Ingredients
Scale
- 2 gallons raw milk
- ½ teaspoon calcium chloride, dissolved in ¼ cup water (optional if using raw milk)
- 4 oz. mesophilic culture cubes, or buy mesophilic culture here
- ½ teaspoon liquid rennet, dissolved in ¼ cup water (I use non-GMO rennet.)
- 2 Tablespoons sea salt
Instructions
- Combine the milk and calcium chloride in a large stock pot.
- Heat to 90 degrees stirring.
- Add mesophilic culture cubes, cover & ripen for 45 minutes.
- Add the rennet, stirring up & down gently for 1 minute. Cover & allow to sit at 90 degrees for 30 minutes, until a clean break forms.
- Cut the curds to ½ ”, rest them to heal for 5 minutes.
- Indirectly heat the curds to 100 degrees at the rate of 2 degrees/ 5 minutes (about 30 minutes) by placing the pot in a sink of 110 degree water. Stir every 5 minutes. (Maybe 45 minutes.)
- Hold the temperature at 100 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Pour the curds and whey into a cheesecloth lined colander. Allow the whey to drain for 1 hour.
- Break the curds apart with your fingers. Mix in the salt, 1 tablespoon at a time waiting for 1 minute between each addition.
- Place the curds in a cheesecloth lined press and press for 15 minutes at 4-5 pounds pressure.
- Remove cheese from press, remove cheesecloth. Put cheesecloth back in mold and return cheese to mold upside down. Press at 10-12 pounds pressure for 12 hours.
- Remove the cheese from the cheese press and unwrap
- Air dry for 1-3 days turning twice a day
- The cheese is ready when a butter colored rind develops & cheese is dry to touch.
- Unwaxed– refrigerate & eat within 2 weeks.
- Age– up to 3 months by wax sealing and storing 45-60 degrees.