Guido’s recipe from “Home cheese making” p 146 seems to be a favorite of many, yet somehow I waited 18 months before I got around to making it. When we ended up with a snow day on February 2nd, it seemed like the natural choice.
Started with 2 gallons of King Soopers whole milk, TA-61 Thermophilic culture, Calcium Chloride , and some animal rennet. Heat the milk to 80° and then add the culture, let set for 30 mins. Continue to heat milk to 90°, add Calcium Chloride, mix, and add the rennet.
After a clean break, heat to 120° for 40 mins.
Once we add the curds to the forms, press at 3 lbs for 15 mins. and flip, another 15 mins and flip again, and again. Pressing lasts a full 24 hrs.
The recipe called for 24 hrs of brining, but I was going away on vacation so my Guido’s cheese went on vacation with me. I have several Tupperware that nicely fit my 2 pound wheels, so it worked out fine. I was able to dry the wheel for a couple days on a plate covered by the Tupperware to get it ready for waxing. I brought home the wheel in the empty Tupperware. I decided to wax it right away and get it into the frig for aging.
The aging is 4-6 weeks.
Note: A week or so after I made this wheel, I was on a cheese forum and they were discussing this recipe and several people said the brining was way too long and that the cheese will come out salty. They suggested 2 hours of brining per pound of cheese.
We will see how it comes out.
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