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)
• ¼ tsp Mesophilic culture
• 1 Tbps Cheese salt

Instructions

Cutting the curd

Finished curd

Hanging curd in cheese cloth

1. Prepare 5 gallons of sanitizer in a bucket
2. Sanitize:
   • 2 Cheese clothes
   • 3-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 3-gallon pot, add dilluted CaCl2
4. Heat milk to 90°F
5. Add ¼ tsp Mesophilic and 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