Cheddar

⇐ Cheese, preserves and fermented & pickled products

Ingredients

6l whole cow's milk

⅜ tsp calcium chloride diluted in 15ml cool non-chlorinated water

3/16 tsp Meso II powdered starter

⅜ tsp liquid rennet diluted in 15ml cool non-chlorinated water

salt

Method

1. prepare equipment. Sterilise pans and equipment. Make a water bath by getting a large pot half filled with water, and put a smaller pot - but still large enough for the milk - in it.
2. bring milk to temperature and add starter Pour the milk in the empty smaller pan. Add the calcium chloride mixed with the water. Slowly raise the temperature of the milk to 30℃ over a period of 20 minutes or so. I usually switch off heat when the milk reaches 28-29℃ and allow the residual heat of the water bath to raise the milk to temperature. Sprinkle the starter culture onto the surface of the milk and allow to rehydrate for 5 minutes. Then mix well. Maintain temperature at 30℃ and allow milk to ripen for 90 minutes.
3. add rennet. Add the rennet and stir to mix. Allow the curds to firm to a clean break for 45 minutes or longer.
4. cut curd Cut the curds to 1.5cm. Let the curds rest for 5 minutes. Bring the temperature back up to 32℃ while stirring for 15 minutes.
5. cook Slowly increase heat to 39℃ over a period of 30 minutes. Stir for 30-60 minutes until the curds are firm. Ensure they are dry enough (see link at bottom of page). Allow to settle for 5 minutes.
6. draining and cheddaring. Strain through a strainer lined with damp muslin. Let it drain for 10 minutes or until it stops dripping. This is the beginning of the cheddaring process. The curds need to be kept warm (30-32℃) and turn at 15-30 minutes intervals for 2-3 hours. The whey coming off will change from sweetish to mildly acid. If too acidic end the process. After an hour cut the curd mass in half and stack the two halves with the cloth separating them. Add a board on top with ±3kg weight.
7. milling and salting Break the curd mass up into thumb to walnut size pieces. We need 2% salt by weight of the curd weight. Add this is 2-3 stages over 15-20 minutes.
8. mould and press Use a 6"/15cm tomme mould with follower. Put the sack of drained curds in the mould, fold the edges of the muslin over the curds and press
   1. 1 hour at 4kg, then redress by unwrapping, flipping and rewrapping and returning to mould,
   2. 1 hours at 4kg, redress an wrap
   3. 2 hours at 9kg, redress and wrap
   4. 24 hours at 12-18kg depending on how well it is consolidating
9. wrapping. Remove cheese from mould soak. Get 2 circles of muslin slightly larger than the cheese, and one strip long enough to wrap round the cheese but slightly narrower than the height of the cheese. Using lard (or clarified butter) soak the pieces of muslin and squeeze out. Smooth on as circle of muslin on top of the cheese. Flip and line bottom return to mould and press at full weight for an hour. Wrap the strip round the side and return to mould. Press overnight.
10. aging and mould management. Age at 12℃ and 80-85% humidity. Flip the cheese daily.

based on New England Cheese Making Supply Co. [https://cheesemaking.com/collections/recipes/products/cheddar-cheese-making-recipe]