4 liters semi skimmed milk
1/3 tsp rennet
Thermophilic starter according to instructions on the packet (I bought mine here and used half a packet and kept the other half in the freezer for later)
Heat the milk to 33°C
Add the starter and stir thoroughly.
Maintain the temperature for 30 mins to let it ripen
Add the rennet and stir again
Leave for a further 30 mins
Cut the curd with a knife and then break down the pieces further by gently dragging a balloon whisk through the curds. Continue to do this for 10 mins
Increase the temperature of the curds to 43°C over 10 mins (stirring occasionally)
Increase the temperature of the curds to 55°C over a further 10 mins (stirring occasionally)
Strain the curds out using a sieve (keep the whey to feed to the dog/cat/pig/chickens/compost/etc)
Transfer the curds to the mold lined with a cheesecloth
Fold the cheesecloth over the top of the curds, add the follower and put in the press
Press until the whey runs (5kg on my press = approx 1psi))
After an hour take the cheese out of the press, unwrap it, turn it over and rewrap it
Return to the press with double the weight (10kg for me) and leave for 24 hours
Remove again and unwrap and return to the press for a further hour up the other way to smooth the cheese
Put in a covered container somewhere coolish (warmer than fridge) for 2 days
After the 2 days (you might want to make the brine the day before to let it cool)
Put 1 liter of water in a pan with 250g of preserving salt and bring to the boil
Cool to 10-12°C and pour over the cheese in a container just slightly bigger than the cheese
Leave for 24 hours turning the cheese over occasionally to get both sides salted
Remove from the salt and leave to age, after 2 weeks oil it or wax it and let it continue to age for something like 9 months - should improve with age.
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| The cut curds in the whey before heating |
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| After heating (curds are hiding at the bottom) |
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| Curds strained out from the whey |
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