Farmhouse Cheddar

Ingredients

• 2 gal Farmer's All Natural Whole Milk
• ½ tsp CaCl2 (diluted with ½ c. distilled water)
• ½ tsp Animal Rennet (diluted with ¼ c. distilled water)
• 1 packet direct-set mesophilic culture
• 1 Tbps Cheese salt

Instructions

Cutting the curd

Finished curd

Hanging curd in cheese cloth

Pressing cheese (10 lbs of weight)

Pressing cheese (50 lbs of weight)

Pressed cheese

1. Prepare 5 gallons of sanitizer in a bucket
2. Sanitize:
   • 2 Cheese clothes
   • 4-Gallon stainless steel pot
   • Large stainless steel slotted spoon
   • Large mesh strainer
   • Small mixing bowel
   • Long knife to cut curds
   • Cheese mold
3. Put 2 gallons of milk into 4-gallon pot, add dilluted CaCl2
4. Heat milk to 90°F
5. 1 packet Direct-set Mesophilic culture let ripen for 45 mins.
6. Add diluted rennet stir up-and-down for 1 min.
7. Cover and let set for 45 min. Check for a clean break.
8. Cut the curd into ½" in pieces
9. Allow to rest 5 mins
10. Put into sink and run 120°F water around the pot, while monitoring the temp and stirring. Ideally the, pot will come up to 100°F over 30mins, temp started at ~90°F so take it easy. A thermopen is helpful here.
11. Let pot rest for 5 mins at 100°F
12. Drain pot into mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth
13. Hang curds in cheese cloth in a warm place for 1 hour
14. Take curds down, break into walnut sized pieces and add 1 Tbs cheese salt, mix.
15. Put curds in cheese press, add 10 lbs of weight, let rest for 10 mins
16. Put 20 lbs of weight on the cheese press and let rest for 10 more mins
17. Put 50 lbs of weight on the cheese press and let rest 12 hours
18. Remove cheese from press and let set until a rind has developed 2–4 days