Few grocery-bought cheddar cheeses can hold a candle to the flavor of homemade ones. The preparation process takes a long time, but it's not particularly difficult. Here's what you need to do.
Ingrediants
For about 1 kg of cheddar
- 8 l of fresh unpasteurized milk
- A quarter of a teaspoon of mesophilic culture
- Half a teaspoon of liquid animal rennet dissolved in 125 ml of fresh non-chlorinated water
- 2 tablespoons of fine salt
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Cooking the Cheese
Step 1. Heat the milk in a large saucepan
Pour the milk into the saucepan and heat it over medium heat until it reaches a temperature of 32 ° C.
- You can use cow's or goat's milk, but it will need to be raw.
- The temperature can be as low as 29.5 ° C when you start. Check the temperature with an instant read food thermometer.
Step 2. Add the mesophilic culture
Spread the culture over the surface of the milk and mix, making sure it melts and mixes well.
- Let the culture sit in the milk for 1 hour.
- Note that you could also use a direct mesophilic culture pack instead of one bought in bulk.
Step 3. Add the rennet solution
Slowly pour the diluted rennet into the milk, stirring constantly as you do it and for at least 5 minutes when done.
- Let the milk sit for 1-12 hours. A crust should develop at this time, which should be hard enough to cut with a knife.
- If you don't want to use liquid animal rennet, you could use a quarter of a teaspoon of double concentrated vegetable liquid rennet dissolved in 125 ml of water or a quarter of a tablet of liquid rennet dissolved in 125 ml of water.
Step 4. Cut the curd into cubes
Use a long knife to form cubes of just over half an inch. The cubes don't have to be perfectly even, but they should be roughly the same size.
Let the curds rest for another 15 minutes, or until the cubes are no longer solid
Step 5. Raise the heat and continue cooking
Gradually raise the temperature of the milk until it reaches 38-39 ° C. Stir the curd with a long-handled spoon every few minutes to prevent lumps or dull spots from forming.
- It will usually take about 30-45 minutes for the curd to reach this temperature.
- When the curd has reached the desired temperature, let it cook for another 30-45 minutes. Stir again every few minutes to avoid opacification.
- Remove the curd from the heat if it gets too hot.
- In this time, the curd will shrink a lot in size.
Step 6. Line a colander with cheesecloth
Place the colander in a large sink or basin and line it with enough cheesecloth to completely cover the sides.
Meanwhile, let the curd sit at the bottom of the pot for about 20 minutes
Step 7. Drain the whey
Pour the contents of the pot into the lined colander. Hold the colander over a clean sink, bowl, or empty saucepan.
Let it drain for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the curd from becoming too lumpy or opaque
Part 2 of 4: Turning the Cheese into Cheddar
Step 1. Put the curd on a cutting board
Cut it into small, evenly sized slices.
- When you put the curd on the cutting board, the cubes should be semi-solid. Its consistency should resemble that of jelly.
- Return the chopped curd to the dry, empty pot. Cover it tightly with a lid or aluminum foil.
Step 2. Fill a basin with hot water
The water should have a temperature of around 39 ° C.
Make sure the basin or sink is at least as deep as your pot, and half or two-thirds full, so that the part of the pot that houses the cheese is completely submerged
Step 3. Put the pot in the hot water
Place the pot in the basin, making sure that the water does not reach the lid and does not enter the pot.
- The curd must remain at a temperature of 38 ° C for 2 hours. Change the water if necessary to keep the contents of the pot warm.
- Turn the curd slices every 15 minutes.
- This process is known as cheddaring and it is thanks to it that cheddar cheese has its distinctive flavor.
Step 4. Cut the slices into cubes
When two hours have passed, the curd slices should be very hard and slightly shiny. Remove them from the pan and cut the slices into cubes of just over an inch.
Return the curd to the pot when you have cut it into cubes
Step 5. Return the pot to the hot water
Cover it with a lid. Let it sit in the hot water for another 30 minutes.
- Make sure the water is still 38-39 ° C.
- Stir the curd with your fingers every 10 minutes at this stage.
Step 6. Add some salt
Remove the pot from the hot water and add the salt. Mix gently using your hands.
The salt should completely cover the curd
Part 3 of 4: Press the Cheese
Step 1. Line the cheese press with cheesecloth
To do this, place a clean piece of cheesecloth in the lower part of the piston compartment. The cheesecloth should be large enough to reach the top of the cylinder.
- A domestic press will be sufficient for this operation. These tools usually consist of a round cylinder, in which you will have to put the cheese, with guide rods on both sides. There should also be a pressure arm that allows you to change the pressure applied to the cheese.
- Presses are needed for the preparation of hard cheeses, including cheddar.
Step 2. Put the cheese in the press and press it for 15 minutes
Put the curds at the bottom of the press and wrap them in cheesecloth.
Rotate your arm until the gauge registers 4.5kg of pressure. Let the cheese rest in the press for 15 minutes at this pressure
Step 3. Increase the pressure and continue pressing the cheese
Increase the pressure to 18 kg and press the cheese for 12 hours.
Turn the cheese over and change the cheesecloth before continuing to press the cheese
Step 4. Increase the pressure once more and continue pressing
Bring the pressure to 22.5 kg and press for another 24 hours.
Rotate the cheese and change the cheesecloth before continuing
Part 4 of 4: Seasoning the Cheese
Step 1. Let the cheese air dry
Remove it from the press when 24 hours have passed. Put it on a plane and let it rest for 2-5 days.
- The cheese should dry out at room temperature. Keep it in a rather bright and dry place, away from humidity.
- The exact time it will take for the cheese to dry depends on the humidity of the air.
- When ready, the cheese should be dry to the touch. It should also have developed a protective scab.
Step 2. Wax the cheese
The wax prevents hard cheeses, such as cheddar, from drying out and moldy as they mature.
- Prepare the cheese for waxing by rubbing a small piece of cheesecloth dipped in wine vinegar onto its surface. This will get rid of all the mold. Store the cheese for a few hours in the refrigerator before applying the wax.
- Take a 10cm x 10cm piece of cheese wax.
- Put the wax on the top of a double kettle and fill the bottom with water. Heat it over medium heat until it melts and reaches around 100 ° C.
- Dip a natural bristle brush in the melted wax and coat the cheese wheel with the wax, one surface at a time. Let the wax cool on one side before moving on to another.
- You should apply at least two coats of wax over the entire surface. Let it dry completely.
Step 3. Let the cheese mature in the refrigerator
Keep it for at least 60 days before enjoying it.
- Cheese should be stored at an ideal temperature of 13 - 15.5 ° C.
- If you prefer a stronger flavor, age the cheese for 3-24 months. The more the cheese is aged, the more its flavor will be decisive.
