Recipes - Farmhouse Cheddar

This is a great cheddar to make if you have never made cheese before. It takes less time to make then reglar cheddar and is ready to eat after only five weeks of aging.
This recipe makes one small Farmhouse Cheddar

Ingredients

• 4L of Whole Non-Homogenized milk
• 1ml of rennet diluted in al least 4ml of cooled, boiled water
• Approximately 1/4 a packet of Mesophilic starter culture
• 1 tablespoon of cheese salt
• Cheese Wax

Equipment

• Cheese vat (tub)
• Cheese incubator
• Hard cheese mould with follower
• Butter Muslin
• Thermometer
• Pipette
• Measuring beaker
• Draining spoon
• Long bladed knife
• Weights or cheese press

Method

Step 1 - Sterilizing Equipment 

• Set up a bucket or large container (I generally just use a small basin, fill it with cold water and add the correct amount of sterilization tablets)
• Keep all equipment that will come in contact in said tub. if you use something twice make sure you rinse it then place it back in the tub

Step 2 - Inoculating the milk

• In the cheese vat heat the milk to 32C using a microwave
• Stir in Mesophilic starter culture
• Cover and let cheese ripen for 45mins in Incubator 
• Remove vat and pour in diluted rennet and stir it in using an up and down motion for the next minute
• Cover and let it sit for another 45 mins

Step 3 - Cutting the Curd

• Now cut the curd into 1 cm cubes
• Add hot water to the cheese incubator to slowly increase the temperature of the curds to 38C(this should take roughly 30mins)
• During the 30 mins continue to stir the curds from clumping together
• After a temperature of 38C has been achieved, cover the cheese vat and let at 38C for 5 mins inside the incubator

Step 4 - Draining and milling the curds

• Pour the curds into a butter muslin lined colander. Tie the corners of the cheesecloth into a knot and hang the bag in a warm spot to drain for 1 hour
• After an hour, place the curds into a bowl and break them up into small pieces. Mix in the cheese salt

Step 5 - Moulding and Pressing

• Pack the curds into a lined cheese mould. Fold a piece of butter muslin over the top of a piece of the cheese before pressing at 5kg for 10 mins
• Remove the cheese from the mould. Remove the cheese cloth, turn the cheese, redress the cheese in the butter muslin and press again for 10 mins at 10kg
• Repeat this process again but instead press at 20kg for 12 hours

Step 6 - Ageing the Cheese

• After 12 hours, remove the cheese from the mould and air dry on the cheese cheese mat for a few days until the cheese develops a natural dry rind. this should take 4 days
• While the cheese is air drying, make sure you turn it over regularly to prevent moisture from collecting on the bottom 
• After the cheese has developed a natural rind, it is ready for waxing.
• Age the cheese at around 13C for 5 weeks