Method:

1. Sterilise your equipment including your pot and lid. Not everything will need to be sterilised straight away.  Read the method for timings and sterilise what you need as you go.
2. Warm milk and cream (or creamy milk) gently and slowly to 32⁰C.
3. Sprinkle the Flora Danica and Penicillium roqueforti mold over the surface of the milk, put the lid on your pot and wait 5 mins – your culture and mold are re-hydrating.
4. Using your slotted/skimmer spoon and with an up and down movement very gently draw the culture and mold into the body of the milk taking care not to break the surface of the milk excessively.
5. Put the lid back on your pot and now leave it for 1½ hrs, maintaining the temp at 32⁰C.
6. Close to 1½ hrs later dilute the calcium chloride in around 50ml of water. Add to the milk and gently incorporate it using a skimmer spoon for 2 minutes.  Dilute rennet in 50ml of water adding it to the milk and gently incorporating it using a skimmer spoon for 2 minutes.
7. Put the lid back on your pot and now leave it to ripen for 1 hr at room temperature
8. Check for a clean break.  If it is not ready leave for another 10 minutes.  If it is ready cut the curds into 2.5cm cubes (again best google this if you do not know how to do this). Let stand for 10 minutes.
9. Stir the curds very gently for 30 mins. The curds will shrink in size and start to mat.  Let settle for 5 minutes and prepare your draining tray/kit placing your sterilised moulds on the mat.
10. Remove the whey until you can just see the tops of the curds using a sterilised cup or by gently and carefully tipping the pot.
11. Use a slotted spoon to place the curds in your moulds. They will start to settle.  Keep filling until all the curd is used up.  Leave to drain for 2hrs.  I cover the whole thing with a sheet of sterilised butter muslin or blue cheese cloth to keep flies and dust out. Flip the cheeses (tip into one hand then transfer to the other and put back in the mould the other way up) and drain for several hours or overnight at room temperature.
12. In the morning flip again and drain for 2hrs. Remove the cheeses from the moulds one at a time and salt first the top and then the bottom with cheese salt using around ¾ tsp for each cheese.  Place in a ripening container and let ripen at 90% humidity and 10⁰C.
13.   Turn the cheeses daily for a week wiping up any whey with a paper towel each time.
14. After 7 days pierce each cheese 6 to 8 times using a sterilised thick knitting needle or skewer through from top to bottom and side to side. Return to the container and continue to ripen.  After around 10 days of ripening blue mold should be visible on the outside of the cheese.
15. After another 7 days pierce the cheese again in the same way and ripen for another 4 weeks, turning the cheese weekly. A blue-grey molded rind will develop, and the cheese will soften slightly.  The cheese is now ready to eat but can also be wrapped in silver cheese wrapping paper and stored in the fridge at normal fridge temperature for 1 month.  The cheese wrapping paper is perforated allowing the cheese to breath and it also absorbs any excess moisture.  If the cheese is not wrapped it will become too ‘blue’ and the rind too thick.  If your rind develops super quick, you may want to wrap it earlier than waiting just over 6 weeks after first piercing it.

     

    Back to top

Method

1. Warm milk slowly to 80°C stirring gently on occasions. Once reached hold this temperature for 5 mins.
2. Place the pot in a sink full of very cold or ice water and stir the milk gently to cool it quickly until it reaches 46°C.
3. Remove the pot from the water, sprinkle a few grains of culture on the surface and let stand for 5 minutes to re-hydrate and then gently incorporate it into the milk with a slotted spoon. If using goats’ milk, you will need considerably more culture to get a thick set, at least 1/8 th tsp. If using fresh natural yoghurt as an inoculant let it get to room temperature before adding it to the milk.
4. Incubate for 10 to 12 hrs
5. Place in a fridge over night to chill down and firm up.

A quick word on coconut yoghurt: I make this using coconut cream and the one that I have found gives the best result is the Karo brand in a tetra pak. Surprisingly, it has less additives that tinned Karo coconut cream. I simply warm the cream to 46°C, inoculate it with culture in the same was as step 3 above and then follow steps 4 and 5.
Too easy!

Back to top

Method

1. Line a sterilised colander with either butter muslin or a blue cheese cloth that you have also sterilised.
2. Spoon your yoghurt into the lined colander and leave it to drain and thicken.
3. Transfer to a sterilised bowl and refrigerate. You have made yoghurt cheese. It will keep like this for a week, and you can eat it at this stage if you wish.
4. Once chilled, place generous tablespoonfuls of yoghurt cheese in clean hands and gently roll.
5. Place the balls on a plate and dry at room temperature overnight or for several hours.
6. Place the cheese balls in a sterilised jar, add flavour ingredients if you wish to the jar and cover with oil of your choice, seal and refrigerate.
7. These balls are delicious eaten as they are, or you can coat them with a flavouring if you wish. Up to a day before serving: Bring the jar to room temperature to ensure the storage oil is liquid, lift the balls out and roll them in flavourings. An easy trick is to add a flavouring to a shallow bowl, place a few balls on top and roll carefully. They will be covered in seconds. If not eating immediately return them to the fridge on a clean plate. Bring back to room temperature before serving.

   Back to top

Recipe

6 litres of milk
mesophilic culture (1/8 th tsp of Flora Danica or 1/16 th tsp R704)
1/4 tsp rennet (280 IMCU)
Optional -1/16 th or 1/32 tsp lipase
Optional – 1/8 th tsp of thermophilic culture TCC-3
For storage – a 10% brine solution made with cheese salt (e.g. 200g salt to 2 litres of water) or oil
(that you can flavour).

Equipment

Culture measuring spoons
Thermometer – must be accurate
Draining kit
Steriliser
1 large feta or 2 small feta baskets
Small volume measure cylinder – around 100ml
Skimmer/slotted spoon
Butter muslin or blue cheese cloth
Curd knife
Colander
6+ litre pot
Airtight storage container such as a ‘clip it’ box

Method

1. Sterilise your equipment. Read the method for timings and sterilise what you need as you go.
2. Warm milk gently and slowly to 30°C.
3. Sprinkle culture/s (and lipase if you are using it) over the surface of the milk, put the lid on your pot and wait 5 mins for everything to re-hydrate.
4. Using your slotted/skimmer spoon and with an up and down movement very gently draw the culture into the body of the milk taking care not to break the surface of the milk excessively.
5. Put the lid back on your pot and now leave it for 1 hr, maintaining the temp at 30°C.
6. Dilute the rennet in around 50ml of water. Add to the milk and gently incorporate it using a skimmer spoon for 2 minutes.
7. Put the lid back on your pot and now leave it to ripen for 30 mins, maintaining the temperature at 30°C.
8. Sterilise your moulds, slotted spoon, colander and muslin cloth of choice.
9. Check for a clean break.  If it is not ready leave for another 10 minutes.  When it is ready cut the curds into 2cm cubes. Let stand for 5 minutes to firm up.
10. Stir the curds very gently for 20 mins. The curds will firm up and shrink in size. Let them settle for 5 minutes.
11. Tip off some of the whey so that you can just see the curds. Line a colander with your muslin cloth, stand this in a large roasting pan or similar and then ladle the curds into the cloth. Let stand for 5 mins to drain.
12. Fill the feta baskets with curds and allow to drain and firm over 10 mins.
13. Flip the cheese in the basket (tip into one hand, transfer to the other hand and place face down back in the basket) and leave to drain for 15 mins. Flip a further 3 times every 15 mins.
14. Let drain at room temperature for 18 to 24hrs without further flipping. Make sure the cheese is covered.
15. Storage time. Either:

a. Make up your 10% brine solution and place the cheese in this, cover and let stand at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. This helps the flavour develop. Check periodically for a drop in pH (see comment on storing your feta above) and correct as necessary with white vinegar. Next transfer to a fridge for storage. The flavour will develop over time and it is up to you when you start to eat it. You may have to weigh down the cheese to keep it submerged. I use old heavy cutlery that I get from recycle stores – make sure you sterilise it first though. You can use a cheese conditioning box and place the mat on top of the cheese and then weight this mat down with your sterilised cutlery.
b. Cube your feta and place in sterilised jars that you then fill with oil along with a flavouring if you wish.

Back to top

Method

1. Prepare an incubation space. I choose a quiet space in my kitchen away from foot traffic, direct sunlight
and draughts and place a folded towel down followed by a chopping board and have I have 2 blankets
ready to use later.
2. Sterilise your equipment. Read the method for timings and sterilise what you need as you go.
3. Warm milk gently and slowly to 30 0 C.
4. Sprinkle the culture over the surface of the milk, put the lid on your pot and wait 5 mins for the culture
to rehydrate.
5. Using your slotted/skimmer spoon and with an up and down movement very gently draw the culture
into the body of the milk taking care not to break the surface of the milk excessively.
6. Mix the rennet in 15ml of cool sterile water. Add to the milk and gently incorporate it in using a
skimmer spoon for 2 mins. Put lid back on pan.
7. Place the pan on your pre-prepared incubation mat. Wrap the pan up in blankets/towels and leave for
24hrs.
8. 24hrs later sterilise your moulds and a narrow shaped slotted spoon.
9. Space moulds on top of your draining kit. I do not sterilise my draining kit as the cheese curds do not
come into direct contact with it, but this is your choice.
10. Scoop the ‘set’ curd into moulds firstly by gently scooping with the mould just once into your pan. There
after use a narrow slotted spoon to evenly space the rest of the curds in the moulds. You may have to
wait a few minutes to allow the curds to drain a little before adding more. Continue until all the curds
are used up. Now drain at room temperature for 24hrs under a food cover or muslin cloth. Check the
level of the whey in the draining trays periodically and empty as necessary.
11. 24hrs later flip the curds in the moulds by tipping out onto your hand and placing back in the mould face
down. Leave to drain at room temperature for another 24hrs under a food cover.
12. 24hrs later unmould the cheeses and sprinkle approximately 1/4tsp of cheese salt over each cheese.
The salt adds flavour and suppresses unwanted mold growth. Now you can also add additional
coatings/flavourings of your choice if you wish such as cracked pepper or herbs.
13. Refrigerate the cheeses for 24hrs to firm up. Store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. More flavour
will develop over time and if you have added a flavour coating this will meld more into the cheese over
time too.
14. Enjoy with a smile – you have just made your own yummy cheese

Back to top

1. Sterilise your equipment including your pot and lid. Not everything will need to be sterilised straight away.  Read the method for timings and sterilise what you need as you go.
2. Warm milk gently and slowly to either 29⁰C or 31 ⁰C (see comment on Brie vs. Camembert).
3. Sprinkle the Flora Danica and molds over the surface of the milk, put the lid on your pot and wait 5 minutes – your culture and molds are re-hydrating.
4. Using your slotted/skimmer spoon and with an up and down movement very gently draw the culture and molds into the body of the milk taking care not to break the surface of the milk excessively, for around 2 mins.
5. Dilute the calcium chloride in around 50ml of water. Add to the milk and gently incorporate it using a skimmer spoon for 2 minutes.  Dilute rennet in 50ml of water adding it to the milk and gently incorporating it in using a skimmer spoon for 2 minutes.
6. Put the lid back on your pot and now leave it to ripen for 11/2 hrs maintain the temperature that you heated the milk up to.
7. Check for a clean break, leave for another 10 minutes if the curd is fragile but if ready cut the curds into 2.5cm cubes. Then let stand for 5 minutes to firm up the curds.
8. Lift and move the curds gently for 5 to 10 mins. The curds will shrink in size a little and the sides will become a little more rounded.  Leave the curds to settle for 5 minutes and prepare your draining tray/kit placing your sterilised moulds on the mat.
9. Remove whey from your pan until you can just see the top of your curds. I do this by tipping my pan gently and carefully and pouring but you may prefer to remove whey with a sterilised cup.
10. Use a slotted spoon to place the curds in your moulds. They will start to settle.  Keep filling until all the curd is used up.  Leave to drain for 2hrs.  I cover the whole thing with a sheet of butter muslin, that I have sterilised in boiling water, or a blue cheese cloth, to keep flies and dust out.  Flip the cheeses (tip into one hand then transfer to the other and put back in the mould the other way up) and drain for another two hours and then repeat once more.  Cover and let drain at room temperature overnight.
11. In the morning flip again and drain for 2hrs. By this time they should have had nearly 24hrs of draining.  Remove the cheeses from the moulds one at a time and salt first the top and then the bottom and sides with cheese salt using around ½ tsp for each cheese.  Place in a ripening container and let ripen at 90% humidity and 10⁰C to 13⁰C.   Turn the cheeses daily for a week wiping up any whey with a paper towel each time.
12. If you have used G. candidum, you will see a puffy fuzzy white mold starting to appear around day 3 to 4 days. If you have only used P. candidum you will see a fine white mold appearing after around 7 days. 
13. Continue to turn the cheeses daily and at around day 12 they should be fully covered in white mold. Now wrap the cheeses in cheese-ripening paper (white cheese wraps) and return to your ripening area.  Within 1 week or so the cheese will begin to soften.  It will be ready in around 2 to 3 weeks from now.  It can then be stored in a fridge (<4⁰C) for up to 6 weeks, depending on how ripe you like it.

Ingredients
8 litres whole milk
¼ tsp Flora Danica
1/8 tsp Penicillium candidum mold powder
1/32 tsp Geotrichum candidum mold powder (optional)
¼ tsp calcium chloride
¼ tsp rennet (280 IMCU)
4 tsp cheese salt

Equipment
Culture measuring spoons
Draining kit
3 camembert moulds (10cm dia rounds with bottom) or
Hoops and mats if you are more experienced
Skimmer/slotted spoon
Curd knife
8+ litre pot

Method

1. Sterilise your equipment including your pot and lid. Not everything will need to be sterilised straight away.  Read the method for timings and sterilise what you need as you go.
2. Warm milk gently and slowly to either 29⁰C or 31 ⁰C (see comment on Brie vs. Camembert).
3. Sprinkle the Flora Danica and molds over the surface of the milk, put the lid on your pot and wait 5 minutes – your culture and molds are re-hydrating.
4. Using your slotted/skimmer spoon and with an up and down movement very gently draw the culture and molds into the body of the milk taking care not to break the surface of the milk excessively, for around 2 mins.
5. Dilute the calcium chloride in around 50ml of water. Add to the milk and gently incorporate it using a skimmer spoon for 2 minutes.  Dilute rennet in 50ml of water adding it to the milk and gently incorporating it in using a skimmer spoon for 2 minutes.
6. Put the lid back on your pot and now leave it to ripen for 1 1/2 hrs maintain the temperature that you heated the milk up to.
7. Check for a clean break, leave for another 10 minutes if the curd is fragile but if ready cut the curds into 2.5cm cubes. Then let stand for 5 minutes to firm up the curds.
8. Lift and move the curds gently for 5 to 10 mins. The curds will shrink in size a little and the sides will become a little more rounded.  Leave the curds to settle for 5 minutes and prepare your draining tray/kit placing your sterilised moulds on the mat.
9. Remove whey from your pan until you can just see the top of your curds. I do this by tipping my pan gently and carefully and pouring but you may prefer to remove whey with a sterilised cup.
10. Use a slotted spoon to place the curds in your moulds. They will start to settle.  Keep filling until all the curd is used up.  Leave to drain for 2hrs.  I cover the whole thing with a sheet of butter muslin, that I have sterilised in boiling water, or a blue cheese cloth, to keep flies and dust out.  Flip the cheeses (tip into one hand then transfer to the other and put back in the mould the other way up) and drain for another two hours and then repeat once more.  Cover and let drain at room temperature overnight.
11. In the morning flip again and drain for 2hrs. By this time they should have had nearly 24hrs of draining.  Remove the cheeses from the moulds one at a time and salt first the top and then the bottom and sides with cheese salt using around ½ tsp for each cheese.  Place in a ripening container and let ripen at 90% humidity and 10⁰C to 13⁰C.   Turn the cheeses daily for a week wiping up any whey with a paper towel each time.
12. If you have used G. candidum, you will see a puffy fuzzy white mold starting to appear around day 3 to 4 days. If you have only used P. candidum you will see a fine white mold appearing after around 7 days. 
13. Continue to turn the cheeses daily and at around day 12 they should be fully covered in white mold. Now wrap the cheeses in cheese-ripening paper (white cheese wraps) and return to your ripening area.  Within 1 week or so the cheese will begin to soften.  It will be ready in around 2 to 3 weeks from now.  It can then be stored in a fridge (<4⁰C) for up to 6 weeks, depending on how ripe you like it.

Back to top

Ingredients
5 litres whole milk
¼ tsp calcium chloride
2 ml (240 IMCU) veg or 1.8 ml (280 IMCU) calf rennet
cheese salt

Equipment
Culture measuring spoons
Skimmer/slotted spoon
Curd knife
Thermometer – must be accurate
Small volume measure cylinder
Butter muslin or blue cheese cloth
Mould and press/weights

Method
1. Sterilise all your equipment
2. Heat milk to 32°C
3. Add pre-diluted calcium chloride and incorporate for 2 minutes
4. Add pre-diluted rennet and incorporate for 2 minutes
5. Maintain the temperature at 32°C and incubate for 45 minutes
6. Check for a clean break and cut the curds into 2.5cm cubes. Let stand for 5 minutes.
7. Slowly increase the temperature of the curds to 40°C, stirring/agitating slowly and gently so that the curds do not mat. It should take you around 40 minutes to raise the temperature by 8°C, which is 1°C every 5 minutes.
8. Leave to settle for 5 to 10 minutes.
9. Ladle the curds into a cloth lined mould and reserve the whey in your pot for later use.
10. Press at medium pressure for at least 30 minutes, if you have the time 3 to 4 hours will give a better result.
11. Remove the curd from the mould and cut into pieces around 2.5cm thick/10cm square pieces.
12. Heat the reserved whey to 88°C and place the curd in pieces in the hot whey. At first, they will sink and then as they cook, they start to rise, floating on the surface when they are sufficiently cooked. Lift out the cooked cheese, place on a mat, and leave it to cool for around 15 minutes.
13. Once cool sprinkle the surface of each cheese with 1/4tsp salt.
14. The next step is optional – place a few mint leaves on one edge and fold the cheese in half to enclose the mint.
15. Leave the cheese to drain and fully cool on a mat.
16. Place the cheese in a container and cover it with a 10 to 12% brine solution (500ml of water and ¼ cup (50ml) of cheese salt. Seal the container and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Back to top

Equipment 

Skimmer spoon

Culture measuring spoons

3 dilution jugs

Thermometer

Curd knife

>4 litre pan and lid

Colander

Cheese cloth – cotton or blue

Microwave safe bowl

Waterproof gloves

pH strips or meter 

Steriliser

Bowl of cold water for cooling cheese 

Ingredients

4 litres milk

Water for making dilutions (bottled or boiled and cooled and not chlorinated or highly mineralised tap water)

1/8th tsp calf lipase dissolved in ¼ cup water and let it sit for 20 mins 

1½ tsp citric acid dissolved in ¼ cup (60ml) water

½ tsp calf rennet (280 IMCU) or ½ tsp plus 1/64th  tsp (drop) vegetarian rennet (240 IMCU) in ¼ cup water 

1 tsp cheese salt

Method

1. Sterilise your equipment including the gloves you will use to handle hot curd.  
2. I like to mix my three dilutions at the beginning of this recipe to make sure I do not forget to add one.  I sit my dilution jugs on a piece of kitchen paper and write on the paper below each jug what it contains so I do not get confused as they all look the same!  

• Mix 1/8th tsp lipase in 60ml water and make sure this sits for 20 minutes
• Dissolve 1½ tsp citric acid in 60ml water
• Mix ½ tsp calf rennet (or ½ tsp + 1/64th tsp vegetarian rennet) in 60ml water

1. Warm the milk to 13°C and add the lipase solution and mix this in gently with a skimmer spoon.  
2. Now add the citric acid solution and incorporate this into the milk too.  At this point you may see a little curdling due to the large amount of acid you have just added.  All good, do not panic!
3. Continue to warm the milk to 33 °C.
4. Now test the pH.  If you have ‘no bleed’ pH paper (as stocked by The Urban Cheese Company) dip the indicator pad in your pan, and then compare the colour change you get against the indicator chart for your strips.  Otherwise lift a little out to test.  You are looking for a pH of 5 to 5.3.  If your pH is not low enough mix up a second batch of citric acid solution and add more until you get the desired pH.  You may need to add it all, particularly if your milk was very fresh.  Failure to get the correct pH will mean that your cheese will not stretch.  
5. Now add your rennet solution.  Because the acidity of your milk is high it may split a little and quickly when you do this, so just stir it purposefully but not harshly for around 10 to 15 seconds only and let it settle.    
6. Let the pan sit now for 5 to 10 minutes and check for a clean break.  Cut the curds into 2.5cm columns and rest for two minutes.
7. Now gently heat to 40°C agitating/stirring gently.  The curd can fracture but no worries if it does; your whey should be clear though.  If it is not clear, leave your curd a little longer before cutting next time, aiming for a stronger ‘break’.  There is nothing you can do to rectify it this time.
8. Drain the curds into a cloth lined colander and drain for around 5 minutes.
9. Tip the curds into a microwave safe bowl.  Heat on high in the microwave for 1 minute or until the curd just begins to melt.
10. Wearing sterilised gloves, take the bowl out of the microwave, gently squeeze and stretch the curds pulling it out of the bowl, and tip off any whey that separates out.  Put it back in the microwave for around 30 seconds on high until it melts together and looks like a thick custard.  
11. Remove from the microwave, sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt, and begin to knead, pulling and stretching the curd, folding it over and over.  You are wanting it to develop a shiny surface.  
12. Return to the microwave for 30 secs on high, then stretch it again.  Quickly form it into one ball or multiple balls and drop into your waiting cold water and leave there for ten minutes to cool.  If the balls are not forming easily warm your cheese a little again, just to get a little flexibility into the curd to enable you to make balls.  
13. If you forgot to add salt at the stretch stage you can place your formed balls in an 18% brine solution for 10 minutes instead, turning them over a few times. Then remove from the brine. You will end up with a saltier tasting cheese this way.   Your cheese is at its best young and can be used immediately or you can wrap and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.  The balls tend to flatten as they age.

1. Sterilise the following equipment: milk pan, skimmer spoon, dilution jug/s, measuring spoons, thermometer.
2. Warm your milk to 29°C.
3. Sprinkle the culture over the surface of the milk and let it stand for 5 minutes to rehydrate.
4. Whilst waiting prepare your calcium chloride and rennet solutions. Firstly, measure out your calcium chloride and dilute this in around 50mls of water. If you have a second dilution jug also prepare your rennet by also diluting it in around 50ml of water.
5. After 5 minutes, using a skimmer spoon, gently draw the rehydrated culture down into the milk. Use an up and down motion for 2 minutes to ensure that the culture is evenly distributed through the milk.
6. Now add the calcium chloride and incorporate this for 2 minutes.
7. Next add the rennet and incorporate this for 2 minutes.
8. Put the lid on your pot and let it sit undisturbed for 40 mins, maintaining the temperature at 29°C. Whilst waiting, sterilise your curd knife. If you have boiled it ensure that it is cool enough to use when you need it.
9. Check for a clean break, leave for another 10 minutes if it is not ready. Cut the curds into 1.25 to 1.5cm cubes. Gently stir the curds for 5 minutes whilst checking for any uncut pieces of curd. Now let the pot sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. The curds should sink below the whey. If they are still very floaty stir them for a little longer. Whilst waiting prepare around 7 to 8 L of water to 60°C.
10. Remove around ¼ of the whey in your pot, to the point where you can only just make out the shape of your curd cubes. Replace this whey with approximately the same amount of 60°C water, stirring gently as you add the water to ensure that you do not scald any areas of curd. You are aiming to bring the temperature up to 33°C so this will dictate how much 60°C water you add to your pot. Once at temperature, stir the curds for 10 minutes to ensure that they stay separated and do not knit together. They will shrink in size and firm up a little. Then let them settle for around 5 minutes. Whilst waiting prepare around 8 to 9 L of water to 44°C.
11. Remove around ⅓ of the whey in your pot this time, to the point where your curds are visible but still covered. Replace this whey with approximately the same amount of 44°C water, stirring gently as you add the water to ensure that you have an even temperature increase across the curds. You are aiming to bring the temperature up to 37°C so this will dictate how much 44°C water you add to your pot. Once at temperature, stir the curds gently for 20 minutes. Concurrently sterilise your mould/form, follower and cheese cloth during this time (but keep them warm to just before you use them). The size of your curds will reduce again and firm up more. Now leave the pot to stand undisturbed for 10 minutes, maintaining the temperature.
12. Towards the end of your wait time get your press ready for use.
13. Now tip all the whey from your pan and leave the curds sitting covered and warm for around 2 to 5 minutes. They will knit together into a mat and expel more whey as they sit. Whilst this is happening line your warm mould/form with your sterilised cheese cloth.
14. Drain the whey from your pan one last time and break off chunks of curd and place them in your lined mould. Pull the cloth neatly around the curds then over the top of them. Place the follower on top of the cloth and put the filled mould in your cheese press. Let it sit for a while until no more whey runs out. Then press by steadily increasing to light pressure and hold for 30 to 40 minutes.
15. Remove the cheese from the press and redress. This is done by taking the cloth and curd out of the mould, re-lining the mould with the cloth, turning the cheese over and then putting it back in the mould, and returning everything to the press. Continue pressing at light pressure for 30 to 40 minutes or until whey has stopped beading on the mould and then increase the pressure to medium for 8 to 12 hrs or overnight.
16. Make up an 18% brine solution ready for end of pressing. Add 180g of salt per litre of water. The solution will be quite saturated at this level, and you need all the salt to dissolve, so I use warm water to make up the solution and then chill it down to just warm – not fridge cold.
17. Place the cheese and place it in the brine solution for 12 hrs, turning over after 6hrs. It should float.
18. Remove your cheese from the brine, saving your brine for your next Gouda, and air dry your cheese on a draining kit or equivalent at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or until the rind is almost dry to the touch. Turn the cheese morning and evening whilst it is drying. Then place it on a mat in your conditioning fridge at a temperature of 10°C to 12°C turning once a day for around 2 weeks and then once a week there after. Continue to develop and maintain a natural rind by periodically wiping your cheeses with cotton cheesecloth dipped in a saline/white vinegar solution or coat the wheel in Cheese Emulsion for hassle-free long-term storage. The cheese continues to breath and mature once coated with mulsion, but it does not grow undesirable molds.

1. Sterilise the following equipment: milk pan, skimmer spoon, dilution jug/s, measuring spoons and thermometer.
2. Warm your milk to 29°C.
3. Sprinkle the culture over the surface of the milk, put the lid on your pot and wait 5 minutes for the culture to re-hydrate.
4. Next, using a skimmer spoon, gently draw the rehydrated culture down into the milk. Use an up and down motion for 2 minutes to ensure that the culture is evenly distributed through the milk.
5. Put the lid back on your pot and now leave it for 30 minutes, maintaining the temp at 31 0 C.
6. Whilst waiting prepare your calcium chloride and rennet solutions. Firstly, measure out your calcium chloride and dilute this in around 50mls of water. If you have a second dilution jug also prepare your rennet by also diluting it in around 50ml of water.
7. Now add the calcium chloride and incorporate this for 2 minutes.
8. Next add the rennet and incorporate this for 2 minutes.
9. Put the lid back on your pot and now leave it to ripen for 45 minutes maintaining the temperature at 31 0 C. Whilst waiting, sterilise your curd knife. If you have boiled it ensure that it is cool enough to use when you need it.
10. Check for a clean break, leave for another 10 minutes if the curd is fragile but if ready cut the curds into 1cm cubes. Then stand for 5 minutes to allow the curds to firm up.
11. Heat the curds gently to 38 0 C over 30 minutes (i.e., 1.2 0 C every 5 minutes equating to 3.5 0 C over 15 minutes) whilst stirring gently. If you find any large curds, you can cut these into smaller pieces whilst stirring.
12. Now maintain the temperature at 38 0 C for 20 mins with an occasional gentle stir to stop the curds clumping together. The size of your curds will reduce in size and firm up a little. Concurrently sterilise your mould/form, follower, and cheese cloth during this time (but keep them warm).
13. Now rest the curds for 5 minutes with no movement. This allows them to sink in the whey.
14. Get your press ready for use
15. Tip the whey off the curds and rest them for 2 minutes to allow them to ‘knit’ and expel a little more whey.
16. Whilst waiting, line your mould/form with your chosen style of cheese cloth.
17. Tip off the last little bit of whey and put the curds into your lined mould/form pressing them in gently. Pull the cloth neatly around the curds then over the top of them. Place the follower on top of the cloth and put the filled mould in your cheese press. Press with around 0.5kg’s of direct weight for 15 mins.
18. Remove the cheese from the press and redress. This is done by taking the cloth and curd out of the mould, re-lining the mould with the cloth, turning the cheese over and then putting it back in the mould, and returning everything to the press. Continue pressing for another 30 mins at the same weight.
19. Flip and redress the curd ball again and press with around 1kg of direct weight for 60 minutes.
20. Flip and redress the curd ball again and continue pressing with around 1kg of direct weight for 4 hours. You can press for longer if you want a ‘tangier’ flavour so experiment with this as you want.
21. Remove the cheese from the form and cloth and rub with 2 Tbs of cheese salt and put it in a curing box or on a draining rack covered with cloth at cool room temperature for 8 to 12 hours. This ‘sets’ the cheese. Keep an eye on the amount of whey leaking out as you do not want the cheese to ‘swim.’ You may have to remove some whey before your time is up for this stage but be sure to tip it into a sterile vessel and keep it for later use.
22. Now turn the cheese and rub the cheese all over with the collected salty whey. Do this 2 or 3 times a day for the next 3 days. The cheese will change in texture and flavour as the salt moves through the wheel.
23. The cheese is now ready to store and use. Pat the cheese dry with paper towels and cover in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. If you see mold developing wipe the cheese all over with a 20% saline solution or a little white vinegar and air dry and re-wrap in new plastic wrap before returning to the fridge.