Goat’s Milk Colby
By Julie Ott*
A short while ago I got the opportunity to share my recipe for a cheese meld of Colby/Cheddar (click here). I am back again with another goat cheese recipe – Colby. This recipe is for raw goat milk. If you are using pasteurized, please double the amount of culture and rennet.
Ingredients:
1 gallon raw goat’s milk
1/16 tsp thermo/meso blend (a 50/50 blend of thermophilic and mesophilic. This aids in the aging process.) Note: If you don’t want to use 1/32 tsp of 2 separate cultures, you can use our “Farmstead Culture” – MA4002 or, another option – RA21.
1/8 tsp animal rennet, diluted in 1/4 c cool non-chlorinated water
1 tablespoon salt or brine
butter muslin
cheese press, mold, followers
colander
buckets for whey (pigs, chickens, and veggie plants LOVE it!)
Directions:
Step 1:
Heat your milk to 86F.
Step 2:
Add 1/16 tsp culture per gallon of milk. You may need slightly more than this (or less) per gallon. (As a rule, 2/16 is usually too much for even the freshest of raw milk, and if the milk is over 3 days old, you will want to half this amount once again, or drop the amount of culture slightly.)
As an example, I used 4 gallons of milk, which was a combination of between 4 days and 12 hours old. Because after 3 days the milk begins to become more acid, less culture is needed. ,In this case, I used 3/16tsp of culture for 4 gallons, and it was the perfect amount.
Once the culture is added, let it sit for 2 minutes to re-hydrate. Stir in. Let set for 30 minutes.
Add rennet. Your temp should be no lower than 80*F. Let sit 45 minutes or until a clean break.
Step 3:
With a whisk, cut the curds. I like to begin with an up and down motion around the whole edge, working to the middle. Let set for 15 minutes. This step helps to keep the butterfat inside of the cheese and out of your whey.
Once the 15 minutes are up, use the whisk to cut the curds into ¼ inches or just under that size. This should take 5-10 minutes depending on your batch size.
Step 4:
Set your pot on the stove and begin heating the curds to 102F. You want to do this slowly, (about 30 minutes), while stirring. I like to stir every 5 minutes during this time, instead of constantly. Use your best stirring style (every 5 minutes is mine!). If you hit 102F before the 30 minutes is up, remove it from the heat and continue stirring for the remainder of the time.
Step 5:
After 30 minutes, and at 102F, remove from the stove (if using direct heat) OR retain the temp of 102F (if using a water-bath). For the next 30 minutes, continue to stir.
Your curds should look something like the photo below:
Step 6:
Let your curds set for 15 minutes (this just makes it easier to remove the whey, but it isn’t necessary).
Remove 1/3 of the whey. Replace this whey by volume with cold water (if you removed 1 quart of whey, add a quart of water). You want the temp to be around 80F once all of the water is added. A warmer temperature results in a slightly drier cheese, and a lower temperature results in a slightly higher moisture cheese.
The addition of the water should be done slowly over the course of 30 minutes, while stirring. I like to add ½ of the water in the first 10 minutes, wait 5 minutes (stir, stir, stir), and then add the rest of the water.
If you are salting, add 1tbs salt per 1.25lbs cheese (or per gallon).
Step 7:
Drain your curds in a colander. Save that whey and whey-water!
From this colander, add the curds into your butter-muslin lined mold. Press with moderate pressure as you fill the mold.
Press at 25 lbs for 1 hour. Flip. Press at 25-30 lbs for 1 hour, flip. Press for 40 lbs for 2-3 hours, flip. Press at 40-45 lbs overnight (8-10hrs). Remove from the mold and let the surface dry for 2-3 days unless you are brining the cheese, in which case, put it in your brine. I find overnight is sufficient, but it depends on the size of your cheese and how much cheese you have. There is a really good article about brining here: https://www.cheesemaking.com/learn/how-to/brining-cheese.html
And it is my favorite reference for making a brine.
Step 8:
Once the cheese is dry, transfer it to your aging room. A good 62F-68F and 68-80% humidity will make an amazing cheese. Flip daily every day for the first month, and then every other day for the second month. By 2 months, it is ready to enjoy!
* About Julie
Julie is raising goats and her 1 year old son in North Berwick, Maine. She makes a wide variety of cheeses.
We’re very grateful to her for sharing her recipe for Goat’s Milk Colby/Cheddar with us in April, 2017, and now this one.
Alexia says
Hi Julie,
If i add the salt to the curds, do I still need to brine the cheese after is has been pressed? In other other do I add the salt AND do the brine or just choose one of the two? Is there an advantage doing one versus the other?
Thank you
I forgot to answer your last question.
I do not see any difference in the final cheese. However, the salt added right to the curds needs to sit for 30 minutes. You save 30 minutes if you pick the brine.
I boil a couple cups of water, add the salt needed, then add ice and cold water, vinegar, and a bit of clear whey. A 5 minute brine, and it is ready to go in between steps during the cheese making process.
Hi Julie,
My cheese cave is set at 52-56F and about 80-85% humidity. You suggest aging your cheese at a higher temperature and lower humidity. Do you think it will be ok to use my cage setting for aging you Colby or Colby/cheddar cheese or should I change my settings? Thank you
Alexia,
My cellar just happens to be at that temp and humidity. Your settings will be just fine, don’t change them.
Thank you
Julie, What is the salt situation in this recipe?
It appears to be missing in step 7. After pressing, put the cheese in a brine. I find overnight is sufficient, but it depends on the size of your cheese and how much cheese you have. There is a really good article about brining here: https://www.cheesemaking.com/learn/how-to/brining-cheese.html
And it is my favorite reference for making a brine.
If you prefer, add 1tbs salt per 1.25lbs cheese (or per gallon) before pressing, and then you can dry off the outside and move to the cave.
Hi Julie. So if you add the salt directly to the curds then you don’t need to brine the cheese after it has been pressed? In other words you do one OR the other? Thank you
Alexia,
You are correct! Just pick the one you prefer.
I liked to add the salt to the curds when I was a beginner because I found it easier. Now I am able to toss a brine together in minutes, so I prefer the brine.
First, thank you for writing this! I’ve had problems with my raw goat milk cheddar being too hard and too dry and you are the first person I’ve found to mention that raw milk needs less rennet and culture, and milk more than 3 days has an increased acid level. I can’t wait to make a new batch tomorrow!
Now for my question – after you air dry your cheese and then store in your basement do you ever get mold on it and if so, what do you do about it? Do you ever salt the rind?
Thank you!
Chris,
I air dry in our kitchen, and then move to the cellar. I do get mold, which most any cheese will get anyways (it is a cheese making thing). I use a veggie brush to brush the mold off, and then if I forget to do this one day and there is more than usual, I will take a handful of salt and rub the rind of the cheese. By 2 months the moisture level in the cheese will have dropped, and you will not have problems.
Also, cheeses like parma will not get even get a touch of mold if the curds were properly dried during the cheesemaking process. I have a 4 month old parma and it has not even a mark on it’s rind.
Remember, black and blue/green mold is fine. Anything orange or red is NOT. I would cut an inch below the mold and then possibly wax the cheese, or even destroy it if it was too bad. The only time orange/red molds are okay is if you added a mold linen or something.
Also, I wipe down my shelves with vinegar water if mold was present, several times a month. This way, there is less chance of the mold coming back on a high-moisture or fresh cheese. And when I find my cellar empty (no cheese in the cave) I will bleach EVERYTHING.
I will not eat the rinds of my cheese; heck, I don’t eat the rind on ANY cheese. I don’t like the flavor…That’s why you see me cutting them off in the photo above. I suggest if you did get a good amount of mold on the rind, that you ‘clean’ it first a few days before eating. Use a vinegar and salt brine and wipe down the whole thing until there is nothing left on the rind (you will still have mild stains here or there).
What step/temp/time for the rennet?
Oops! I guess we missed that! Add rennet after step 2. Your temp should be no lower than 80*F. Let sit 45 minutes or until a clean break. Then follow step 3.
I apologize for that!
Please feel free to comment any questions, and I will try my best to answer them!