We love when you send us your recipes! Julie Ott in North Berwick, Maine sent us this one. We haven’t tried it yet, so, when you do, please let us know how it went.
About Julie
I have been (successfully) making cheese for nearly 3 years from raw goat’s milk. I have my own herd of goats, which includes Nigerian Dwarf, Saanen, and Boer.
I was diagnosed with a dairy allergy when I was a child. Because my brothers had the same thing, my parents had me try goat milk. I was able to drink goat milk without any problems, and I swiftly moved into eating cheeses. While delicious, they were too expensive for me to have regularly. So I had talked my parents into allowing me to get goats.
Skip ahead some 4-5 years from then, and I am making cheeses every few days and yogurt for my 10 month old son. So far I have made Gouda, provolone, mozzarella, cheddar, Parmesan, Colby, jack, cheese curds, Colby jack, American brick, and a dry and crumbly fresh cheese for the family’s orzo salads. I’m addicted!
Julie’s Goat Milk Colby/Cheddar
A little bit of background for this recipe: I have always messed up cheddar. Every single time I get too much acid development. I have tried every tactic but it still becomes too acid somewhere and then I end up with a sharp (vs a mild) cheddar. What’s more, my family prefers Colby. I wanted a cheese that had the buttery freshness you get with Colby, but with the sharp-nutty flavor you get from cheddar.
You will see in step 10 that the cheddar cheese becomes a washed curd (sort of) cheese. This really helps to stop any further acid development which could lead to a stronger/sharper cheese.
I really hope you enjoy this recipe! Is has been 2 years in the making to get it just right! My family uses this cheese for EVERYTHING. From pizza to tacos, subs, lasagna, pasta salad. You name it, we probably put it in there. It is a very useful cheese, that takes little time (about 2 1/2 hours to make the chess before drying the curds OR pressing the curds).
Follow the typical ingredients you would use to make a batch of Colby. For me, I use the following:
1/4 + 1/8 tsp animal rennet diluted in 1/4C water. Double this for pasteurized milk
1/16 tsp mesophilic culture (I use M4002). Double this for pasteurized milk
3 gallons of goat’s milk
1-2 gallons of non-chlorinated water
Directions:
1. Heat milk to 86F.
2. Add cultures. Let the culture re-hydrate on the surface for 2 minutes, then stir in. Let sit for 45 minutes.
3. Add rennet and stir well to incorporate. 45-60 minutes should get you a good clean break.
4. I like to use a whisk, but you may use a knife or similar utensil to cut the curd (or a curd knife). I like a good 1/4 inch, but 3/8 inches is recommended. Do the initial cut of length and crosswise and let sit 15 minutes. This helps to keep the milk fat in the curds. Once the time is up, finish cutting horizontally and diagonally to achieve the curd size between 1/4″-3/8.”
5. While stirring, raise the temperature of the curds and whey to 102F over the course of 30 minutes. Because I stir too hard and fast, I have found that stirring every 5 minutes during this phase keeps my curds from drying out too much. You will have to make a few batches of cheese before you can figure out the best stirring style to use for yourself. Whatever the case, do not walk away long enough for the curds to mat together at the bottom of the pot.
6. After 30 minutes, maintain the heat at 102F for 30 more minutes, while stirring, the same as you did in the previous step. You may not need 30 minutes, as vigorous stirring in the first 30 minutes can leave the curds drier than they need to be for the second round. When the curds look shrunken, but when a handful is squeezed together and they mat slightly, they are ready. If you want a drier cheese, you can go a bit farther with time. Just don’t go over that 30 minute mark.
7. Let the cheese sit for 15 minutes or so. You want the curds to drop to the bottom of the pot so you can remove the whey easier. If you are pressed for time, you can skip this step (it just makes it easier).
8. With a cheesecloth, separate the whey and curds. You can use the whey for your garden, to feed to pigs and chickens, and much more. Please don’t pour it down the sink! (Our dogs love it too!)
9. Now we are going to ‘lightly cheddar.’ I know this sounds crazy, so just bear with me here. Tie the cheesecloth around the curds to make a bundle and place into the cheese pot. Place a cover on the pot and let the curd bundle sit for 15-30 minutes. You may slice it in half and stack the two to get a true cheddaring effect, if you would like, but I have not noticed any difference between either way.
10. This is where the cheddar you have been making turns into a different cheese. Break apart the curd mass into pieces and put them back into the pot. Add cold water until the temp is around 75-80F. Stir for 10 minutes, constantly.
11. Strain the water from the curds. Let the curds drip for a bit in a colander, and then salt with a ratio at about 1 tablespoon per 1.25 lbs of cheese (I use 3 tablespoons).
12. At this point, you may press the cheese as you would Colby. You can also keep it as curds, and stir them in a bowl for a few hours to let the residual moisture dry from the curds, and then you may freeze or use right away.
13. If pressing, I fill a water bottle with a tad over a pint of water and place it on the cheese for the first pressing, which is usually 30 minutes. I then flip the cheese and use the water bottle for another 30 minutes. Flip again, and 15-20 lbs of pressure overnight (2 hours should be sufficient, but leaving it overnight is just something I like to do).
14. As for aging, I age in our cellar, with a temp of 61-66°F and a relative humidity of around 40-60% given the day. Flip every day for the first 1-2 weeks, and then at least weekly for the next 2 months. I find 2 months makes a great cheese, but everyone has their own tastes. This cheese could definitely go longer, shorter, and even be used fresh.
I really hope you have enjoyed this easy recipe!
Julie Hanauer says
Julie,
Which mesophilic culture is most versatile for making different cheeses?
Thanks!
Julie Ott says
Hello Julie!
Interesting question; I think this has more to do with preference. I was using a regular old mesophilic large pack for the longest time, but I tend to favor the 50/50 blend of mesophilic and thermophilic cultures for most of my cheeses. New England Cheese Making carries both.
I find the blend results in a better flavor profile after aging vs. the regular meso culture.
-Hope that helps!
Julie I want to thank you so much for your recipes, all the time you’ve taken to reply to questions, and the experience you’re sharing. I have Nubian dairy goats. With two does I am getting about 3 gallons of raw milk a day. I cannot make cheese every day. Do you ever use frozen milk. I really appreciate your experience with raw milk. I did not realize about using less rennet it and culture for raw milk. I also live in Phoenix Arizona where my room temperature is at 78°, cheese cave (wine fridge) at 55° , fridge at about 40°.. I am not sure I have anywhere I can get to the 60° you recommend. Have you tried the aging at the 55°?
Hello Victoria,
You are welcome! I really want to show how easy it is to make goat cheese, and that even any cheese can be made with goat milk.
From what I have researched, you cannot make cheese from frozen milk. The freezing process does something to the proteins and makes them unable to form a strong curd. Because of this information, I have never used frozen milk. I save the milk for a few days and then make a big batch of cheese.
I like to age at the 62*F-64*F, but that is only because I find it easy to keep my cellar at that temp. 55*F will be just fine! I wouldn’t go below 50*F, though, because as the aging temp is lowered, you also lengthen the aging process (lower temps = slower aging).
My father made me a huge cheese press, and I can fit 10 gallons worth of cheese into the press. I use plastic buckets and drill them with holes for my molds. I actually get the containers from Shaw’s in the bakery area (they are frosting containers and stuff) and they are free. Your local grocery store probably has some.
Doing the above, you would be able to save the milk for 3 days then make a big batch of cheese (granted you have a few pots big enough). Just an idea 🙂
I will describe my actions briefly so it was clear where to look for the error. Parmesan cheese. Evening milking whole milk, cream removed. Slow heating in a water bath up to 89,6-93,2 F. ferment was introduced, after 50 minutes the enzyme (dissolved in water) 80 minutes of milk coagulation at a temperature of 89.6 – 93.2F. Cut the bunch into cubes 15-20 mm. I turn on the heat, and for 20-25 minutes I bring the temperature to 131 ° F. Adding hot water to the water jacket. Cheese grain is constantly hampered not allowing to settle on the bottom and stick together. I spend a sample of grain on the willingness to squeeze in a fist, then slightly over the lump with a palm. Grain should easily break away from this lump of cheese. I stop heating the cheese and put it into the muslin fabric, and I roll this entire lump of cheese grain into the serum hanging it on a stick. The temperature of the serum is maintained at 131 ° F. Keep it there for two hours. Then pressing. Together with the cloth I put the cheese into a mold. And I load a small weight of 2-3 kg. Turning over and increasing the load by 3-4 kg. Gradually I bring the load to 30 kg. Press it for not less than 12 hours. After the press weight 2300 kg. ng.200 gr per 1 liter of water (brine concentration). 46 hours salting time. And drying in the cave, humidity 85-90 temperature 53,6F. The question is why after 1.5 week the head begins cracking.
Hello Sergey,
It could be a variety of things that are causing your parma to crack. My first thought would be that the cheese is being dried out too rapidly, and the humidity is lower than you think (perhaps reset your hygrometer).
I also feel like the press weight of 30kg (66lbs) is too much, and you may need to drop the weight to 23kg (about 50lbs).
How much rennet are you using? Too much rennet can cause mild cracking.
How many gallons of milk are you using for this batch? Perhaps the final cheese is being salted for too long, further drying out the cheese.
The curds being too dry before pressing most likely is not the problem, as you would have trouble pressing the cheese together. Do you find you have trouble consolidating the cheese in the press? If so, try stirring a bit less during the process.
Again, my first though is that your humidity is too low (please check your hydrometer). If you still have 85-90% humidity after resetting, I would look unto the above questions.
Looking forward to your reply. I hope we can figure the cracking problem out soon.
Hello. How many gallons of milk are you using for this batch? Perhaps the final cheese is being salted for too long, further drying out the cheese.
Milk is 8 gallon. Salt 200 grams 1 liter of water salting time 1 hour -50 grams of cheese after the press. How can I send a photograph of the Syrah who cracked? For English, sorry Google translates. Best regards, Sergei.
Sergey,
So far, your salt to water ratio sounds spot on. 8 gallons of milk should produce at least 8 lbs of cheese. Your salting time of 1 hour per 50 grams (or 9 hours per pound of cheese) is too long. It is actually over double what you need to brine the cheese for. I suggest in your next batch to do 4 hours per pound of cheese, which is 4 hours per 450 grams.
Please check over to this link here for information on brining cheese. http://www.cheesemaking.com/learn/how-to/brining-cheese.html
and
https://www.cheesemaking.com/Parma1.html
These above links should be a great help on your next batch.
Let me know how it goes!
Good afternoon.
Studying the recipe of Parma, a question arose. Refine this point in the prescription pozhalysta.Skolko time you need a press. I realized that for the night left without weight? After 4 hours of press.
That is correct.
The cheese is left to sit so that the culture can continue to work. After that, it is then salted.
Hello I carefully studied Parmesan’s recipe.
In the morning I will bring milk to cook my cheese. Milk is 8 gal. Expect the weight of 6.8-6.9 pounds. Help calculate the end load on the cheese washer diameter 180 mm.
Hello + thank you for this recipe! I am curious to know if there is a reason you specify using animal rennet. I’ve always thought that animal rennet & vegetable rennet are pretty interchangeable. Is this not true? Thank you for any insight!
Hello Sergey,
This website belongs to the company New England Cheese Making, and this recipe is one I (a customer and cheese maker) was excited to share.
I am not entirely sure what you mean by drying the cheese “after cutting out on the shelter”. Which step are you referring to?
I am thinking you mean the drying time after taking out of the press. Once your cheese is pressed, you need to dry it in a cool location (too warm and it will sweat butterfat). I like to dry mine on a shelf of my ‘cave’, which is really a bakery rack. Anything with temperatures of 61-66°F and humidity of 40-60% is great!
I hope that is what you were referring to!
Best of luck
Good afternoon.I want to specify. as it is long needed to dry before a serve in a form. After a transmission on a surface drainage. they must have the opportunity to flow during 10-20 minutes and careful interfusion will be to make, sure that a serum flows down also and curds remain divide. It is important, to avoid what – or deep piles by curd during weathering, because they must be kept separately, as they to pour out water and did not allow to consolidate.ть grain of cheese. Mould badly develops in the middle of cheese.There are not cavities for education and development.
Serger,
You do not dry the cheese before putting it into a mold and pressing. Doing so will make it nearly impossible to get the curds to stick together. The curds will actually create air holes and allow bacteria, mold, and even yeast to find its way into the cheese.
After putting the water into the pot with the cheese curds, stir for 10 minutes non stop. Then drain the cheese, and add salt. Once the salt is added, you will need to stir every few minutes for 30 minutes. After that time is up, put into a cheesecloth lined mold.
Do not let the cheese dry before then.
Once the cheese is done being pressed according to the directions in the recipe above, remove from the mold and let dry in a cool location. Flip at least once a day, but twice a day is best. By 3 days you should notice the cheese nearly dry on the outside.
There is no set time for it to dry, as it can take up to a week to dry out on the outside fully.
Krisann,
I’m not sure why it posted my other reply to you. My apologies.
As for your question, my understanding is that vegetable rennet results in a softer curd. and has a different flavor that animal rennet. I have always used animal rennet for my cheese, from this website.
You can use any kind of cheese making rennet you prefer, but I cannot guarantee the flavor to be the same. If you do use another rent, make sure to follow the recommended amounts on the rennet. And if it is raw milk, use half of the recommended amount of rennet that the packages states.
Hope that helps!
Hello, I live in Ukraine. Your website helped me to make blue cheese Dor Blue. I am grateful, I read the recipes by boat and try to cook cheese on them. I want to clarify how much you need to dry the cheese after cutting out on the shelter?
I have tried many times to make cheese from my raw goat’s milk. Sometimes I get lucky but most of the time it takes sort of like barf. really. its nasty and hard and barfy. So maybe I am using too much rennet and culture, and wondering how much less you suggest? I want to make 1-2 gallon batches.
Hi Chris,
It really sounds like too much rennet and culture. How much rennet do you use (and what type) per gallon? How much culture are you using? Also, how old is the raw milk before you make cheese (as a rule of thumb, if the milk is over 3 days old I drastically drop the amount of culture I use).
It may not even be the culture or rennet. Where are you aging the cheese? What is the humidity and temperature? This really changes the cheese. Too warm and it will have a rancid flavor. Too cold and it takes longer to age or doesn’t age and just dries up. Too little moisture and your cheese can become a hard, dried brick.
I have been using the amt of rennet and culture the recipes call for. Currently using a book called artisan cheesemaking at home by m karlin. Have used others but same result. For example, a colby from the book says 2 gal milk, 1/2 tsp meso and 1/2 rennet.
I am using cultures from both the New England site and have also used choosit. for rennet, I tried microb. type but have stuck with animal.
my cave is a dorm fridge with a controller. I did vac pac but often those end up all watery inside and gross. I’d much prefer a natural rind if possible.
I always try to use milk that is just a few days at most. I am sure I’ve used some that was older tho. This year I only plan to milk one goat, so it might take a few days to gather enough for cheesing. I would really love to simply make one gallon batches.
and a huge thanks for replying!
Chris,
While those measurements stated are correct for pasteurized milk, they are incorrect for raw milk. I have a feeling none of them state that the milk is raw (because the rennet and culture is much too high).
While 1/2tsp rennet is perfect for 2 gallons of Pasteurized milk, it is double what you need for 2 gallons of raw milk. And if your milk is over 3 days old, you will need a scant bit less than that.
As for culture, as the milk ages it needs less and less culture. The mesophilic culture I use is https://www.cheesemaking.com/shop/mesophilic-mm100-culture-large-pack.html
a 1/2tsp sets 6-12 gallons of milk. Whoa!
Too much culture results in too much acid, which leads to the flavor you were experiencing. Too much rennet leads to a hard cheese.
You will have to play a bit with your milk, as everyone uses slightly different amounts to get the best cheese. Either way, for a 1 gallon batch, I would use:
Scant 1/16tsp mesophilic OR mesophilic W/thermophilic blend
1/8tsp rennet diluted in 1/6C water (may need a drop less of rennet).
From here you will be able to see if you need more or less of either. As the milk gets older, less and less culture is needed (I wouldn’t go below the just-under-1/8tsp-rennet, though, as you just won’t get it to set within the time limit). I hope this helps!
Also, I tend to let my cheese set after adding rennet for 60 minutes. It allows me to use less rennet, which leads to a really nice, smooth, and flexible texture to the aged cheese.
If any part of this did not make sense, feel free to ask away!
-Julie
Would love to see your recipes for Gouda, provolone, mozzarella, cheddar, Parmesan, Colby, jack, cheese curds, Colby jack, American brick, and a dry and crumbly fresh cheese. It’s hard to find good recipes for goat cheese – mostly all for cow milk. thanks!
Hi Carolyn,
My Colby recipe is nearly exact to the one listed in the recipes section of Cheesemaking.com
As are many of the other recipes I use.
That being said, my milk is also raw-so I use much less rennet and culture than the recipe calls for.
All recipes will work with any kind of milk, at least that is what my experience tells me. Goat milk does need slightly longer to set up for the curds, though, as the curds are softer than cows milk curds.
If you would like, follow the step before pressing for this cheese and you will get some great cheese curds!
P.S. I do plan on writing all of my recipes down some time. For now, they are memorized.
-Julie
I too use raw goat milk all the time. It would be great to see a recipe for parmesan in particular, as I’ve not seen one for goat milk parm. Don’t you find that you use lower temps all the time with goat milk?
Hi Julie,
I’m confused about the culture measurement, 2/32 tsp. What does that mean or how do you measure it?
Thanks,
Audrey
Hi Audrey, I think this would equate to 1/16th of a tsp, which makes sense for the type of culture and amount of milk she is using.
Hi Audrey,
I have a measuring spoon set that has dash and pinch on it, and I looked up online at the manufacturer’s website and found the actual measurements. I have seen the same measuring spoons on new england cheese making’s website.
To be clear, the tiniest measuring spoon in that set is 1/32 of a tsp.
Hope that helps!
-Julie
I changed it to read “1/16th.” We do sell mini-spoons – click here
Hi Julie, looking forward to trying your recipe. I live in Australia and i purchase goats’s milk from a near by farmer but I have been looking into getting goats myself and I am particularly interested in Nigerian Dwarf goats.
I am curious to know on average what yield of milk you get from them?
Thanks.
Robyn
Hi Robyn,
Average yield really depends! The first few days may only be a cup of milk per milking. During average lactation, I get between 2cups o’er milking to 2 1/2 cups. I really don’t understand how people can get “1 quart” per milking for a Nigerian. They are miniature goats, after all.
I think the perfect mix of milk is a few Nigerians and Saanens mixed. And as a comparison, my saanens give just over a quart per milking on average during mid lactation.
-Julie
Depends on if the goats come from selected and proven milking lines, and then their care/feed/weather etc and how many kids they have (more milk generally produced if she has quads instead of a single for example). I looked up Nigerian Dwarf DHIA records online, and of the goats tested in 2015 for example, the year’s production was from 280 to 1510 lbs with an average of 706 lbs. My goat mentor told me that a goat gets sold from her herd if she doesn’t produce a minimum of 1 lb/day at peak on her first lactation and 2 lbs/day on second lactation. ND milk is much higher in butterfat than other breeds, so you should get a better cheese yield per lb of milk. They’re so much easier to handle and deal with than 175-200 lb large breed goats, especially the bucks!
Karen,
2 pounds of milk per day after the first year sounds spot on. I have girls who give me more during peak.
Of course, if they are not drinking enough during the hot summer days, they will drop down to half that (wish I could make them drink…but their water buckets are barely touched.)
I have a Boer buck who is soo friendly, but yes, they can be a handful (he was bottle raised around dogs and thinks it is okay to jump on a lap..)
Nigerian dwarf milk makes AMAZING buttery cheese. I love it 🙂
Hi Julie, Just started making raw goats milk cheese. I raise meat goats and one of the mommas lost her kids this year and so I decided to milk. I’m only getting a little more than a quart a day plus she provides milk for a bottle baby. So far, the only cheese that I have liked is the chevre and ricotta. The soft pressed cheese has a rubbery texture I don’t like. I don’t have a cave yet but we’re working on it. I do have a root cellar and so your 41 to 66 degrees at 40 to 60 % humidity may work. My questions are these: are you waxing the cheese? If not, what do you do instead? It takes 8 days for me to gather 2 gallons of milk. Can I reduce the ingredients for that amount of milk? Most of the recipes I have used call for buttermilk and rennet. How does this mesophilic culture change the cheese? Thanks so much Julie, all the best
Hi Jeanne,
Rubbery textured hard cheeses are a result of too much rennet and acid development; I’ve been there and it gets better with practice.
It is very easy to reduce the ingredients. Just reduce the same as you would a cooking recipe. Because it is not a huge batch to begin with, you should keep the stirring and pressing time the same.
As for aging, our cellar has worked for a few years now. I have problems with waxing cheese (for some season I always get a spot of mold) and have found I prefer natural rinds. I dry out the cheese for a couple days in a cool location (the cellar would work). If you have any oils on the surface of the cheese, it is too warm of a location to dry the cheese. When the surface is dry to the touch, put in in your cellar/cave. I like to put mine on cooling racks lining sheet pans. The sheet pans are then set into a bakery rack.
Buttermilk from the store can have varying results in cheese, mostly because you really don’t know how many/ how little amount of live bacteria there really is.
Cultures work to create acid in the cheese, and during aging they help break the cheese down and impart flavor. That’s why cheeses like cheddar and swiss have different cultures added; they impart different flavor.
I like to switch between a basic mesophilic and a mesophilic/thermophilic combo in this cheese.
I hope I covered all of the bases.
Good luck,
-Julie
This sounds wonderful. I’m curious to know if using a chedder culture verses soaking the curds in the cheese clothe back in the water would give the same taste as chedder using goat milk.
Feel free to post any questions!
Do you think this could be made using cow’s milk?
Anna,
It can be made with any milk!
Each milk will impart its own flavor.
-Julie