Cream Cheese

[Dunfie]

I've never made cheese before but bought a couple of cheesemaking books some time ago but never actually got around to it. I decided that it was time to finally grasp the nettle and have a go. I found a company called Goat Nutrition Ltd who supply the stuff I needed.

In the end I needed some cheesecloth, liquid rennet and some starter culture - it only cost a few quid and will can be used for a few batches of cheese (if it works out well). :pray:

I have been pulling this together "Brew Day" style and thought others might be interested in the process I have followed so far. If you are then read on and hopefully I will be able to report good news at the end.

 

[Dunfie]

Making Cream Cheese - Day 1

First off I wanted to make a starter culture from the packet of mesophilic culture.

1 litre of full fat milk milk
1 sachet of powdered mesophilic starter
1 pot
1 sterlised jar
1 thermometer

Pour the milt into the pot and heat slowly to 80'C and hold there for 10 minutes

After the 10 minutes, crash cool the milk by placing in a sink with cold water and gently move the pot around. The aim is to get the milk down to 20'C as quickly as possible.

Stir in the mesophilic starter powder and thoroughly stir. Once mixed pour into the sterilised jar, cover with clingfilm and then place lid on top.

Now place somewhere that will be warm, around 20C, for 24 hours until the milk sours.

 

[Dunfie]

Making Cream Cheese - Day 2

After 24 hours your starter should be ready to use in making the cream cheese. You should find that the milk has now turned ito what looks and smells like natural yogurt.

I also wanted to make sure I had enough starter for more batches so I split into some ramikins (around 2-3 tablespoons in each one). These ramikins are now in the freezer. Its just like splitting a WYeast.

The cream cheese recipe is fairly simple

750ml double cream
750ml full fat milk
30ml starter culture
2 drops of rennet (I have the vegetarian stuff)

First heat the milk over a double boiler until you get the milk to 72'F (this doesn't take long at all).

Remove from the boiler and add the starter culture and 2 drops of rennet (its actually hard to believe how little amount of rennet it used).

As with the starter, cover and leave in a warm place for 24 hours until it appears to have set.

 

[Dunfie]

Making Cream Cheese - Day 3

You should now find that the milk and cream have created a very smooth curd.

You now need a big pot, a colander and some cheesecloth

Put the colander on top of the big pot and cover with the cheesecloth

Gently pour the curds on top of the colander

Tie the ends of the cheesecloth together

Now hang it over the big pot to drain.

Now leave this overnight until it whey stops dripping and all your are left with is the cheese.

 

[Wez]

Ok i'm gripped by this thread!

I fancy having a bash, looking forward to the updates :thumb:

 

[ni9e]

I thought cheese was hard to make I might give this a go thanks for posting :thumb:

 

[Dunfie]

It certainly seems to be a bit of a black art when first looking into it. However its similar to brewing in that the hard bit is just getting organised and giving it a go.

The book I have has recipes and techniques for making all sorts of cheese so if this works out I might try some others (how good would it be to make your own chedder or stilton?).

This cheese should be ready to eat in the morning and will keep in the fridge for up to 10 days. I'll take a couple photos of the final bits and will update on how good it is tomorrow night.

 

[BrewStew]

i've got a couple of questions...

but first... how cool is it that this forum is starting to get a really cool "home made" stuff type thing beginning to form! we'll be sharing tips on growing your own veg next! :thumb:

anyway, the questions.

why do you need to sanitise when cheese is effectively "off" anyway?

is it really that easy to make stilton? i thought stilton needed copper wires running through it to get the "varicose vein" type things

i'm very keen to know how easy cheddar is. i love cathedral extra mature.... mmmmm.. cheddar you can actually taste

 

[Wez]

but first... how cool is it that this forum is starting to get a really cool "home made" stuff type thing beginning to form! we'll be sharing tips on growing your own veg next!

Agreed :thumb: watch out for a Picalilli recipe soon following some great feedback from our samplers, some of whom are THBF top brass :thumb:

 

[Dunfie]

Thanks BS, I had hoped that there might be some interested parties.

but first... how cool is it that this forum is starting to get a really cool "home made" stuff type thing beginning to form! we'll be sharing tips on growing your own veg next!

J_P has an allotment and I have a veg patch - ask away :lol:

I am no expert as this is only my first try but I will answer as best I can from what I have read.

why do you need to sanitise when cheese is effectively "off" anyway?

Yes and no, what you are doing with the mesophilic starter (mesophilic means that it works in cool temperatures, thermaphilic is the warm one) is introducing a controlled set of bacteria to the milk so that it sours in the desired way. If you don't sterilise then you risk another less friendly bacteria getting in and causing off flavours. If you have ever had a wild yeast infection in your beer then you will know what I mean. I just sterlised in the same way I would a fermenter.

is it really that easy to make stilton? i thought stilton needed copper wires running through it to get the "varicose vein" type things

no it isn't, although the general rules to make the curds appear to be the same but there is a lot of more to it with introducing the extra mould culture (Penicillium Roqueforti) and ageing for months. You would need to work up to it but certainly possible in the house.

i'm very keen to know how easy cheddar is. i love cathedral extra mature.... mmmmm.. cheddar you can actually taste

cheddar doesn't look too difficult but you would need a cheese press as the consistency of the cheese is a result of getting even more liquid out of the curd. You are also looking at a minimum of three months ageing but it benefits from a lot longer.

:

 

[llannige]

This thread looks very interesting.
I love cheese,so this is something I too fancy having a crack at.

Will follow the updates with hunger for more.
:thumb:

 

[BrewStew]

thanks for the info

as for the veg, swmbo and i spent a weekend digging and moving a tonne of soil.... twice! (long story) but i've now got a 20 meter square vegetable plot.

i'd just missed most of the growing season but i've got some onions that were planted late last year that are sprouting nicely.

really looking forward to spring where i can start growing some good stuff!

anyways i'm hijacking the thread... perhaps we need a horticultural section

 

[Dunfie]

Just been through to the kitchen - this is the amount whey that has collected in about 4 hours. I believe that you can make ricotta from the whey (perhaps some other time).

 

[percival]

What a cool thread, grats on taking the plunge, i hope you get something yummy.

Is your garden big enough for a goat

I wonder if you can make whey beer or wine :grin:

 

[BrewStew]

I wonder if you can make whey beer or wine :grin:

:sick: :sick: :sick:

 

[Dunfie]

Making Cream Cheese - Day 4

First thing this morning I sorted out my cheese. Here is the sight when I initially untied the cloth.

I almost managed to get the 1kg of cream cheese.

First taste on a couple of oatcakes. So how does it compare against the leading commercial variety. Tasted side by side my cheese is not surprisingly fresher and lighter. The philly is saltier with a little bit more tang. I did a blind test with Mrs Dunfie and although she worked out which one was which she preferred mine.

I have estimated that the cost for this batch of cheese was about £3 so it works out cheaper than philly aswell. This isn't surprising as they need to add the cost of the other ingredients like gumming, emulsifiers and stablisers in theirs. :P

 

[Wez]

Great result and extremely well documented - I hope that a few of our members follow your lead :thumb:

Nice one D

 

[BrewStew]

that is awesome :thumb:

that cream cheese reminds me of sour cream and chives... minus the chives.

i LOVE sour cream and chives.... and i plan on growing chives... unfortunately i cant grow cheese :lol:

is sour cream basically cream cheese with vinegar or something weird to give it the sour taste?

 

[percival]

so cool, well done!

:clap: :clap: :clap:
: : :

 

[A T]

Great thread, i love cheese and have been meaning to look into making my own for some time. I might just give this a go