Stolen Harvest Cheddar Cheese
Real Cheddar Cheese
Unlike the Traditional Farmhouse Cheddar, this real cheddar cheese uses the “cheddaring process” which will be described below in the diretions.
Ingredients
3 gallons of organic whole milk
4 oz buttermilk
3/4 tsp Calcium Chloride
3/4 tsp Annatto (completely optional, I often do not use it as it is just for colouring)
3/4 tsp Rennet
2.5 tablespoons of sea salt (or kosher salt)
Directions
Bring milk to 85 F. Turn off heat and add 4 oz of buttermilk and stir in for one full minute.
Put lid back on pot and wrap in a towel so you do not loose heat in milk mixture. Let it rest for one hour.
Add 3/4 tsp calcium chloride diluted in 1/4 cup non-chlorinated water. Stir well with up and down motion.
Add 3/4 tsp Annatto diluted in 1/4 cup non-chlorinated water. Stir well for one minute. I often omit the annatto since it is purely for aesthetic reasons. I am ok with white cheddar. But it you want to really make the traditional looking orange cheddar then it is worth sourcing and using.
Add 3/4 tsp rennet diluted in 1/4 cup non-chlorinated water for no more than one minute. At this stage the curds will begin to set very quickly after adding the rennet.
Let curds set for 45-60 minutes.
After 45 minutes, cut the curds with a long knife in half Make sure you have a clean break. If not, let the milk sit undisturbed for 15 more minutes. If so, then cut the curd into 1/2 “ pieces. Then, let them rest for 10 minutes.
Turn heat back on low and raise the temperature of the curds from 85 to 100 degrees F over the course of 30 minutes. Stir gently and slowly for the whole 30 minutes cutting any larger curds with the ladle. Do not walk away from the cheese at this stage. You must watch it and raise the temperature very slowly.
After 30 mins, turn off the heat. Stir several times over the course of another 30 minutes while you maintain the temperature at 100 F. Keep the lid on while you are not stirring to help maintain the temperature, and let the curds settle to bottom of the pot for 15 mins.
Place fine mesh colander or sieve into the curds and scoop out the whey reserving it for a later purpose.
Finish by pouring the curd mass into the colander. Gently shape it into an even shaped round inside the colander. In the meantime, heat the half full pot of whey to 110F. This is the beginning of the cheddaring process which is omitted in the Farmhouse Cheddar.
Remove cheddar slab from colander and cut it in half. Place colander over the 110 F whey. Ensure the slabs are not nestled in the whey. Cover the slabs with a towel.
Flip the cheddar slabs a total of 8 times over the course of 2 hours. So flip them every 15 minutes for 120 minutes. This is called the cheddaring process!
They should now be shiny and have the consistency of a chicken breast. Cut into 1/2” cubes. Break cubes up into a container.
Now it’s time to salt the curds: use 2.5 tablespoons of sea salt and sprinkle over the curds and mix well with clean hands.
Place a loose weave cheese cloth over your cheese mould. Scoop curds into mould. Pressing lightly as you go. Wrap edges of cheese on top and add the follower on top.
Place mould into cheese press. Centre it. Press cheese at 25 lbs for one hour.
Flip the cheese. Wrap again. Replace the follower. Add 40 lbs this time and press for 12 hours.
Remove from press. Unwrap cheese, flip and place in mould without cloth for final pressing. Place the follower on top and press at 50 lbs for 12 hours.
Remove from mould and place on a rack at room temperature and let it dry for 1-3 days. Flip it ever 12 hours while drying.
Once it is dry to the touch then vacuum seal the cheese, label it and place in wine cooling fridge at 54F for 3-6 months. Be sure to label and date it before putting in long term storage. Be sure to flip the cheese weekly while in long term storage.
After the 3-6 months. Weigh the cheese if you are interested in recording your yield for future reference. It is good to take good notes so you can repeat the process or adjust certain aspects of the recipe for future batches.
3 months at the cheese will be mild; at about 5 months it will be medium, and 6 + months and it will age and becoming sharper with time. Enjoy!
