosemary, basil and garlic.
* 1 gallon milk
* 1/8 teaspoon (1 packet) cheese culture or 1/4 cup buttermilK
* 1/8 teaspoon lipase enzyme powder
* 1/8 teaspoon Flora Danica (optional)
* 1/2 teaspoon liquid rennet
* 1/2 cup cool water
* Coarse salt
* Brine solution
Warm milk to 86 degrees F. Stir in culture or buttermilk, add lipase enzyme to 1/4 cup cool water, dissolve enzyme and stir into milk.
Set 1 hour to ripen.
Mix rennet in 1/4 cup cool water and stir into ripened milk for one minute. Allow 40 minutes to coagulate. Cut curds into one-inch
cubes and let rest for 10 minutes. Stir gently for 20 minutes, keeping the curds at 86 degrees F. Pour curds into cheesecloth-lined
colander and hang the bag of curds to drain for six to eight hours.
After draining, the cheese will be very firm. Slice in half, salt all the surfaces of the cheese with coarse salt and place sections of
cheese into a dish. Keep the cheese in a covered dish during the salting process at room temperature for two days. Rub all the surfaces
with more salt each day. Drain off any liquid that seeps out of the cheese. This cheese will become very strong smelling during the
salting process. That is the lipase enzyme powder doing its job. After two days, the cheese should become tougher and can now be
aged in a brine solution in the refrigerator. Age in brine for one to four weeks.
Brine solution:
7 ounces of canning or kosher salt
1/2 gallon cool water
Mix salt and water together. Not all of the salt will get dissolved. Place the cheese into a crock or dish with a lid. Cover the cheese
with the brine solution. Cheese needs to be immersed in the brine.
Note: Feta is traditionally a very salty cheese and is best eaten crumbled over a salad or used in small amounts in other dishes. Some
of the saltiness can be removed by soaking in fresh milk overnight.
While cheese can be made from Lemon juice and vinegar, one plant that can be used for a rennet is the stinging nettle. Nettle cheese in
considered a delicacy. To use, cover a pot of nettles with water, boil and reduce liquid to half. With homemade extractions, it's
difficult to know how much to use because of the inconsistency in strength of the nettles. You will need between ¼-1/2 c of nettle
infusion per gallon of milk.
I have no idea how making hard cheese with nettles would work. You’ll have to try it and post your results.
Here is a recipe for Nettle Cheese -this recipe does not call for a culture but if you start making cheese this way I suggest adding 1/4 to
1/3 cup buttermilk to your milk and ripening for 30-45min. This increases the milks acidity and helps it coagutate.
Warm 1 gallon of fresh goat's milk to 90F. Add 1/4-1/2 cup nettle juice to milk. When the curd forms after about 30 minutes, pour into
a cheesecloth bag and hang to drain.
Note: If I were to make this cheese again I would add ½ teaspoon Flora Danica with the culture and not keep it in the brine as long.
Blue Cheese
Warm 2 gallons of milk to 88* hold temp for the entire process
Add:
1/8 tea DVI Mesophilic culture
1/8 tea Penicillin Roquefort
Fill mold with the curds, put the lid on the box, the cheese will drain to half its size
When firm enough to be handled, approximately an hour after molding, turn cheese over in its mold, pour whey from box. Invert
cheese every hour for two hours, pour whey from box then drain over night
To ripen the cheese remove cheese from molds, sprinkle cheese salt over the entire surface of the cheese. Clean and dry ripening box
and place cheese on clean mats in the box. Leave the lid of the box ajar for the. Place the box in a cool room, 50*-60* Invert the
cheese everyday. If there is too much dampness wipe the box with a paper towel
After 7 days pierce the cheese from both ends about 40 times with a sterile ice pick or long needle.
When surface blueing is obvious, in about 10 days, keep the lid of the box closed
Clean the surface of the cheese with equal parts vinegar and salt if excess mold growth occurs on the rind.
Double Gloucester
Tear the curd into small pieces and add salt, mix well.
Put curd into a lined 2 pound mold. Press at 6 pounds for an hour. Flip cheese and remove and reapply lining. Press at 10 pounds for
several hours. Increase weight to 15 pounds and let sit for 36 hours.
Remove cheese from mold. (If the cheese has cracks, dip it briefly in hot water for a few minutes.) Let cheese dry for a week, turning
it every day. Then wax and store at 50F for three months, turning weekly.
Farmhouse Cheddar:
Ingredients
12-15 liters (3-4 gallons milk) I use 4 gallons
1 tea Rennet
1 Cup Buttermilk
3) Add 3/4 tsp Rennet diluted in 1/4 Cup of cool water. Mix into milk.
4) Allow the milk to set for 30-45 minutes until a firm curd forms. Test the curd for the 'clean break'
Cut the curds into 1/2 inch cubes. Let rest for 5 minutes.
5) Cook the curds to 102*F over a period of 40 minutes, stirring them gently during this time in order to reduce their size to that of
half a peanut. I use a large whisk.
6) Hold the curds at 102*F for an additional 30 minutes stirring occasionally to keep curds from matting.
Drain the curds into a colander (pre-warmed with very hot water). Reserve 1/3 of the whey and pour back into the cheese pot. Set
colander of curds on the top of the cheese pot. This is called "cheddaring" which textures the cheese.
9) Drain curds for 60 minutes keeping them warm by covering with cheesecloth and pot lid. Maintain temp of the warm whey with
minimal heat under the pot if needed. Invert the cheese every 20 minutes and re-cover with cloth and lid.
12) Cut the cheese slab into curds with a knife or pastry cutter. Add 1-2 Tbl. of course salt. Curds can be eaten fresh or continue to
pressing.
15) You can wax and ripen for 2-3 months or refrigerate and eat.
Mozzarella Cheese
2 gal milk
3 tsp citric acid powder
½ tsp liquid rennet
1/8 tsp lipase (believe me, that's plenty, you can really taste it)
½ cup cool water divided in half
¼ cup warm water
1) Dissolve citric acid powder in 1/4cup cool water, add to milk, stir well
2) Dissolve lipase in 1/4cup warm water, add to milk, stir well
3) Slowly warm milk, on low, to 95*F
4) Dilute rennet in 1/4cup of cool water, add to milk, stir well
5) Turn heat off allow milk to set for 15min to achieve a clean break
6) Cut into 1 inch curds, set in a 105*F water bath for 10min (it is okay for the curds to mat together some )
7) Drain curds into a colander kneading lightly to express whey (start heating whey now if you are making ricotta)
Break curd apart and 2tea salt, knead lightly
9) Place the curd into a microwavable and cook on high for 1min., knead to express whey
10) Cook on high heat again for 1min, cheese will be very hot and there wont be much whey this time, the cheese will begin to stretch.
11) Stretch and fold cheese a few times then fold into a ball, rinse in cold water, place in a small bowl to mold, and refrigerate
Cheese will last 2 weeks in the refrigerator or can be frozen.
Christy
Sondra:
COTTAGE CHEESE
Drain curds into a cheesecloth-lined colander. When almost drained, dip the bag of curds into warm water to rinse. Drain 5 min and
dip into cool water. Allow to drain for 30 min. Add salt to taste. If a creamed cottage cheese is desired, add enough cream or milk to
desired consistency Store in frig.
Bernice:
The recipe was called Velvetta, with a note at the end this is called Fromage Fort in Europe. Warning: This is the, "Blob" cheese I
mentioned:
Take enough cheese curds....now these curds should be from a milder cheese like a mild cheddar or colby. A more aged cheese will
give this a more pronounced flavor. The acid drops way down on this recipe so the stronger the cheese, the stronger the brew. It
needs to swell to TWICE it's size, as if it's alive, after that, 'tis done! :) If you don't add alcohol it gets stronger and stronger.
pour a little olive oil over the top, just enough to make it glisten and stir them up.
Let sit at room temperature for about 2-3 weeks.................There ya go, that's it!
if you want a Fromage Fort add grated aged cheese and sherry or rum at the end.
If you are brave and try this let us know how it turns out! :)
Sondra:
Fromage Blanc (C20) Cultured Chevre
Your milk should be 86* either freshly milked and strained right from the goat or warmed in a hot water bath. The temp of the milk
creates the right environment for the culture to work, letting the preferred good bacteria in the culture grow and not the bad kids of
bacteria you don't want. The milk should be warmed slowly in a hot water bath. Heating large quantities of milk with a direct heat
source changes the structure of the milk and my effect your results.
Once the curd is set you need to carefully place it into muslin, cheese cloth, or a pillow case, any thin tightly woven lint free cloth.
What kind of fabric did you use? Was it laundered with towels or something that could have shed lint?
The reason you handle the curd carefully is that you don't want to release excess whey from the curd. In cheesemaking cutting the
curd and stirring the curd are techniques use to release whey from the curd. For soft cheese you want to let it drain slowly with the
weight of the curd being the only pressure. If I am making a large batch I'll gently trun the cheese half way through the draining
process to make sure the moisture is evenly distributed.
Christy