1. Instructions
Please ensure that all parts are cleaned and sanitized. Then insert the plastic drainer into the heating pot, and add the Soft cutter/mixer on the shaft by pushing it down as far as possible.
2. +Milk
Please add: 3 liter of pasteurized cow milk.
3. Heat
Time: 01:00:00
Temperature: 40 °C
Speed: 30 RPM
4. +Ingredients
Please add: 7 drop(s) of Frommagio calcium chloride
5. Mix
Time: 00:00:30
Temperature: 40 °C
Speed: 30 RPM
6. +Ingredients
Please add: 2 g of Fromaggio Craft Yogurt Starter Culture, 0.03 tsp of B Linens bacteria
Tip: or 1.5 oz Bulgarian yogurt
7. Mix
Time: 00:01:00
Temperature: 40 °C
Speed: 30 RPM
8. Heat
Time: 00:30:00
Temperature: 40 °C
Speed: OFF
9. +Ingredients
Please add: 2 g of Fromaggio Microbial Rennet for Soft Cheese
10. Mix
Time: 00:00:30
Temperature: 30 °C
Speed: 30 RPM
11. Heat
Time: 00:30:00
Temperature: OFF
Speed: OFF
Tip: sanitized molds, draining equipment and drainage mats now.
12. Cut
Temperature: OFF
Cut Size: Soft
13. Mix
Time: 00:02:00
Temperature: 40 °C
Speed: 30 RPM
14. Heat
Time: 00:05:00
Temperature: 40 °C
Speed: 30 RPM
15. Mix
Time: 00:02:00
Temperature: OFF
Speed: 30 RPM
16. Heat
Time: 00:10:00
Temperature: OFF
Speed: OFF
Tip: remove 1/3 whey from the pot. Do not drain completely.
17. Drain
To drain, lift up the drainer by the handle. Put the mesh strainer on top of the heating pot, and the drainer inside of the mesh strainer
Time: 00:30:00
Tip: 1. After 30 minutes, put the curd in a cheesecloth lined mold.
2. Flip cheese every few hours for the next several hours.
18. Affinage
Time: 24:00:00
Temperature: 10 °C
Humidity: 0%
Tip: RIPENING
Keep flipping the cheese every few hours and keep warm around 75F.
Let the molded cheese sit at room temperature overnight.
This entire ripening step should take 16-18 hours from start to finish.
19. Affinage
Time: 24:00:00
Temperature: 10 °C
Humidity: 0%
Tip: SALTING
Remove the cheese from the molds and place them in a saturated 18% brine for about 1.5-1.75 hours per pound. The cheese will float above the brine surface, so sprinkle another teaspoon or two of salt on the top surface of the cheese. Flip and re-salt the surface about half way through the brine period.
At the end of the brine bath, allow the cheese surface to dry for a day or so before aging.
The final salted cheese needs to be dried down to a matte surface that is still damp or tacky to the touch. It should not be dry enough to begin darkening.
Note: If you prefer, the cheese can be dry salted instead of soaking in a brine. Do this by weighing out about 2% of salt by cheese weight and applying over 3-4 days, allowing each salting to be absorbed before adding the next. This is actually the more traditional method.
20. Affinage
Time: 24:00:00
Temperature: 10 °C
Humidity: 80%
Tip: Aging cheese should be kept at 46-52°F with 80-85% humidity. This provides a more evenly ripened interior of the cheese. The cheese will ripen from the edges to center due to the molds that develop through the washing over the next several weeks.
Open the container and turn the cheese once a day to allow air exchange. You can place a cloth with brine over the cheese to keep the surface moist.
21. Affinage
Time: 720:00:00
Temperature: 10 °C
Humidity: 80%
Tip: About 4 days after the initial salting the cheese may have given off more moisture and the mats and boards should be changed if wet.
Sometimes a cloth may be needed under the cheese during this time to wick this moisture away.
The cheese may seem a bit greasy which means is yeast is working to help the growth of the B.linens and other molds that may appear.
Day 5: Prepare a light brine with 1 tbs. of salt
1 cup of chlorine free water Add 1/16 tsp of the B.linens
Set this in your aging space to be used on day 6.
Day 6: The cheese should now show a heavier growth of slime (yeast, etc.) and also have become very slippery/greasy. It is time to remove this layer.
Using the light brine you prepared, soak a cloth and use it to wipe the greasy surface off.
Dry the cheese on a board for just long enough for the wash to be absorbed by the surface, and then place it back in the aging space. Discard the wash.
Day 8-9: Prepare a new wash as before but without the b.linens culture.
Repeat the above if the surface is still greasy. Otherwise, just use the cloth and wipe the top and sides with the wash but do not dry down
Return to the aging box wet side up. In 6-8 hrs flip the cheese and repeat and return to aging space when done.
Now you are well on the way to developing the washed rind. It will be a collection of natural yeast and mold that settled on the surface.
You can now repeat the last step every 3-5 days, as you see other molds trying to grow on the surface. The objective is to maintain a damp, but not wet, surface while the desired molds do their work.
You will notice that the surface becomes more and more rosy/orange each day.
Maintaining the surface is critical and the cooler aging temp will be your friend for this. You will also find that the cheese becomes much softer and springy as it ages here.
The cheese can now be aged for 4-6 weeks, when it will be ready for your table. You will need to be the judge on this since its your cheese and you know what you want.
