Cheddar Cheese

Recipe for homemade cheddar cheese uses a slight variation of the traditional method. The Cheeze Wizzard, an excellent source for cheese cheese recipes and cheesemaking information.

Submitted By: The Cheeze Wizzard

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Ingredients

1 Gallon Fresh Milk
1 oz. Mesophilic Starter Culture
1/4 tab Rennet
1 Tablespoon Salt

Instructions

Using a double boiler, warm the milk to 90 F (32.25 C).

Add 1 oz of mesophilic starter culture and mix thoroughly with a whisk, the culture must be uniform throughout the milk.

Allow the milk to ripen for one hour.

Dissolve 1/4 tab rennet into 3-4 tablespoons COOL water. Hot water will DESTROY the rennet enzymes.

Slowly pour the rennet into the milk stirring constantly with a whisk.

Stir for at least 5 minutes.

Allow the milk to set for 1-2 hours until a firm curd is set and a clean break can be obtained when the curd is cut.

With a long knife, cut the curds into 1/4 inch cubes.

Allow the curds to sit for 15 minutes to firm up.

Slowly raise the temperature of the milk to 102 F (39 C). It should take as long as 45 minutes to reach this temperature. During this time, gently stir the curds every few minutes so they don't mat together.

Cook the curds at 102 F (39 C) for another 45 minutes. During this time, gently stir the curds every few minutes so they don't mat together.

Drain the whey by pouring through a cheesecloth lined colander. Do this quickly and do not allow the curds to mat.

Place the curds back into the double boiler at 102 F (39 C). Stir the curds to separate any particles that have matted. Add the tablespoon of salt and mix thoroughly.

Cook the curds at 102 F (39 C) for one hour, stirring every few minutes.

Carefully place the curds into your cheesecloth lined mold.

Press the cheese at about 20 lbs. (9 kg) for 45 minutes.

Remove the cheese from the press and flip it.

Press the cheese at about 40 lbs. (18 kg) for 3 hours.

Remove the cheese from the press and flip it.

Press the cheese at about 50 lbs. (22.75 kg) for 24 hours.

Remove the cheese from the press. Place the cheese on a cheese board and dry at room temperature for 3-5 days, until the cheese is dry to the touch.

Wax the cheese and age it in your refrigerator for 3-24 months. The longer the cheese is aged the sharper the flavor it will develop. Be sure to flip the cheese every few days.

Posted: 1/3/2010 9:30:55 AM

Contribute

Bearzerker

9/26/2010

how much cheddar will 1 gallon of milk make? ...and how does pasterized milk affect the setting or coeagulation of store bought milk? I got this from the Guelph University website and was wondering if i could still try this with a gallon of store bought whole milk? <---snip...Note that over pasteurization will prevent proper coagulation. Most store bought milk is unsuitable for cheese making because it has received too much heat treatment. After pasteurization the milk is cooled to 32-37C (89.6-98.6F) and lactic acid bacteria are added to the milk. The suspension of bacteria is called a 'culture' and the process of adding the culture to the milk is called 'inoculation'. The culture may be a frozen or freeze-dried concentrate of bacterial cells or it could be cultured milk (milk in which lactic acid bacteria have been allowed to grow). Different bacterial cultures are recommended for specific types of cheese but most types can be made using fresh, plain yoghurt or buttermilk as a culture. If yoghurt is used, the milk should be inoculated at 37C. Buttermilk contains gas forming bacteria and may cause the development of small eyes in some cheese. In addition to bacteria, some types of cheese such as 'blue' and 'camembert' are inoculated with mould to develop characteristic appearance and flavour..."--->unsnip http://www.foodscience.uoguelph.ca/dairyedu/cheese2.html

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Cheddar Cheese

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