Homemade Raw Cheddar Cheese Recipes

HOMEMADE RAW CHEDDAR CHEESE

Steps:

• Put the milk in the pot and slowly over a couple hours warm it to 86 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring occasionally. Keep it covered to preserve heat.
• Sprinkle the mesophilic culture on top of the milk.
• Stir in very well.
• Cover and allow to culture or "ripen" for 45 minutes to 1 hour, keeping the temperature at 86 degrees Fahrenheit. During the summer, turn burner off and cover pot with a bath towel to keep at temperature.
• Meanwhile, dissolve rennet in about 1/4 cup of water. Set aside.
• After the ripening time, pour the water-rennet mix into the milk, and stir well.
• Cover the pot again and allow the milk to set for 30 to 45 minutes, until a firm curd forms. Once curd forms, if cut into with a knife, it should make a "clean break" -- where the curd splits and whey pours into the crack. See picture here.
• Then cut the curd into 1/2 inch cubes. Click here to read some good basic directions for making those cuts.
• Be very gentle with the curds at this point. In fact, after cutting them, just let them sit for 5 minutes, undisturbed. Keep the cover on to keep them warm.
• Then turn on the burner (if it isn't on already) and heat the curds to 102 degrees Fahrenheit over the course of 40 minutes or so.
• During this time, stir gently every 5 or 10 minutes to keep the curds from sticking and make them smaller.
• Keep the curds at 102 degrees Fahrenheit for an additional 30 minutes.
• Stir occasionally. Curds should be firm and a bit stretchy, surrounded with lots of whey. They should hold together if pressed. For more info on a texture test, check out The Cheesemaker's Manual.
• Let the curds settle at the bottom of the pot.
• Pour off about 2/3 of the whey into another pot or container. You can keep this raw, cultured whey for lacto-ferments or soaking where a stronger flavor works well (such as veggie ferments).
• Then transfer the curds to a colander, leaving the remaining whey in the pot.
• Put the colander to nest inside the pot, so the curds are suspended over the warm whey. This begins the "cheddaring process" which gives the cheese its squeaky texture.
• Let the curds drain for about 1 hour.
• Cover the colander with a piece of cheesecloth and the pot lid.
• Keep the burner on low if necessary to keep the whey warm.
• During this hour, turn the slab of curds over a few times to make sure they're draining well.
• Take the slab of curds out of the colander, put it on a cutting surface, and then cut it into chunks.
• Then cut the chunks into slices.
• Put them in a bowl and toss with fine sea salt until just slightly oversalted. Remember that some of the salt will leave with the whey that gets pressed out.
• If you don't have a cheese press, these curds are fresh and ready to be eaten! Delicious!
• If you do have a cheese press, line mold with cheesecloth - could be the same piece that covered the curds during the cheddaring process.
• Fill the mold with the slices of curd.
• Using your press's setup (follower, etc.), press the cheese at 10 to 15 pounds for about half an hour.
• If the pressure loosens during this time, tighten it up again.
• Take the cheese out of the mold, turn it over, and put it back in the mold (cheesecloth and all). This makes it pretty on top and bottom.
• You'll need a tray to catch the whey that drains during the pressing.
• Continue pressing overnight (or 12 to 15 hours) with continual pressure, working it up to 35 to 45 pounds for the duration.
• Once again, check frequently if the pressure loosens and adjust the press as necessary. What happens is the cheese gets smaller and shorter, but the press stays in the same position - thus the pressure on the cheese gets relieved, and we need to come in and tighten it up again. Not all presses work like this, but mine does.
• Take the cheese out of the mold.
• Air dry it at room temperature for a few hours or overnight.
• Eat fresh, or age for 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
• Wax it for longer aging.
• Mild cheddar develops in about 4 weeks, medium in about 2 to 3 months, and sharp in 6 months or more. Allow longer aging times for cheeses made from pasteurized milk (another reason raw is better!).

CHEESE CURDS RECIPE (BASIC)

Steps:

• Cheese Curds, tasty little bits of fresh cheese perfect for a quick snack Cheese curds are the fresh curds of cheese, often cheddar. Their flavor is mild with about the same firmness as cheese, but has a springy or rubbery texture. Fresh curds squeak against the teeth when bitten into, which some would say is their defining characteristic. The American variety are usually yellow or orange in color, like most American cheddar cheese. Other varieties, such as the Qubcois and the New York varieties, are roughly the same color as white cheddar cheese. After twelve hours, even under refrigeration, they have lost much of their "fresh" characteristics, particularly the "squeak". Room temperature, rather than refrigeration, may preserve the flavor and the "squeak". You can freeze cheese curds for up to 4 months, be aware you will loose the squeak and freshness when eaten after freezing. Cheese Curds are sometimes breaded and deep fried especially in Wisconsin. Cheese curds are a main ingredient in Poutine, a Quebec dish in which cheese curds are served layered on top of french fries, and melting under steaming hot gravy. Heat Milk Start out by bringing 2 Gallons of milk up to a temperature of 96¡F. Once the milk is at 96F, set a timer for 90 minutes (so you can measure the critical process from ripening through scald; this is the critical part and needs to run by the clock) and proceed with the recipe . Optional If you want more color in the curds add 1/4-1/2 tsp of annato cheese coloring at this point Add Calcium Chloride & Culture Next 1/2 tsp of Calcium Chloride is measured out and added to the milk along with a pack of (C201 Thermophilic Culture). The milk is then kept at 96¡F to culture (ripen) the milk for 30 minutes. Coagulate with Rennet Next measure out 1/2 tsp of single strength Liquid Rennet and add this to 1/4 cup of cool water, add and stir the milk gently for about 30 seconds. In about 6-10 minutes the milk will begin to gel and in 18-25 minutes a firm set should take place. This can be tested by inserting a knife and lifting with the broad surface to split the curd as seen above. In a few seconds the cut will fill with clear whey, if it is cloudy wait a few more minutes. Cut the Curds Next cut the curd surface into 3/4inch cubes. Wait 3 minutes then begin to stir. Keeping the temperature at 96¡F and as you stir the curds will become smaller. Cook the Curds You can now begin heating the curds slowly to 116¡F over 30 minutes. They will continue to shrink as more whey is released. About now your timer should be going off. Continue to cook the curds for 30-60 minutes depending on how dry you like them. Drain the Curds Once the curds are cooked, transfer them to a cloth lined colander to drain. The cloth is then gathered by its corners and hung for 15-20 minutes. Then the cloth is twisted tight to press the curds together. Pressing A small plate, placed ontop of the curds, provides an excellent flat surface for pressing. Press with a weight of 1 Gallon of water (app. 8 lbs) and let set 1-3 hours. In about 1-3 hours, youÕll have a nice consolidated mass of curds. Salting & Finishing This curd mass can now be broken into bite size pieces and tossed with a bit of salt. It is now ready for eating. I store the curds in a zip lock bag in the fridge. NOTE: If you have a pH meter, the end of step 5 should be pH6.4 and step 7 pH5.3.

FARMHOUSE CHEDDAR CHEESE RECIPE

Steps:

• 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.

CHEDDAR CHEESE MAKING RECIPE

Steps:

• A Recipe for Cheddar Cheese I usually make this cheese with 6 gallons of raw milk because the larger size tends to ripen more effectively, while reducing the amount of moisture loss, due to a better ratio of mass to surface area. However, for the home cheese maker this volume of milk can be a lot to work with. So, I'm providing a 3 gallon recipe below using a good quality pasteurized milk. The pictures with the guideline below will be for the larger cheese though and you should be able to increase the size to a 6 gallon batch by doubling the rennet and culture. Heat & Acidify Milk Begin by heating milk to 86F. A water bath using a pot in your sink will be the most stable way to do this. You can just add a bit of boiling water from your tea kettle to make sure the water bath remains at temperature. You can heat the milk right in the sink if you use a couple of changes of VERY hot water. If you do this in a pot on the stove make sure you heat the milk slowly and stir it well as it heats. As you can see in the picture here, I use a pot inside a bigger pot, and a burner under that to control my water bath temperature. Thermometers in both the milk and water bath will help in controlling temperatures Once the milk is at 86F, the culture can be added. To prevent the powder from caking and sinking in clumps, sprinkle the powder over the surface of the milk and then allow about 2 minutes for the powder to re-hydrate before stirring it in. The milk now needs to be kept at this target temperature for 90 minutes to allow the culture to begin working. It will be very slow initially but will soon kick into its more rapid rate of converting lactose to lactic acid. Coagulate with Rennet Once your milk and culture have ripened, add about 3/4 tsp of single strength liquid rennet. The milk then needs to sit quiet for 45 minutes while the culture works and the rennet coagulates the curd. You should note that the milk begins to thicken at about 18 minutes (between 15-20 minutes is a range you should work to). You should be able to see this change by pressing on the milk surface and noting a change in tension. However do not cut yet. The milk needs to sit quiet the full 45 minutes. It needs the rest of this time to firm up well and make a good curd before cutting. The thermal mass of this milk should keep it warm during this period. Do not heat the milk during this time because it needs to sit undisturbed. When the milk has turned into a solid curd that is ready to cut, you should be able to test and see a simple clean break as shown above. Cut Curd & Release Whey The next step will be to cut the curds to 1/2-3/4 inch pieces, depending on the moisture you want in the final cheese. The smaller the curds, the drier the cheese and the longer it will take to age. Make the cuts by first making vertical cuts in two directions at right angles with a long knife and then using a flat ladle cut horizontally. Try not to break the curds too small while doing this. Once the curd have been cut as close to your target size as possible (they will shrink as they cook) allow them to rest for about 5 minutes, with no stirring, while the surface hardens a little. The next step will be to begin a SLOW stir for about 10-15 minutes, the curds are still very fragile. Bring the curds back to 86F at this time if they have cooled. This is to firm the curds well enough to keep them intact during the scald, or cooking phase, that comes next. Cook Curds Now it is time to begin drying out the curds. This will be done by increasing the heat slowly to 102F. The heat needs to be increased slowly at about 3-5F every 5 minutes at the beginning. The total cooking time will be about 30 minutes Then stir another 30-60 minutes, until the curd is firm. This may be extended if the curds are still soft. The final curds should be cooked well through and should be examined to make sure that enough moisture has been removed. A broken curd should be firm throughout and the curds should have a moderate resistance when pressed between the fingers. If the curds are not dry enough, they will carry moisture which contains Lactose forward into the pressing and aging stage. This will show up as leaking cheeses, as the acid continues to develop, and a very chalky and acid tasting cheese. A simple test that I always show in my workshop classes here is the 'Grip Test'. A small hand full of cheese is gathered and firmly pressed in the hand to consolidate the curds. Then with moderate pressure of the thumb, they should easily separate. If they tend to cling or stick together, stir for a little longer. When the curds seem dry enough, they can be allowed to settle under the whey for a few minutes, then begin to remove whey down to within 1-2 inches above the curd mass. Draining & Cheddaring Draining My process here involves the use of two pans, one with holes and the other without so that the initial curd transfer is with curds and enough whey to cover them. I line the pan with holes with draining cloth and place that pan inside the one without holes (see the pics). If you are using a colander for the draining simply place it in another larger pan When the curds are transferred along with the residual whey to the draining pan, the curds should be fully covered with the whey. This arrangement allows for a thorough stirring to make sure any clumps are broken up and the curds allowed to float under the whey into their most compact form. This step will minimize any mechanical holes in the bed of curds. This step should take about 10 -15 minutes, then the cloth should be folded over and tightened around the curd and all of the whey can be drained. Cheddaring This is the beginning of the cheddaring phase, but the cheese at this point has not developed it's final acid. It will need to be kept warm (85-90F) and turned at 15-30 minute intervals for the next 2-3 hours. The actual amount of time depends on the draining and acid development. During this time, more whey will be draining, and the taste of the whey will change from just slightly sweet as in milk, to a very neutral and even slightly acid flavor but avoid developing too much acid. After about 1 hour cut the curd mass in half and stack the two halves with the drain cloth separating them.I also add a board on top of the draining curds with about 8 lbs of weight. This will emulate the larger slab mass of the larger producers. During this time the curds will begin to change shape due to changes in the protein structure. It is quite related to what also happens in the mozzarella stretching phase. As the warm curd develops more acid during cheddaring, calcium (responsible for binding the proteins) is washed from the curd by the draining whey, leaving a weaker bond between proteins. You will notice that the curds at the beginning of the cheddaring process were much more cubic or round, but if you tear the slabs at the end they will be much more elongated and the slabs will have flattened out considerably. This is all a large part of what cheddar is about. Milling & Salting Curds At this point you will have the final curd ready for pressing BUT another unique aspect of the Cheddar is that the dryness and acid have both reached close to their desired level and should not be allowed to continue. If relying on brining or dry salting the surface of the cheese, the acid would continue to increase causing a very wet and acid cheese. If at this point the curd is too wet, the residual lactose may still be enough to trigger a late fermentation and result in leaking cheese and a very acid and chalky final cheese. If the curd is too dry, it will be difficult to consolidate and will take much longer to age. The curd mass is broken into small pieces about thumb to walnut size, and salt is then added at the rate of 2% of cheese salt to the weight of the fresh curds. If the curd weighs 3lbs (48 oz), 2% would be .96oz of salt. About 0.5% will wash away as the salt pulls moisture from the curd, leaving about 1.5% in the finished cheese. To best keep the salt from hardening the curd surface, and thus limiting moisture expulsion, add salt in 3 stages over 15-20 minutes to allow each addition to pull whey and form its own brine. Forming & Pressing Once the curds have been salted, line the form with a sanitized press cloth and pack the curds firmly into the mold. For pressing, we should begin very light and slowly increase the press weight to a moderate level: 1 hour at 20 lbs 1 hour at 20 lbs 4 hour at 40 lbs 24 hours at 50-75 lbs (depending on how well the consolidation is working) The cheese should be removed from the press, unwrapped, turned, re-wrapped, and put back to the press at the above intervals, to ensure an even consolidation. Pressing will not solve problems of a curd that is too moist. Only the free unbound moisture will be released during this phase. The rate of whey running off is simply a matter of drops and not a stream of whey being released. This is a good rate of whey removal during pressing and will slow even more as the residual free moisture is released. The form should show tears of whey weeping from the form very slowly. When this stops you can increase the weight slightly. At each turn you will notice the cheese has formed a smoother surface and rests lower in the mold. If at the end of the press cycle, the curd is not fully consolidated, return to the press for more time and add a bit more press weight. If still not consolidated after pressing, the cheese curds were too dry. In the next batch, do less stirring, perhaps for less time. Also, cutting the curds larger will make a moister cheese. Prepare for Aging With the well pressed cheddar you have two choices, either waxed or cloth bound. Due to the dryness of the curd at molding, a natural rind will fail as the surface is likely to develop cracks as the curd boundaries dehydrate. Waxing The cheese can be dried for a few days and then waxed. All of our details for this are on our Waxing Page. Pros: Easiest way to maintain moisture. Requires little attention during aging. Cons: Limited movement through the waxed surface. Messy to apply and clean up. Requires constant attention to temperature, as wax can easily reach it's flash point if left unattended. Wrapping in Cloth This is the most traditional way of maintaining the surface of a cheddar. This is still the method used for the ""West Country"" Cheddars, as well as many of the newer cloth bound Cheddars in America. Pros: This covering provides fine support for the surface, but allows moisture and gas to pass as needed. The final cheese tends to be much more complex in both aroma and flavor. Once the cloth is applied, the cheese is protected and a natural mold surface adds to the protection and complexity, and little aging attention is required. When fully ripe, the mold can be brushed away, the cloth removed and a perfectly clean rind is revealed. Cons: It takes a bit longer to apply. The cloth is applied with the help of lard as a binder. The cloth is soaked in lard, rung out and applied to the surface, and then pressed 24 hours to embed the cloth right into the surface. I know that many will groan at the thought of lard, but there is no need to use that white block from the store. It is very easy to obtain a piece of back fat and heat it to render your own lard. It can be kept refrigerated for quite some time. All of the details for applying the cloth binding are on our Bandaging Cheddar page. Aging The cheese is now ready to be placed into your aging space at 52-56F and 80-85% moisture. The only maintenance required is to turn the cheese every week to keep the moisture even. The waxed cheese should remain mold free if done correctly and fully sealed. The bandaged cheese will develop a beautiful surface of grey-white-blue mold naturally over time. This acts as a filter for what comes and goes and can be left alone other than turning occasionally. You may want to keep it separated from other cheeses that are developing selected natural rinds, but I age mine right with my other natural rind cheeses... no problem. Age for 3-9 months (or longer) depending on cheese moisture. The drier the cheese, the longer it can be aged and the more complex it becomes.

MEDIUM CHEDDAR CHEESE SAUCE (LIVE, RAW, AND VEGAN)

Steps:

• Place cashews in a large bowl. Pour enough water over cashews to cover.
• Cover the bowl and soak cashews overnight, at least 12 hours.
• Drain the water from cashews; place cashews in a blender. For a tangier cheddar flavor add 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice to cashews. Pour enough water to come to 1/4-inch below of the top of the cashews. Blend until partially smooth.
• Place nutritional yeast, onion, sunflower seed oil, salt, garlic powder, tamari sauce, turmeric, and cayenne pepper in blender. Blend until smooth.

FARMHOUSE CHEDDAR ~ 18TH CENTURY RECIPE

Steps:

• Warm the milk to around 85 to 90 degrees.
• Dilute the rennet in 1/4 cup of water. Add the diluted rennet to the cheese and stir for about 1 minute using a figure 8 motion up and down in the pot.
• If using pasteurized milk, also add 1 cup cultured buttermilk and 1/2 tsp calcium chloride diluted in water at this time.
• Allow the cheese to sit in a warm place undisturbed for about 90 minutes until a stiff curd forms.
• Cut the curd into 1'' cubes with a large knife, ensuring you cut all the way through to the bottom of the pot.
• Allow the cut curd to rest for an additional 60 to 90 minutes.
• Slowly heat the curd and whey to 100 degrees, increasing the temperature by no more than 2 degrees every 5 minutes. Placing the pot in a sink full of hot water works well (though a wood stove is a more traditional 18th century method).
• Allow the cheese to stand at 100 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes before straining the curd through a colander lined with cheesecloth.
• Add salt and break the curd up into small pieces with your hands while distributing the salt.
• Line a cheese press with cheesecloth and place the curds into the press.
• Press the cheese, increasing pressure every 20 to 30 minutes for about 2 hours. Then allow the cheese to sit in the press under pressure for about 12 hours.
• Remove the cheese from the press and flip it over. Press on the other side for another 12 hours.
• Remove the cheese from the press and age the cheese on a salted shelf for a minimum of 60 days, flipping it over every day or two.
• The finished cheese will be dry and a hint salty, perfect for grating like parmesan.

HOMEMADE CHEDDAR CHEESE

Steps:

• Gently warm the milk to 86 degrees F (30 C).
• Sprinkle the packet of mesophilic starter culture over the top of the warmed milk, andallow it to rehydrate for 2 minutes undisturbed. (This helps preventclumping.) Use 1 packet for raw milk or 2 packets for pasteurized milk. Alternately, use a bulk mesophilic starter at a rate of 1/4 tsp for raw milk or 1/2 tsp for pasteurized milk.
• Stir the culture into the milk using an up and down motion for 1 minute.
• Allow the milk to culture undisturbed for 45 minutes.
• If using pasteurized milk, dilute 1 tsp of calcium chloride in 1/4 cup cool unchlorinated water. Add to the cultured milk and stir for 1 minute to distribute. (This is optional, but highly recommended as the calcium is damaged in pasteurized milk, and it has difficulty forming good curds. This will help firm them up a bit, which will be easier to work with during the cheddaring process.)
• Dilute 1 tsp rennet in 1/4 cup of cool unchlorinated water and add it into the cultured milk, stirring using an up and down motion for 1 minute.
• After 1 minute, still the milk and allow it to set undisturbed for 45 minutes until the curds are set and show a clean break. If the curds are not set, wait another 5-15 minutes before proceeding.
• Cut the curds into 1/4 inch cubes and then allow them to sit for 5 minutes. (This allows the curds to heal a bit before you move along, which will improve the structure of the finished cheese.)
• Slowly heat the curds to 100 degrees F (38 C), increasing the temperature by no more than 2 degrees every 5 minutes. This should take at least 40 minutes. Occasionally stir the curds to prevent matting.
• Once the curds reach 100 degrees F (38 C), hold the temperature for 30 minutes and gently stir the curds.
• After 30 minutes, stop stirring and allow the curds to settle to the bottom of the pot.
• Once settled, pour the curds through a cheesecloth-lined colander (reserving the whey to make whey cheese).
• Allow the curds to drain for 15 minutes, during which they'll mat into a solid mass.
• Remove the curds from the colander and slice them into 1-inch strips. Stack the strips on top of each other and place the stacked curds back into the cheesecloth-lined colander.
• Suspend the colander over a pot of warm (100 degree F, or 38 C) water, and place a lid on top of the colander to maintain warmth. (Optionally, you can also fill a large Ziploc bag with warm water and place it on top of the curds to add more warmth and weight to help the cheddaring process.)
• Hold the curds at 100 degrees F (38 C) for two hours, flipping the stacked curds over every 15 minutes. This is called cheddaring.
• After 2 hours, the curds should have a texture like cooked chicken breast. Gently break them with your hands into 1/2 inch pieces, but keep them in the colander over the warm water bath to keep them warm.
• Hold the broken curds in the colander, still maintaining 100 degrees in the water below, for 30 minutes. Gently stir the curds with your hands every 10 minutes to keep them from matting.
• After 30 minutes, add the cheese salt (2 Tbsp. if starting with 4 gallons milk) and gently distribute it through the curds with your hands. Be sure to mix it thoroughly so it's evenly distributed.
• Line a cheese form (cheese mold) with cheesecloth and place the salted curds in the form. Drape part of the cheesecloth over the top of the curds, and then place a follower for the cheese form on top.
• Place the curds into a cheese press and press at 20 pounds pressure for 30 minutes to form the cheese into a block. At this point, the individual curds will still be visible, but it should mostly hold together when removed from the press.
• Remove the cheese from the press, undress it, flip it over and redress with cheesecloth. Press at 40 pounds pressure for 12 hours (overnight usually).
• In the morning, remove the cheese from the press, undress it, flip it and redress it. Press the cheese at 50 pounds pressure for 24 hours.
• Remove the cheese from the press and remove the cheesecloth.
• Allow the cheese to air dry at room temperature for 2 to 5 days, flipping daily until it's dry to the touch on all sides.
• Dress the cheddar block for aging by cloth binding, waxing, or vacuum sealing (see article).
• Age the dressed cheddar block at 50 to 55 degrees F (10 to 13 degrees C) and 85% relative humidity for at least three months. (Preferably 6 months to a year.) Flip the cheese daily for the first week, and then weekly after that.

HOMEMADE CHEDDAR CHEESE SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and salt until a paste forms. Slowly add milk; cook and stir until fully incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add cheese, stir to combine, and cook until melted, 1 to 2 minutes.